# According to Sen. James Inhofe, soldiers are unwilling to fight and die for gay soldiers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 14, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449 "2010-05-14T17:13:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/21 "2010-05-14T19:08:26Z")
> [@](#): > > …gays have served openly in the Israeli military since its inception. You mean there are gay _Jews_? Well, don’t that beat all. I heard there was a gay Texan once, but he moved to New York City. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/22 "2010-05-14T19:11:56Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Isn’t he massively pro-Israel? Someone should tell him that gays have served openly in the Israeli military since its inception. I’ll post the same lists that i’ve posted in a few other threads about gays in the military: ```auto Group A Group B Australia China United Kingdom Cuba Spain Egypt Germany Iran New Zealand North Korea Canada Singapore Israel Syria France Turkey Netherlands Venezuela Norway Yemen ``` Group A allows gays to serve openly in the military; Group B bans homosexuals from serving. I wonder which group has more in common with the professed values and ideals of the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/23 "2010-05-14T19:26:26Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > B-but Inhofe was in the Army (19957-58), so he knows! He (was/will be) in the Proxima wars? Jesus, that guy (saw/will see) some horrific fighting. But I thought most of the regiments that (fought/will fight) in those wars (were/will be) bisexual. Also shouldn’t he be trying to open a time vortex back home, instead of making asinine rants to an ancient long fogotten political entity? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/24 "2010-05-14T19:50:06Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > He (was/will be) in the Proxima wars? Manned a c-beam near the Tannhäuser Gate, don’tcha know. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/25 "2010-05-14T20:17:00Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Isn’t he massively pro-Israel? Someone should tell him that gays have served openly in the Israeli military since its inception. He cares about Israel just enough that they can get nuked and then Inhofe can make love to Jeebus in a totally non-faggy way. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/26 "2010-05-14T23:07:45Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Group A allows gays to serve openly in the military; Group B bans homosexuals from serving. I wonder which group has more in common with the professed values and ideals of the United States. Why do you hate North Korea? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/27 "2010-05-15T00:05:17Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > …Group A allows gays to serve openly in the military; Group B bans homosexuals from serving. I wonder which group has more in common with the professed values and ideals of the United States. Now that’s not fair. All the countries in Group A have radically different cultures, aren’t US allies, and none of the even speak English. Wait a minute…:smack: ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/28 "2010-05-15T00:12:10Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Inhofe is right. > > That is, when he served in the Army, in the late fifties, I believe the culture was exactly as he describes, and I believe that attempting to permit openly gay soldiers to serve would have been disastrous. > > But he’s fifty years out of date. Today. most young men don’t really care. Sure, they may call each other ‘fag’ in a way that’s not exactly A+ graduate material in sensitivity workshops, but at the core, they don’t really care about the issue in a big way. > > So Inhofe is wrong about today’s military, even as he’s right about the Army he served in. Of course, he’s talking in the present tense, so, while it’s nice of you to carry water for him, he’s really no more “right” than if he was discussing our policy towards Eastern Europe as if Soviet tanks had rolled through Budapest last year. Being fifty years out of date isn’t “he’s right, but…” it’s “he’s wrong.” ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/29 "2010-05-15T00:43:26Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Legislators learn bad habits in their states, and take them to Congress. Actually, what they learn is how to get elected in their state. This pitting should be extended to 57% of the voting population of Oklahoma. If only we knew the names of all 763,375 of them, we could make a list. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/30 "2010-05-15T00:52:50Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Actually, what they learn is how to get elected in their state. This pitting should be extended to 57% of the voting population of Oklahoma. If only we knew the names of all 763,375 of them, we could make a list. Start with [Sally Kern](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Kern)’s district. She’s the one who said about homosexuality (or the “embrace of homosexuality”) that “I honestly think it’s the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam — which I think is a big threat, okay?”. She makes Inhofe look good, and Tom Coburn look like the grand marshal of Oklahoma City’s Pride parade. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/31 "2010-05-15T00:54:08Z")
