When I first saw the video of Darren Manzella, I did not think there was any way that he was gay. I know what the stereotypical gay person looks and sounds like, as well as what they dress like. This man did two sessions in Iraq for Christ sake. This video clip does really help out the LGBT people. It shows that they can be just as capable as a normal straight person in fighting for ones’ country. I don’t understand why it is not a problem if this guy is shot up in Iraq or he steps on a landmine and blows his legs off, but it is a problem if he is part of the gay community and they have to discharge him from the service. It’s not acceptable to say that he is disrupting the morale of the army because a former study proved that to nto be true. He wasn’t hurting anyone by being gay. To his friends or other soldiers in the army he was just another normal soldier. There was absolutely no way that his soldiers we not going to trust him. When you’re in the heat of battle in a war, they have much more important things to worry about, rather than worrying about whether someone is gay or not. It should definitely not matter whether someone is gay, straight, lesbian, or bisexual. It should not matter about which gender a person has feelings towards. I know for sure that if I was gay, and they would not let me in the army, I’d be really pissed off. It’s pretty ridiculous how long the rule has been in effect. The whole Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy is bullshit. You’d never ask a straight person to talk about their wife or kids. It is kind of funny in that our country wants to pride itself of accepting people of all different races, sexual orientations, and religions, but doesn’t want a gay person to protect our country. This video really helped me to not be so stereotypical towards gay people. Times have changed, people have changed, and it’s time for our views towards gays in the military to change.

This was a very interesting article for me to read. I’ve never really thought much about all the prisoners in jail. I’ve never really given the time of day to think about what is going on behind bars. I know it must be really hard for some of these guys and/or girls to be sitting behind bars for the rest of their lives. Some of them deserve to be there and are truly bad people. But what about the rest of the people who’ve realized that they’ve done something very wrong and truly are good people. Do they all really deserve to be rotting in jail for the rest of their lives. I am a strong believer that if you do a horrible act, then you should be punished for it. Some of these guys were raised without any sense of direction or guidance and you can’t really blame them for having ended up in jail. Some of them were raised without parents and had tough childhoods trying to fend for themselves. This is very prominent in low income areas. I was fortunate enough to have grown up with great parents to help guide me and teach me to always do the right thing. I especially felt bad for the guy who lost his child in a car accident and had no way of calling or getting in touch with any of his loved ones. I could not imagine what that feeling must be like. He’s just sitting in jail knowing that his kid is dead and he’s never going to get to see or talk to his son again. It is also very interesting to see that even though the two inmates hated each other, the one was showing compassion for the other. It’s a really nice thing to see or hear about something like that. It’s nice to know that some of the inmates still have a soul and can be emotional about different types of situations. It would be very interesting to be able to go to a jail and talk to an inmate or two about what’s going on with them and how they are doing. It would also be cool to watch a television show about inmates and how think and feel about being in prison.

People who make the decision to enlist in the army are extremely honorable and brave. It is a very difficult choice to do so. They risk their lives every day to be in the heat of battle. They leave behind all of their loved ones to fight for their country. It sure does take a very special person to make the decision to fight for ones country. It is a very warm feeling to know that you can trust that those who are apart of army to protect our country and freedom. It does not make sense to care what someone prefers to do in their spare time. They army should not be so concerned with identifying whether someone is gay or straight and be more concerned with whether or not they are going to be fit for the job of being a soldier. These people are risking their lives to fight for our country and we are telling them that they cannot fulfill an army position because of their sexual preference. The “don’t ask don’t tell” policy is not a good one for the army. If these people are willing to fight just as hard as the next person and are willing to fight with bravery and honor, why should we deny them the right? It is very wrong of the army to not allow the LGTB community to help protect the country. Just because someone is gay or lesbian, it should not have any effect on the moral of the army. This should absolutely in no way, shape, or form dictate whether or not someone can or cannot fight. You can’t just stereotype the whole gay community and determine that they are all weaker or below straight people. It takes a strong person just to own up to being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. This article helped me to realize how it truly must be tough for LGTB soldiers. Darren Manzella really deserves a lot of credit for putting his time into the army. He had all the rights of an American citizen and the army is taking them all away and it just is not acceptable or fair.

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