Go Jake Go!!

I think some of what Jake is doing is great, but there are also many things I disagree with. This particularly tactic upsets me a little. It is my feeling that protests or actions should be real and come from a genuine place. I highly doubt that Jake has any real intention to enlist in the military. What if they would have said okay? Would he have had the balls to follow through and actually go into the military? Its doubtful. Because he is not sincere about his actions, they are stripped of any real meaning. He was simply wearing a mask, pretending to be someone he is not. Next time, send someone who really would like to enlist.

I have to agree with Antonio...I saw the news coverage of Reitan and the other two gay people who tried to enlist. The visuals...well, to be honest, I think they caused the whole thing to backfire. There was just something blatantly dishonest in them standing before the microphones, pounding their hands into their palms, adamantantly declaring that they wanted to serve in the military. It just came across as false.

And, to be honest, while I don't know a lot about Soulforce as an organization, I do know that it is committed to the nonviolent protest actions of King and Ghandi...it seems a little misplaced, if not contradictory, to apply those ideals in order to gain entrance to the machinery of war.

Actually from what I know of Jake and his work with Soulforce, I would have to say I think Jake would be willing and eager to actually enlist in the military if he was allowed. However, I would be more suspect of the others also trying to join.

Why do James and Antonio's comments not surprise me at all? During the African-American civil rights civil disobedience early sit-ins, you had the same " inside detractors." Today, now that those Jim Crow laws are ancient history, "everyone" supports the tactic.

Not everyone who sat down to integrate a lunch counter necessarily wanted to consume the most expensive menu item, or sat-in a hotel to rent the presidential suite.....and whether or not the individuals in question truly wish to join the military is a moot point !

Neither James or Antonio are certain that they would not join the National Guard. Those individuals are college graduates and could do OCS and become officers. The point is clear. Whether they are more qualified than to merely enlist, their sexual orientation negates their ability to openly serve.

In every oppressed minority, we have our minority within a minority who either support the theocon administration, or are sqeamish about civil disobedience to obtain rights.