The Service Leaders Defense Network reports that a new Blue Ribbon Commission of military experts today estimated the total cost of implementing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law to be $363.8 million. and then some


SLDN defends those kicked out of the military under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and lobbies against the policy itself.


“‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ places an unnecessary burden on American taxpayers by asking them to fund a discriminatory law that hurts military readiness,” said C. Dixon Osburn, Executive Director of SLDN.


“The choice is clear: spend $364 million on firing patriotic Americans or spend the same amount on three dozen Blackhawk helicopters, 4,000 sidewinder missiles, or enough body armor vests to outfit the entire American fighting force in Iraq. Our priority should always be defense and national security.”


The commission looking into this waste of a third of a billion dollars included William J. Perry, former Secretary of Defense and Dr. Lawrence J. Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense.


“Our nation has lost the talents and expertise of 10,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patriots who want to serve our nation. When we fire Arabic translators, helicopter pilots, combat engineers and troops on the ground simply because they are gay, every American pays the price,” Osburne said.


While appealing to true conservatives who would be concerned with such an abhorrent waste of money, the organization does not understand the value of hatred by the extreme right-wing.


Those advocates of discrimination do not care about having translators to prevent future attacks or armor to protect troops. These people did not serve in the armed forces and neither will their children. What is the right-wing answer to national security? Ban gay marriage. Spend hundreds of millions of dollars to institutionalize hate and dismiss all the troops we want despite dwindling enlistment.