Even Republicans Make Sense Sometimes...
(Warning: not Taco-Bell related post).
General Pace had some ridiculous, insulting, and harsh comments to share with the world on Monday when he explained his support of keeping the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in place. Everyone wants him to go to rehab now where prominent figures go if they don't like a certain "type" of person. Okay, I haven't heard that much but assume so. Why should Isiah Washington of Grey's Anatomy have to go to rehab for being a biggot if General Pace doesn't? Because US Weekly isn't interested in General Pace's life? Because General Pace's life doesn't affect the lives of everyday Americans as Washington's does? Perhaps, perhaps.
In any case, Pace received some heat for the public announcement of his personal feelings. I am sure liberal writers and bloggers have torn him apart--and rightly so. But I am really not interested in reading about what other liberals have to say about him. He's wrong for a myriad of reasons. He's an ass. I don't need to read hyper-intellectual analysis as to why. What is really frustrating (saddening, maddening, etc) about Pace's remarks is that they reflect what A LOT of people believe: homosexuality is immoral. no need to think about it any further. He's taking advantage of a superior and respected position to degrade millions of people because he can. The White House said he shouldn't have expressed personal opinions but of course it did not express a difference of opinion--because it has the same opinion (except for dear old cheney who loves his gay daughter which might be believeable if he were capable of love--or any tenderness of feeling).
So what might seem so far as a rant actually is about to take an uplifting turn. I read a very satisfying oped this morning in The Washington Post. It condoned Pace's approval of "don't ask, don't tell." What made this column satisfying was its penmanship by former Republican senator Alan K. Simpson. As a senator, Simpson voted for the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in 1993. He now supports overturning this policy. Yes, a Republican admitting he made a wrong decision. His explanation of his current opposition to the policy makes a lot of sense militarily but he also seems to have had an internal and respectable aboutface in his opinion of homosexuality: "Since 1993, I have had the rich satisfaction of knowing and working with many openly gay and lesbian Americans, and I have come to realize that "gay" is an artificial category when it comes to measuring a man or woman's on-the-job performance or commitment to shared goals. Its says little about the person."
Bravo, Senator Simpson.
(Okay so he also says a little about the Iraq war to indicate that we share a difference in opinion. Well, babysteps...)
General Pace had some ridiculous, insulting, and harsh comments to share with the world on Monday when he explained his support of keeping the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in place. Everyone wants him to go to rehab now where prominent figures go if they don't like a certain "type" of person. Okay, I haven't heard that much but assume so. Why should Isiah Washington of Grey's Anatomy have to go to rehab for being a biggot if General Pace doesn't? Because US Weekly isn't interested in General Pace's life? Because General Pace's life doesn't affect the lives of everyday Americans as Washington's does? Perhaps, perhaps.
In any case, Pace received some heat for the public announcement of his personal feelings. I am sure liberal writers and bloggers have torn him apart--and rightly so. But I am really not interested in reading about what other liberals have to say about him. He's wrong for a myriad of reasons. He's an ass. I don't need to read hyper-intellectual analysis as to why. What is really frustrating (saddening, maddening, etc) about Pace's remarks is that they reflect what A LOT of people believe: homosexuality is immoral. no need to think about it any further. He's taking advantage of a superior and respected position to degrade millions of people because he can. The White House said he shouldn't have expressed personal opinions but of course it did not express a difference of opinion--because it has the same opinion (except for dear old cheney who loves his gay daughter which might be believeable if he were capable of love--or any tenderness of feeling).
So what might seem so far as a rant actually is about to take an uplifting turn. I read a very satisfying oped this morning in The Washington Post. It condoned Pace's approval of "don't ask, don't tell." What made this column satisfying was its penmanship by former Republican senator Alan K. Simpson. As a senator, Simpson voted for the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in 1993. He now supports overturning this policy. Yes, a Republican admitting he made a wrong decision. His explanation of his current opposition to the policy makes a lot of sense militarily but he also seems to have had an internal and respectable aboutface in his opinion of homosexuality: "Since 1993, I have had the rich satisfaction of knowing and working with many openly gay and lesbian Americans, and I have come to realize that "gay" is an artificial category when it comes to measuring a man or woman's on-the-job performance or commitment to shared goals. Its says little about the person."
Bravo, Senator Simpson.
(Okay so he also says a little about the Iraq war to indicate that we share a difference in opinion. Well, babysteps...)
posted by Elizabeth at 11:30 AM
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