As a user of the internet service America Online, I expect them to keep my account information completely confidential.

It’s disturbing to hear that the Navy was recently able to obtain confidential account information from AOL without a warrant or a court order as required by federal law, and that the Navy is using that information to discharge a sailor who they accuse of being gay.

America Online then added insult to injury by cancelling the sailor’s account because he was e-mailing other members asking for help. AOL called his messages “chain letters” and told him that violated their terms of service. It sounds more like an attempt at censorship to me. I think AOL wanted to prevent knowledge of this incident from reaching their other members.

Equally troubling is the absurdity and unfairness of the entire “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. It’s hard to believe that these witch hunts are still going on. They need to stop.

Aside from ruining people’s lives, this archaic policy results in massive governmental waste. It takes more than $100,000 to train a soldier and in some cases a lot more, and then this money just goes down the drain, along with the added cost to taxpayers of discharge procedures.

Gay men and women have proven time and time again that they are every bit as fit to serve our country as heterosexuals are, yet the military continues to defend a policy founded on bigotry and ignorance and hypocrisy.

Alan L. Light

Iowa City