At Least They're Being Honest

I actually welcome Peter Pace's remarks yesterday about the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. At least we know why the policy was instituted: because a bunch of homophobes can't stand the idea of showering next to an icky gay guy.

The chairman of the U.S. military Joint Chiefs of Staff said he backs the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell'' limits on gays serving in the military because he believes homosexual acts are immoral, the Chicago Tribune reported in Tuesday's edition.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace told the newspaper he felt the immorality of homosexual acts was comparable to a member of the armed forces having an adulterous affair with the spouse of another service member.

"I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts,'' Pace said in an interview with the newspaper. "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is okay to be immoral in any way.''

But Pace told the newspaper "As an individual, I would not want (acceptance of gay behavior) 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 somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behavior.''

Good for Sen. Warner, by the way, for rebuking this silliness, equating people born gay with adulterers and calling them the same sin.

Pace gave this half-apology, saying that he shouldn't have given his personal views when talking about the policy. But I'm glad he did. Bigotry and hatred and twisted views of morality should be out in the open. There's been this creeping evangelism within the Pentagon, and I think it's dangerous when you get these value judgments about what is and isn't moral based on fundamentalist teachings coming out of a government office. I mean, this is no different than a statement you'd hear from the Taliban.

Andrew Sullivan had a good point:

"The military routinely grants waivers to admit recruits who have criminal records, medical problems or low aptitude scores that would otherwise disqualify them from service. Overall the majority are moral waivers, which include some felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic and drug offenses."

But a soldier who has a perfectly legal relationship is immoral? Even someone from Massachusetts who is legally married? I think Pace just had a Kaus moment. At least we now know what he thinks about gays - and the many gay servicemembers who are currently at war.

Exactly: they put their warped set of beliefs over the country's security. Now we know.