Sam Brownback 'commends Pace's leadership, personal commitment to moral principles'

That sword has two edges...

The question is whether personal moral beliefs should disqualify an individual from positions of leadership in the U.S. military? We think not.

It's nice to hear Brownback come out in favor of allowing gays to serve in leadership positions as long as it is their belief that they are moral.  Or does that only apply to the moral beliefs of homophobes?

---

by: Storm @ Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 20:07:05 PM CDT

As a Naval Veteran and Moral Philosopher

"The moral behavior of members of the Armed Forces is of the highest importance." Is that why the armed services encourage prostitution and liquor on shore leave? Any city anywhere in the world that has a Fleet Week discovers sailors do more than sail the seven seas of the world. Do we all remember Tailhook? What a moral paradigm for all to imitate!

An employer has the right to request employees to act and behave within certain paramenters within the workplace and while working. But no one, including the U.S. Military, can impose its hypocritical "morals" on its employees after work. Our labor is voluntary, but no one is a slave, not even to the "masters" who think they dominate the morals of the universe. Is the Military now going to police its couple's coitus positions according to the missionary framework of the ancient past, by virtue of no virtue, but by intrusion?

If other service members respect the same bodies and limbs lost by gays as straights as fettishizers and Puritans in a just cause, I don't think the Brass gets to establish the morality of anyone outside the workplace. Especially given its unjust war in Iraq, its Tailhook leaders, its harboring of prostitution, and its maltreatment in VA hospitals of those harmed serving their country.

The first principle of all morality is to do no harm. When the Military Brass embraces that simple precept, then they can enter into a dialogue on moral and ethical questions of the day. Otherwise, illiberal homobigots should keep their immoral standards to themselves.

Yours truly,

A once out and open naval sailor (under an enlightened Adm. Zumwalt), before the obsession about gays in the military ejected 65 gay Arabic translators in an Arabic unjust, uncivil, and immoral war, which may have contributed to the quagmire and debacle we call "Iraq."

Blog: Cultural, philosophical, political, economic, and evolutionary commentary on current events and gay men and their lifestyles

---

by: Gay Species @ Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 20:12:24 PM CDT

Translation

When the Military will "take" felonious and misdemeanor criminals who have rapped, pillaged, and harmed others to fill quotas, have standing VD clinics for their hetero personnel to get relief, promote liquor on leave (except for inhospitable Islamic countries that won't even allow the Bible), but will not allow c*cks*ckers to share in the valor of defending freedom, democracy, and the liberal ideals of our Founder, or fire gays who COULD translate cryllic into English, Pace's "morality" is code for bigotry, intolerance, and arrogance, which are NOT an American value. I cannot imagine ANYONE defending HIS morals anymore than Islam's. Frankly, I could not imagine a more immoral attitude and policy, but I don't suffer hypocrisy in the military, in the White House, in Israel, or in Iraq. Hypocrisy is NOT moral, dude. It's another double-standard and code for bigotry. If the blood of blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Jews is tolerated, why is gay or lesbian blood any less precious?

Blog: Cultural, philosophical, political, economic, and evolutionary commentary on current events and gay men and their lifestyles

---

by: Gay Species @ Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 20:29:14 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Nope, So-Called Morality Is Commonly Enforced After Work

Just today I read about a  male school teacher in trouble for appearing in a local production of "The Full Monty," showing his bare ass for a couple of seconds (no frontal).  Private companies often have a clause about employees doing anything, anywhere, to tarnish or discredit the company they work for.  It's nothing new, and I believe it's legal.  Now, for example, let's say I headed the city's animal shelter, overstocked and bulging at the seams with unwanted dogs, many of which will have to be put down, which is often the result of what are known as "backyard breeders" - people who crank out puppies.  If I found that out that one of my employees was such a breeder, I would feel justified in telling that person to knock it off, or he/she is fired.  If the board running a hospital found out one of its doctors owned tobacco stock, that could be trouble, too.  Or if a female district attorney is caught moonlighting at Hooters, etc., etc.

Pace and others are, I believe, within the realm of both law and reason if they say that certain behavior is unacceptable for a member of the armed forces, even when off duty for the day, or on leave.  But Pace went a step further, getting into the murky waters of morality.  He actually didn't say gays or lesbians are immoral people; he said "homosexual acts between individuals are immoral."  So, in a generous and magnanimous (to him) offering, he was saying that gays and lesbians can work for the military and put their lives on the line, which is fine, but have no sex lives.  To show what a good sport he is, Pace also put hetero adulterers in the same immoral category as homo pervs, saying they ought to be kicked out, also.  But what nobody has mentioned, not to my knowledge anyway, is that there is no "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" for adulterers.  And I never heard of 11,000 adulterers being kicked out of the military.  What the very prim and prissy Pace has done is very typical of the Morality Brigade; he claims to be an expert on the topic of morality and somehow (perhaps by powers above) a qualified judge on these matters, and he claims to be against immorality across the board... but surprise...NOT! - he really only cares about one kind of immorality, the one that gets his knickers all in a bunch, and that he's afraid of, and, yes... likely has tried and feels guilty about. 

=>The truth usually isn't pretty. Don't blame me for telling it.<=

---

by: Chadster @ Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 23:12:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

We need to see just which Senators are stupid enough to sign

that travesty. . .and in the meantime, we should use his words to declare Brownback's support not only for the open service of gay Americans in the military, but for the right of those same gay Americans to air their "personal moral beliefs" in a public forum at any time while wearing the uniform.

Since con-servatives only embrace the concept of free speech when it involves their abuse of a position of power to openly share their "personal" beliefs, let the discussion begin about the REAL MORAL issue here, and that is the continual denial of all the inherent rights of constitutional citizenship to gay Americans and the denial of our birthright to participate fully in the life, liberty and happiness of OUR nation.

It is time to expose the utter arrogance and complete moral bankruptcy of the position of the Right. Over and over and over and over again, we have seen their heroes, the ones who are the most vocal about expressing their "personal moral beliefs" about others repeatedly commit emotional, physical, and moral crimes.

I call on Senator Brownback, and any other senators who sign his petition, to immediately introduce legislation granting all service members to speak up about any experience and atrocity they encounter in their service to this nation on the basis of their "personal moral beliefs." They shall be free to criticize their commanders, their commander-in-chief, their Congress, their tours of duty, their orders. They shall be free to openly address the media on any question which might involve their feelings about a "personal moral issue" that is of importance to this country without the interference of any other military personnel.

You see, Senator. . .when General Pace spoke out about his "personal moral beliefs" he set a new standard for military conduct. He is a citizen of this nation, just like every other American - and yes, that includes the GAY Americans, and the personal moral beliefs are just as important and as valuable and are equal to yours and General Pace's. That's how freedom works in this country, Senator, in case you've forgotten. You see, you don't EARN the right to hold "personal moral beliefs" by rising up through the ranks to certain positions. An American citizen has the right to "personal moral beliefs" as a matter of BIRTH.

Therefore, Senator Brownback, it is imperative that you reaffirm the citizenship of hundreds of thousands of service personnel who are, because of their status as American citizens serving this country, denied the right to freely express their "personal moral beliefs." We should expect to see you introduce this legislation immediately.

And now that we understand that the real moral issue here is your utter arrogance at assuming that only SOME Americans are allowed to use their public positions to issue opinions of "personal moral beliefs" I'm sure you will immediately also sign on to the immediate repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

---

by: kevinbgoode @ Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 20:50:26 PM CDT