Fortunately, Hillary and Obama are around to correct the flaws in his thinking. Can’t have people in positions of leadership letting their own particular personal convictions — grounded in centuries-old near-universal religious teaching about sodomy — cloud their judgment. It took Hillary a try or two to get things properly triangulated, but she finally came down squarely adjacent to the side that says homosexual behavior is most certainly not immoral (her traditional Methodist heritage notwithstanding). She and her friends in the denomination have had plenty of experience in contradicting Methodism’s Book of Discipline. Given her extensive experience in adjudicating moral matters, I guess she knows a thing or two about what “is” and “is” not immoral.
By the way, it was Hillary Clinton’s husband who promulgated the disastrous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 1994 –– the very policy that General Pace was addressing when he made his remarks. You’ll recall that the policy prohibits commanders from asking about a service person’s sexual preference, just as it prohibits service personnel from revealing their sexual preference.
A gaggle of amateur, self-appointed theologians dismiss the General’s views as “controversial.” Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr., demanded, “Don’t Lecture us on Morals, General!” He dismissed General Pace’s comments as a “detour around critical reasoning,” reducing Pace’s stance to a simplistic “wrong because it’s wrong.” Further, Pitts called anyone with Pace’s views “bigots.” The New York Times, long the nation’s reliable arbiter of morality, weighed in also, calling Pace’s views “wrong,” “bigoted” and “out of step.” That’s what it means to be non-judgmental and anti-bigotry today. It also exemplifies the left’s respect for free speech and religious liberty as foundations for discourse in the United States.
On the Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) declared, “We don’t need moral judgment from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.” On a similar note, Senator John Warner (R-Virginia), a former Navy secretary, chimed in that he “strongly disagree(s)” that homosexuality is immoral.
Of course, the lavender lobby roared its outrage. C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network described the General’s comments as “outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful.” Others called Pace’s remarks “retrograde” and “offensive.”
In the face of all the self-righteous outrage, General Pace has refused to issue a fake apology. His decision was supported by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) who said, “We should not expect someone as qualified, accomplished and articulate as General Pace to lack personal views on important moral issues. In fact, we should expect that anyone entrusted with such great responsibility will have strong moral views.” Such views are part of our nation’s history all the way back to George Washington. We used to call leaders with strong morals “statesmen.”
Marines don’t retreat without orders. It would be a crime if General Pace were given such orders in this case. The Marine motto is “Semper Fidelis” — Latin for “Always faithful.” As the daughter of a Marine, I am proud of General Pace for being faithful to Biblical truth as well as having the courage to espouse sound military policy.