April 16, 2010

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – Origins, quotes, counterquotes and variant versions...


ORIGIN OF “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL”

“Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t seek, don’t flaunt.”
       Charles Moskos (1934-2008)
       U.S. sociologist and advisor to Sen. Sam Nunn
       The four-part phrase and policy he suggested in 1993 to Senate Armed Forces Committee Chairman Nunn, as a way to deal with gays in the military. Adopted by the U.S. military in 1994 as “Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue,” then shortened by the media to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and now often referred to by the acronym DADT.


GLAA COUNTERQUOTE:

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? How about...Don’t Lie.”
       Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance website
       Post dated March 27, 2010


STRAIGHT GENERAL’S QUOTE:

“I believe repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ will weaken the warrior culture at a time when we have a fight on our hands.”
       General Merrill A. McPeak
       Former Air Force Chief of Staff
       In an Op-Ed in the New York Times, March 4, 2010


GAY VETERAN’S QUOTE:

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is not a joking matter. It is the only law that enforces shame.”
       Lt. Dan Choi
       Openly gay Iraq War veteran
       Remark about DADT in a protest on March 18, 2010 
       Choi’s discharge from the military for publicly “telling” he gay is pending


JOKEMEISTER’S QUOTE:

“‘Don’t ask and don’t tell.’ Isn’t that Oscar Mayers’ response to the question, ‘What’s in a hot dog?’”
       Comedian Jay Leno
       In his monologue on The Tonight Show, April 2, 1993
       Commenting on the announcement of Sen. Sam Nunn's support for the “DADT” policy — and proving that DADT can sometimes be a joking matter.


BAD PRIEST VARIATION:

“It would appear that our ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy is no longer working.”

       Political cartoonist Rob Rogers
       In his cartoon about the Catholic Church’s growing sexual abuse fiasco 
       Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 28, 2010


BAD COP VARIATION:

CLAUDETTE WYMS (CCH POUNDER): “What people want these days is to make it to their cars without getting mugged. Come home from work and see their stereo is still there. Hear about some murder in the barrio, find out the next day the police caught the guy. If having all those things means some cop roughed up some spic or some nigger in the ghetto... well, as far as most people are concerned it’s don’t ask, don’t tell.”
       The Shield  
       Pilot episode, first aired March 12, 2002

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Comments? Questions? Corrections? Post them on my quotations Facebook group.

Copyrights, Disclaimers & Privacy Policy


Creative Commons License
Copyright © Subtropic Productions LLC

The Quote/Counterquote blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. Any duplicative or remixed use of the original text written for this blog and any exact duplications the specific sets of quotations collected for the posts shown here must include an attribution to QuoteCounterquote.com and, if online, a link to http://www.quotecounterquote.com/

To the best of our knowledge, the non-original content posted here is used in a way that is allowed under the fair use doctrine. If you own the copyright to something we've posted and think we may have violated fair use standards, please let me know.

Subtropic Productions LLC and QuoteCounterquote.com are committed to protecting your privacy. We will not sell your email address, etc. For more details, read this blog's full Privacy Policy.