Don't Ask? Don't Tell?
Last week, the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee held a hearing, to re-examine the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Of the witnesses called to testify, many said they want gays and lesbians to be able to serve freely. There were critics, also. Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, testified against any repeal. (If you haven't read Dana Milbank's assessment of Donnell'y testimony, you should.)
In the first hour today, we're going to center our conversation on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," 15 years after it was implemented.
Ben McGrath, a staff writer for The New Yorker will join us, to talk about Maj. Alan Rogers, whom he profiles in the most-recent issue of the magazine. Rogers was, perhaps, the first gay serviceman killed in action in the war in Iraq, and as McGrath writes, he kept his two identities: as a gay man and a soldier, completely separate.
And we'll hear from Jamie Barnett, a retired rear admiral, who argues that it is time to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." "An estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians serve in the U.S. armed forces, though by law they cannot be open about their sexuality," he writes. "As we fight two wars, our military is stretched thin. Those gay and lesbian soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are essential."
What do you think? Is it time to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? Is it working? We especially want to hear from members of the Armed forces, active or retired.
David Gura
1:59 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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In Defense of Cucumber Sandwiches... Kinda
Last weekend my roommate and I planned to go to the Mount Pleasant farmers market here in Washington, buy lunch ingredients and then have a picnic in Meridian Hill Park. Unfortunately, it was almost too hot to shop out doors, never mind eat outside. So instead we resigned to have a "bourgeoisie picnic" -- that is, an air-conditioned picnic -- in our living room complete with cucumber sandwiches, lemonade and prosecco. Why do I bring this up? Because it has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of today's oped. Well almost nothing. Our little "bourgeoisie picnic" WAS the image that popped into my head when I began to think about elitism all of ten minutes ago, but after reading through Mark Swed's article for the LA Times, it's quite obvious that my weekend lunch was haughty at best, but really a far cry from elite.
Rather, elitism is just a way to categorize "the best" and not only has it got a bad rep, says Mark Swed, but we should use the word more... what do you think... when is categorizing "the best" helpful... and when is it not?
Susannah George
1:58 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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Mystery Loves Company
Big shoes to fill.
Source: Hulton archive/Getty Images
I'm not convinced that mystery deserves its own genre -- after all, doesn't every kind of fiction have a mystery to be solved? But if it does, we all know who belongs in it. Giants of literature: Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Walter Mosley. So who are these bold new authors who want to take on the genre -- who believe they can bring something fresh to the crime novel, the thriller, or the smoky noir detective story? Tana French's crime mysteries, In the Woods and The Likeness, both kept me up with a booklight -- and Louis Bayard's literary thrillers are the reason I'm currently sleepy. We want to hear from you, Poirot-o-philes, Dashiellites, Agathans... what do you think makes a mystery modern?
Barrie Hardymon
1:57 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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Mad (Wo)Men
Two straight months of watching HBO's Deadwood has had an odd effect on me. My language is both worse, and better (read: filthy, but creative), and I've been thinking more seriously about the role of women in period TV drama.
If you're a woman in 1870's Deadwood, god help ye -- ironically, your career options are pretty much the same as they are in Grand Theft Auto IV. You can check the box marked whore, wife, or misfit, and be sure that you're going to get the bejeezus kicked out of you at some point. Amazingly, the women of Deadwood (the TV series, at least), kick and scream and chafe within their proscribed roles. Calamity Jane, the series misfit, has simply rejected gender roles entirely -- and is without a doubt, one of the best men in the camp. These women seem -- modern, somehow -- resigned, but momentously discontented.
Fast forward to a resigned, but much more contented lot -- the women of AMC's Mad Men, which started its second season last night. Guess what; a hundred years after the mayhem of frontier injustice, things aren't that much better (except wardrobe). Systemic sexism, universal racism, and sweaty heels damning otherwise sassy broads with "Thanks, sweetheart." It's vile. And, I'm pretty sure that even Alma Garrett would have kicked Betty Draper right in the corset. Reader, it rankles -- so much, that the slings and arrows of everyday attitudes hurt more. I saw a picture of Tina Fey in InStyle, with the caption, "From Brainy, To Beauty!" Well, thank goodness she can be pretty -- God forbid she just be smart and funny AND RUN AND WRITE HER OWN HIT TV SHOW.
So -- why does Deadwood's outright hostility toward women, bother me so much less than the viciously pleasant disdain in Mad Men? I mean, women are murdered in Deadwood. No one's trying to kill anything in Mad Men except possibly spirits (which they're also drinking heavily). I haven't yet figured this one out -- but I suspect it's because the women have bought in to the 1960's sexism. They think they have it good -- they really believe they're second class. Trixie, a prostitute in Deadwood -- knows she's totally screwed no matter what she does (no pun, etc.). She may be resigned to her fate, but she's pretty angry about it, and that, at least, is therapeutic to watch. But Betty Draper, the maligned Barbie married to our hero, Don Draper (who's a $&^%), thinks she's a lucky duck -- never mind the anxiety disorder, or that HER HUSBAND TALKS TO HER SHRINK BEHIND HER BACK. Sigh.
In the end, the real heartbreaker is that Deadwood seems like another world, but Mad Men looks familiar (I mean, I would wear all of Joan's wardrobe). It's not that long ago -- maybe my grandmother was treated this way. I understand Peggy and Joan -- I work in an office, I've cried in the bathroom, and occasionally, I need help carrying my stuff out to the car. The similarity ends there. Both my bosses ... are women.
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Below, a taste of Peggy trying out liberation, as opposed to libations. Oh, And by the way -- none of the women on the show were nominated for Emmys. Sigh. Maybe they'll win some kind of beauty award.
Barrie Hardymon
1:56 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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July 28th Show
I'm back from vacation, Neal Conan is on vacation, and Lynn Neary is our host all week. Now that you're up to date, here's what's coming up on the show today:
In our first hour: Do ask, do tell? Last week, Congress held its first hearing on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military since it was enacted fifteen years ago. According to The Chicago Tribune, "lawmakers focused on two questions: what effect a change in the policy would have on troop unity and whether the current policy is hurting recruitment and retention of service members who are gay." Tell us what you think. We'd particularly like to hear from members of the military. Fifteen years later, does "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" work?
In our second hour, we'll talk about the next generation of mystery novels. We'll talk with two modern-day mystery writers about how they create the perfect whodunit. What do you think is the most important aspect of a good page-turning thriller? Is it the setting? The main character? Or that "I knew it" plot twist at the end?
**Just to make our Monday a little more exciting, we're waiting until the last possible moment to solidify our enders for both hours today. Stay tuned, folks. We'll have something for you!
Gwen Outen
12:21 PM ET
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07-28-2008
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