That distinction became more clear than ever when General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said, “I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.”
Nobody cared that the general had carefully construed these as his personal beliefs. The flag on the play was the mere idea that a public figure would openly question the morality of homosexual behavior. On this field, the ball is only supposed to move in one direction.
Which is why the crowd went wild again, a few days later, when Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy decided to go long in the other direction. Dungy stood up at an Indiana Family Institute event and respectfully declared his support for their conservative, Christian agenda – which includes vigorous efforts to protect marriage from radical revisionists.
“We’re trying to promote the family,” Dungy said, “(and) family values, the Lord’s way. IFI is saying what the Lord says. I’m on the Lord’s side.”
Dungy was quickly denounced for unnecessary roughness, although – as the popular coach of the current Super Bowl champions – he was spared the worst of the invective that piled on General Pace. Still, you could fairly hear the pell-mell rush to push microphones in the faces of NFL officials, as the media drooled over the chance to blow the coach’s remarks into a full-scale p.r. disaster.
Instead, the League doused them with an upside-down cooler of common sense.
“(Coach Dungy), of course, is free to speak to any group he wishes,” said Colts owner Jim Irsay, through a spokeswoman.
“Coach Dungy is speaking for himself and expressing his views, which he is fully entitled to do,” said NFL officials. “No doubt there are people in our league that have a different view. We respect the right of employees to have and express their views and don’t regulate the political or religious views of team or league employees.”
Well, now. Imagine. Americans free to speak their mind, share their views, without fear of political persecution or loss of a job. That’s a startlingly original point of view, in the brave new world of political correctness that increasingly demands we all goose-step to the same media mandates.
Those pressing the same-sex political agenda, in particular, are not only compelling lawmakers and the culture to affirm their homosexual behavior – but insisting that every American be forced to embrace and applaud that behavior.
Here’s to the NFL, for so effectively blocking that tackle. In doing so, they made a hole big enough for Coach Dungy to carry the beleaguered First Amendment a few more crucial yards toward the goal line.