Homosexuals should not be allowed in the military, even under the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy

Resolution affirmed: Homosexuals should not be allowed in the military even under the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy, because we shouldn't have a military in the first place. If we do not have a military then by definition homosexuals can not be allowed in it. =Quality of Life= Evidence shows quality of life will improve if we abolish the military. Some countries like Costa Rica do not have a military. Costa Rica abolished its military in 1949 and invested in education instead. Costa Rica has enjoyed internal peace and stability and is ranked as the happiest country on Earth[1]. Costa Rica also has the best healthcare in Latin America and even has a public government-run program[6] along with private clinics. It is easier to afford these programs because no money is spent on military. Although it is widely recognized as a developing country Costa Rica's healthcare system is ranked as better than the American health care system[8]. It also has a higher life expectancy[9]. By contrast the US military budget is the highest in the world, using up money that could be spent on domestic programs like improvements in education and health care[7]. =Abuse of Military= The United States government uses its military to invade and attack foreign countries at the whim of commercial interests. It is far too easy for leaders to lie to the public and get everyone rallied together for war. The amount of harm is astronomical. American interventions in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan have been disastrous. In particular America keeps going back to Afghanistan. Each time the country still falls apart. Companies influenced the US government into participating in many military actions with disastrous humanitarian consequences particularly in Latin America[2]. The solution is abolishing the military. The very existence of militaries perpetuates war and conflict. Militaries give countries enough force to make war on other countries. =National Defense Can Still Be Secure Without A Military= Some will argue that with no military other countries with militaries will invade. However, there are many reasons not to think this especially for the United States. The United States has a large population and it is a heavily armed population compared to other countries. The American people are fiercely defensive of their freedom. We already see that even when a country is invaded and its government defeated and overthrown it is difficult for the occupying power to enforce its will. Just look at Iraq and Afghanistan. If a country invaded the United States it is unlikely it would even succeed in taking over, and if it did the insurgency would never end. This fact would make most countries consider invading the United States not to be worth the effort. In addition to well armed civilians we have police. Police are not military, but they are trained to engage in armed conflict, albeit on a smaller scale. But it is not inconceivable that in an invasion the police with the help of volunteers wanting to protect their country could coordinate well enough to break the morale of the invading country and turn it back. The only difference is a lack of offensive potential. The armed citizens and the police are likely strong enough to deter and even resist an invasion attempt but not to launch one against foreign countries. Furthermore it is unacceptable in this day and age for a country to invade another country without cause. Even then it is unacceptable for it to keep territory it conquers. It can only put a stop to what ever it was justified in putting a stop to, set up a new government, help that government establish order, and leave. So unless the United States started a campaign of genocide, which given our history is unlikely and would be even more unlikely without a military a foreign country would not be able to justify an invasion to the international community. It is likely other countries would condemn the attack, and possibly come to our aid. At the least they would likely to push economic sanctions. The combination of things that could go wrong and problems that could be expected to face in an invasion would be a strong enough deterrent even if the US had no military. =Military Distorts Democracy= The military-industrial complex has simply become too big an influence in American politics[3]. This level of influence from the arms industry puts our democracy at risk and allows an elite few to profit off of bloodshed. The arms industry has a vested interest in the United States being at war as much as possible. If we abolish the military we strike down the arms industry and its influence from politics. The companies currently profiting off of war will have to retool and invest in other industries like improving infrastructure, education, and other peaceful endeavors. =Fraud[4]= The military is sold to young people as a good way to make money for college and as having a slew of other benefits. In reality opportunities for college benefits in the military are not what enlistees are told they are. Firstly, recruiters are allowed to lie to potential recruiters, doing things like promising they will not be sent to war even though this can not be guaranteed. A military contract can be changed any way the government wants any time without reason. That includes reducing or removing promised benefits. The top bonus commonly advertised to potential recruiters of $20,000 is only ever seen by 6% of enlistees. The military if anything reduces financial security. 48% of people in the military report financial difficulty and on any given night 200,000 veterans are homeless. Finally, the main benefit people expect joining the military, college benefits rarely materialize at all. 65% of soldiers never see a single penny in college money. These proud great Americans wanted to serve their country but their honorable intentions were not rewarded. But there are other ways to serve your country that make a much bigger, more positive difference. Americorps and the Peace Corps are great ways to help your community, your country, and the world. These organizations exist to help build and fix problems like poverty and starvation not to destroy and make war, and their promises for aid for jobs and for college are real[5]. If we abolish the military many people who would have otherwise dropped out of the military would find other opportunities for college such as Peace Corp or Americorps and instead of being shorted would get the benefits they deserve. It would also lead to more of a political push to expand college opportunities in general since politicians can't just dismiss these concerns by saying we have the military to take care of it. =Sources= 1.http://www.nytimes.com...? 2.http://www.zompist.com... 3.http://en.wikipedia.org... 4. http://www.alternet.org... 5. http://www.americorps.gov... , http://www.peacecorps.gov... 6. http://tamborhills.com... 7. http://en.wikipedia.org... 8. http://www.photius.com... 9. http://en.wikipedia.org...