Duncan Hunter’s apple does not fall far from the tree. His son, the aptly named Junior, aims to continue his legacy of inanity and outlandish statements. With that, I give you Junior’s latest tirade:

Interviewer: You are not in favor of repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Why not?

   Rep. Duncan Hunter: No, because I think that it’s bad for the cohesiveness and the unity of the military units. And, especially for those in close combat — in close quarters — in country right now. It’s not the time to do it. I think the military is not civilian life. I think the folks who have been in the military, that have been in those very close situations with each other — there has to be a special bond there. I think that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders; to hermaphrodites; to gays and lesbians.

   Interviewer: Transgenders and hermaphrodites.

   Rep. Duncan Hunter: That’s going to be part of this whole thing. It’s not just gays and lesbians, it’s the whole gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual community. If you’re going to let anybody in, no matter what preference — what sexual preference — they have, that means the military is going to probably let everybody in. It’s going to be like civilian life. And, I think that would be detrimental for the military. (Pam’s House Blend

First, I would point out that hermaphrodites are people who are born into the world as they are. Even the right wing arguments against the LGBT community, that it’s some sort of choice, carry no weight whatsoever against those who were born with non-standard genitalia. Perhaps Duncan should read one of the biggest bestsellers of our time, Jeffry Eugenides Middlesex.

Yet the bigger question is what does this say about Duncan Hunter, Jr, and what does it say about what he thinks about the military.  Gays and lesbians have been serving, closted, for years. Order has not disappeared, the ranks haven’t descended into chaos.  In Europe, militaries have integrated gays and lesbians a long time ago. Yet, somehow, the American military can’t handle that?

I think these comments say far more about Duncan Hunter and his perceptions of the military than anything about gays and lesbians in the military.

UPDATED with the audio from media matters.