I continue to wait patiently for a rational explanation as to why the government denies gays the right to serve in the military. To his enormous credit, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put aside the nonsense and identified the actual reason for the unjustified discrimination.
“I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way,” Pace told the [Chicago Tribune] in a wide-ranging interview.
Pace, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, said he based his views on his upbringing.
He said he supports the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” in which gay men and women are allowed in the military as long as they keep their sexual orientation private. The policy, signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, prohibits commanders from asking about a person’s sexual orientation.
“I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts,” Pace said.
The benefit of comments like these is the fact that Pace ignored the usual foolishness about the alleged effect gays have on troop morale and/or military readiness. Everyone recognizes these excuses as trumped up rationalizations. Pace made it plain: gays can’t volunteer to serve their country because they’re bad people.
This is enormously helpful, because it clarifies the debate. Supporters of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” endorse bigotry. Protecting the country, honoring military service, fulfilling a sense of duty to one’s country — none of that matters to Pace and those who share his perspective. According to this twisted worldview, gays are “immoral.” As such, the United States military, which is fighting for “freedom” overseas, is justified in treating gays as second-class citizens.
Pace makes this simple: if you hate gays, you support DADT. If you’re a rational person more interested in national security than a moronic culture war, you don’t support DADT.
After hearing Pace’s comments, and TP has an audio clip if you wanted to listen to them, I thought about Bleu Copas, a decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist who was thrown out of the military last summer. If Pace had a minute, he may want to chat with him.
Copas joined the Army after the 9/11 attacks out of a sense of duty, and was responsible for helping translate intercepted messages from possible terrorists. The Army welcomed him, trained him, and utilized his skills to protect Americans — and then threw him out of the military after learning (from an anonymous tip) he’s gay.
A few months later, The Daily Show’s Jason Jones sat down with Paul Cameron, one of the nation’s leading anti-gay activists, who said, “I think the country, on the aggregate, is safer without Bleu in the military.”
Asked why, Cameron explained, “Guys don’t want to think about other guys, other fellas, ogling them in the shower or whatever.” Jones responded, “I know I’d rather die in a terrorist attack than suffer through an uncomfortable shower with a gay.” Cameron grudgingly responded, “Yes.”
In contrast, Cameron almost appears sophisticated when compared to Pace’s comments. Pace isn’t even concerned about showers; he simply believes gays are inherently bad. It doesn’t matter what Copas and other gay soldiers do, or how much they protect us, or how honorably they serve. Pace doesn’t like them, so therefore, they don’t deserve to wear a uniform.
Better yet, Pace believes the policy of the United States government should reflect his bigotry. What’s more, it does.
Put it a time-capsule, folks. Future generations won’t believe we were this dumb.
