March 13, 2007

Pace On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

By now, everyone has heard about this little controversy surrounding remarks by General Peter Pace on the issue of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and gays in the military.

Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Chicago Tribune yesterday that he opposes any change to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which bars service by openly gay soldiers. General Pace, a Marine officer, explained why he supported the current policy:

“I believe homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.”

As you can hear in this audio file posted on the Web site of The Tribune, General Pace drew a parallel between the ban on openly gay service members and the current military policy holding that infidelity is immoral and should be prosecuted:

“I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by saying, through our policies, that it’s okay to be immoral in any way, not just with regards homosexuality. So from that standpoint, saying that gays should serve openly in the military to me says that we, by policy, would be condoning what I believe is immoral activity. And therefore, as an individual, I would not want that to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with someone else’s wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not — we prosecute that kind of immoral behavior between members of the armed forces.”

Now let me note that the man is supporting current law and policy as set by the two political branches of government. Furthermore, the moral view of homosexual that he expresses is pretty mainstream -- indeed, they are the standard moral teaching of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam (at least of those who still adhere to the notion that their respective books of scripture provide set moral norms). So I agree with Pace's position, expressed through his aides, that he has nothing to apologize for. Indeed, 'd argue that the gay rights groups really ought to be apologizing to the majority of Americans who hold beliefs similar to Pace's for the intolerance that they are expressing in condemnations like this.

"General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces," the advocacy group Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement on its Web site.

Excuse me -- that demand is outrageous, insensitive, and disrespectful to the millions of Christians, Jews and Muslims currently citizens of the United States.

None of which, however, is an indication that I agree with General Pace about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. I have long held and repeatedly stated that I believe the policy is wrong and should be changed. But to attack and demonize (not to mention question the patriotism of) those who hold to the historic teachings of the major monotheistic religions is much more offensive in my book than stating a moral belief held by all three of them.

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