waiting for the other shoe to drop
well, while the initial outcry over gen. peter pace's remarks regarding the immorality of homosexuality was just as i thought it would be, the uproar seems to have died down insofar as the general is concerned. there was outrage from the usual suspects, as well as from sen. john warner, allegedly conservative republican from virginia. and the general himself even stepped back a bit (although to his credit he has not apologized, and says he doesnt plan to), saying he shouldnt have put his personal opinions out there in the chicago tribune interview.
by the way, since when should anyone (and i dont care how public a figure they are) have to feel regret for expressing their personal opinions in a free country?? more to the point, in a country where one is free to express their personal beliefs because people like general pace have made it their vocation and given their lives to protect those freedoms? he said that "dont ask, dont tell" is the law and he stated his support for it, so he toed the line as far as the official government stance is concerned. why should being a high profile leader preclude a person from having and expressing a personal opinion? the guy's doing his job and he's upholding the law... that should suffice.
anyway, the firestorm has settled down for now, probably because alberto gonzales and karl rove are currently drawing so much attention. and even within the gays-in-the-military discussion, hillary clinton and barack obama seem to be catching more flak than gen. pace because of their recent dance around the question. but make no mistake, this isnt over yet, and we're sure to hear more voices added to the mob seeking the general's resignation. so, here's your chance to show your support for general peter pace: you can send the president (who also serves as commander-in-chief of our armed services) an email and ask him to publicly voice his support for general pace: comments@whitehouse.gov. there, just like an AFA action alert, but without being asked for money!
by the way, since when should anyone (and i dont care how public a figure they are) have to feel regret for expressing their personal opinions in a free country?? more to the point, in a country where one is free to express their personal beliefs because people like general pace have made it their vocation and given their lives to protect those freedoms? he said that "dont ask, dont tell" is the law and he stated his support for it, so he toed the line as far as the official government stance is concerned. why should being a high profile leader preclude a person from having and expressing a personal opinion? the guy's doing his job and he's upholding the law... that should suffice.
anyway, the firestorm has settled down for now, probably because alberto gonzales and karl rove are currently drawing so much attention. and even within the gays-in-the-military discussion, hillary clinton and barack obama seem to be catching more flak than gen. pace because of their recent dance around the question. but make no mistake, this isnt over yet, and we're sure to hear more voices added to the mob seeking the general's resignation. so, here's your chance to show your support for general peter pace: you can send the president (who also serves as commander-in-chief of our armed services) an email and ask him to publicly voice his support for general pace: comments@whitehouse.gov. there, just like an AFA action alert, but without being asked for money!
posted by dean at 9:29 PM
1 Comments:
Dean,
Thanks for keeping everyone updated on these political hot-topics. I think that, perhaps, Gen. Pace has a more secure position than the average politician. Most politicians are easily replaceable AND have other candidates practically breathing down their necks, just looking for something to get them ousted. Not so (or at least "not so much") in the case of the military.
Also, as you said, Gen. Pace was toeing the line as regards the US confused policy on gays in military service, so I think that his personal opinions on the matter are actually pervasive in military leadership - thus, there will not be an internal push to remove him. I think that he will survive this publicity unscathed.
After all, there is quite a bit of anti-gay speech in the media that is not even questioned by its critics...if I were a gay-rights watchdog, I would make more out of this weeks gay jokes on American Idol than I would the General's interview slip-up.
Post a Comment
<< Home