> [@waterj2](#): > > Of course, he’s talking in the present tense, so, while it’s nice of you to carry water for him, he’s really no more “right” than if he was discussing our policy towards Eastern Europe as if Soviet tanks had rolled through Budapest last year. Being fifty years out of date isn’t “he’s right, but…” it’s “he’s wrong.” Well, he speaks in the present tense, yes, but he also says “we” asnd not “them” when referring to soldiers, so I think he was relating his experience of the past. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/32 "2010-05-15T01:10:06Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > But he’s fifty years out of date. Today. most young men don’t really care. Sure, they may call each other ‘fag’ in a way that’s not exactly A+ graduate material in sensitivity workshops, but at the core, they don’t really care about the issue in a big way. I just wanted to second this. We had some people in our unit that everyone assumed was gay. If they repealed DADT tomorrow and they came out, no one would be surprised. And then we’d go about our day. It isn’t even a big deal. They’d still get made fun of, along with the guy who’s still a virgin and the guy who porks fat chicks. But that’s what you do in the military, you talk shit about eachother. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/33 "2010-05-15T01:34:09Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > Again, we’re hearing the exact same crap that was trotted out to argue against integrating black troops into the military. What self-respecting white man would fight with, or for, a black man? I’m embarrassed to admit I’m from Oklahoma. Combat units had only been integrated for about six years when Inhofe served. I’d be curious to know how he felt about that at the time. Even if you concede that Inhofe is correct (though he’s really, really not), so what? They’re soldiers. They fight and die for whoever they’re fucking told to fight and die for. Since when have we been concerned about hurting the soldiers’ poor widdle feewings? If you don’t like the guy next to you because he’s an asshole, you shut the hell up about it and do your fucking job. It’s no different if you don’t like him because he sucks cock. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/34 "2010-05-15T01:36:45Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Well, he speaks in the present tense, yes, but he also says “we” asnd not “them” when referring to soldiers, so I think he was relating his experience of the past. Well, he’s relating his experience and generalizing from it so as to assume that his experience is universal and applies to soldiers and sailors now. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/35 "2010-05-15T01:44:12Z")
Yes, because the Sacred band of Thebes were _so_ known for their cowardice and unwillingness for self-sacrifice.:rolleyes: > **[Sacred Band of Thebes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Band_of_Thebes)** > > The Sacred Band of Thebes (Ancient Greek: Ἱερός Λόχος, Hierós Lókhos) was a troop of select soldiers, consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC, ending Spartan domination. Its predominance began with its crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. It was annihilated by Philip II of Macedon in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. > The earliest surviving record of the Sacred Band by name was in 324 BC, in the oration Against Demo... ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/36 "2010-05-15T01:48:09Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Well, he’s relating his experience and generalizing from it so as to assume that his experience is universal and applies to soldiers and sailors now. That would be the wrong part. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/37 "2010-05-15T01:49:48Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > Even if you concede that Inhofe is correct (though he’s really, really not), so what? They’re soldiers. They fight and die for whoever they’re fucking told to fight and die for. Since when have we been concerned about hurting the soldiers’ poor widdle feewings? No, I don’t believe I can endorse this sentiment. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/38 "2010-05-15T01:51:38Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > They’d still get made fun of, along with the guy who’s still a virgin and the guy who porks fat chicks. But that’s what you do in the military, you talk shit about eachother. Please tell me they don’t make fun of the skinny kid who has the sweet and tender story about something he misses doing with his mom back home. They can’t make fun of him because he’s always going to get killed in the second round of auction, right before the company jerk sacrifices his life to save the good looking guy. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/39 "2010-05-15T01:57:21Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Please tell me they don’t make fun of the skinny kid who has the sweet and tender story about something he misses doing with his mom back home. That guy never gets made fun of because no one knows who he is. Whoever it is has learned quickly that some stories should be kept to oneself. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449/40 "2010-05-15T02:04:58Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > That would be the wrong part. You agree that Inhofe’s position when applied to the current military is wrong? You just wanted to come into this thread and be unnecessarily difficult? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/according-to-sen-james-inhofe-soldiers-are-unwilling-to-fight-and-die-for-gay-soldiers/539449.md?page=3)