Why 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' really shouldn't be a big deal

I got off work tonight and came to my room to sit down and maybe watch an episode or two of the Office online. But while I was perusing twitter, I stumbled upon a link to a blog belonging to a classmate and coworker. She, Jessie Opoien, is a fantastic writer and journalist, so even though she's a Rachel Maddow fan (I won't hold it against her), I clicked on the link and read it.

Now, I usually don't go anywhere near political subjects with a ten-foot pole when I'm writing, but what she wrote got me thinking about Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Homosexuality is still a taboo in our country, so any time it's brought up, someone, somewhere is going to have a (loud) opinion about it. But I ask this of those who argue for and against this policy: Why does it matter either way? What in the world does sexual orientation have to do with serving one's country? Gay, straight, or otherwise, if a man or woman chooses to serve, he or she should be able to do so without having to worry about keeping or disclosing any secrets about their personal lives. They should only have to worry about the task at hand.

I mean, would the Army treat you any different if you're gay? Would they feed you less? Clothe you differently?

If two men are in a foxhole together, fighting for their lives, do you honestly think they're thinking 'Gee, I wonder he's going to make a move on me?' C'mon.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell is simply a way for the Armed Forces to cover their ass. Just like in the business world, if a person is asked in an interview for a job what their sexual orientation is, they likely will get offended, and wonder what that has to do with the job they're applying for.

Whether or not you agree or disagree with how someone chooses to live their life, ultimately it's not your life, so you can't do shit about it. No one person has the right to tell another how to live their life. Sharing one's beliefs, and advocating those beliefs are different entirely from judging someone and telling them what to do.

So, abolish or keep Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It makes no difference. Because at the end of the day, we're all on the same team, are we not? Right or wrong we're all in the war together, so we might as well focus our energy on ending the war rather than creating one amongst ourselves.

LOVE released

Angels & Airwaves released their third album, LOVE, for free today via their website, angelsandairwaves.com (Modlife). It's a solid album that flows well and has some nice peaks and valleys.

The Flight of Apollo got the album going pretty well, and set up what would be the two best songs on the album. Epic Holiday and Hallucinations were two standouts that gave the album a much-needed rock and roll feel.

But after those two songs, the album sort of slips into a prog-rock, psychedelic journey into the mind of Tom Delonge. Letters to God Pt. 2 is a decent song, and it's a solid follow-up to its Pt. 1 (from Delonge and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker's Box Car Racer album). Unfortunately, in Shove he samples a single from I-Empire for the chorus, using the melody from Everything's Magic. And on the final song, Some Origins of Fire, the verses are the same melody as AVA's most popular song, The Adventure.

Apart from those two blemishes (as well as some lackluster drumming from Atom Willard), LOVE is definitely worth listening to. I don't think Delonge went too far out on a limb for this album, and he did deliver on the promise that this would be unlike anything we've heard from them (apart from the two instances I mentioned above). BUT, Delonge does need to stop telling everyone AVA will change the world and that he's put out his best stuff (which he's done for every AVA record, as well as in his preview of the upcoming Blink-182 album). He needs to let the music speak for itself, and maybe there wouldn't be as much backlash when the music isn't actually life-changing, as is the case with each of the three AVA albums.

The entire album can be downloaded here or here. Give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

A Life Lesson

Have you ever noticed how life is just an endless string of disappointments? There's always something there to bring you down.

Whether it's not having money, not having a girl/boyfriend, not having a job, or not knowing where you're going in life, it's all disappointing.

The best is when your "friends" take you for granted. When they need you for something, you're a cool person who they get along great with. But when you don't serve a purpose for them (a ride when they're drunk or sober, help on homework, being someone to vent to when their boy/girlfriend is being a jerk, rent payments, etc), you might as well be the blackest of the black sheep in the herd.

Or when you're "friends" don't have the common decency to tell you things that affect your future. Like looking for an apartment without telling you, deciding who's all living in this new apartment without you, and then signing the lease without telling you, so you're left with no place to live, and no one to live with. And then having them look you in the face and say "I'm sorry." No, you're not. If you were sorry, you would've told me up front. But I digress...

Work, school, whatever, it's all disappointing. Tuition rates are going up because of budget problems. And by the time I'm out of college the job market is going to be about as good as The Rock's last movie.

So here's my challenge: find something, one thing, in your life that doesn't disappoint you, and never lets you down. A person, a pet, a hobby, whatever. Find that one thing that no matter what happens, you can be around it and be happy no matter what. Because if you can find that thing, all of the other disappointing shit in your life will become bearable.

And if you happen to find it, let me know. Because I'm still searching.