Who Put That Gay Man In The You Tube?
The buzz about gays in the military created by tonight’s GOP debate raises a good question. Why should women and gays be forced to suffer the inability of many straight men to evolve beyond their noticeably arrested and obviously immature sexual constructs? As I think about it, that may be the best argument for electing a woman or a gay president.
I’m sorry but stupid was just brought to a new low. The tubes are abuzz over the fact that CNN allowed a question about “don’t ask, don’t tell” from a gay man who serves on a committee for Hillary Clinton. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but the YouTube format didn’t require a disclosure of party affiliation. Granted, the incident makes CNN’s vetting process appear rather careless, but are we to believe that the question is invalid because the questioner isn’t a card carrying Republican?
If that’s the case, then shouldn’t Anderson Cooper be disqualified from moderating a GOP debate since he is gay? Maybe we should only allow Republican moderators at Republican debates and Democratic moderators at Democratic debates? I swear, we’re becoming more of a banana republic each day. I suspect the debate process for electing an eighth grade class president may have more substance and credibility…and certainly less whining from the inane partisans.
Speaking of substance, I guess I’m wondering why asking the GOP candidates their position on gays in the military is off limits for a former officer simply because he will apparently vote for a Democrat. Think about it…how many gay people do we expect to vote for a party that routinely opposes most, if not all, measures that would afford gays more rights and greater equality?
Further, after hearing the answers to the question…especially Duncan Hunters diatribe on not wanting to upset the predominantly religious conservative members of the military…why on earth would gays vote for the GOP? His answer is wrong on so many levels such that I refuse to waste any more of my time and energy detailing the reasons. Those who understand the reasons get it…and those who don’t, aren’t unable to; they simply don’t want to.
I just love the argument that we can’t consider allowing gays to serve openly because we’re at war. Using that same logic, gays ought to be exempt from a draft if America ever determines it needs more troops because they can’t attract enough volunteers. Sounds good to me…let the straight people protect us all from harm. We gays will plan the ticker tape parade if and when we ever win one of these wars.
Moving on, if the rank and file of the GOP agree with the answers given, why be afraid to have these candidates spell out their positions? Who are they trying to fool anyway? Should we believe that if the Republican candidates can avoid expressing their positions with regards to gays, no one will be the wiser or attempt to discern where they stand? That’s the funny thing about bigotry these days…people know when it exists and they get testy when someone forces them to acknowledge or demonstrate it.
Following the debate and the “exposure” of CNN’s duplicity, I went and read comments on a number of right leaning blogs. While the bigotry amazes me, the belief on the part of countless straight men that every gay man is interested in ogling them is mind-boggling. We scorn the Saudi’s for their absolutely antiquated treatment of women…highlighted by the recent sentencing of a rape victim to 200 lashes and six months in prison…treatment that is premised on the fear that every women is so vulnerable to her carnal desires that her body must be completely hidden from view and she must be forever forbidden from being in the presence of any unrelated male…unless accompanied by “her man”.
Now let’s break this down…is it the women they’re worried about or isn’t it more probable that these men don’t trust themselves to act appropriately…so clearly they can’t leave their women alone with another man? Truth be told, I’m sure they’re lack of trustworthiness is justified…but why in the hell should women be punished because these men are pigs? Last time I checked, it takes a boat load of man-sluts to make a whore. The absurdity is overwhelming!
The same mind set is at play when it comes to gays in the military…most of these men commenting on these sites apply their own sexual habits and thoughts to gay soldiers…totally failing to realize that gays have spent their entire lives demonstrating restraint and appreciating each other for more than just getting off. We have too if we want some semblance of a normal social life. We’ve learned that it’s possible to find friendships with people who could otherwise serve as sexual partners…and therefore we don’t have to approach each other and all males as nothing more than sexual objects.
Many of these straight men are unable and unwilling to grasp this concept because they see all women as objects for sexual gratification. It’s the cattle mentality…as long as they erect (no pun intended) fences to keep themselves from succumbing to their desires, they (the bulls) won’t breed every woman (the heifers) they see. That’s why they are so intimidated by the thought of showering with a gay man or sharing the same barracks. They can only visualize what they would do in a similar situation with women. So they see gays in the military as lacking the barriers they’re reliant upon to maintain their fragile notions of propriety and fidelity.
Forgive me for generalizing, as I realize the following may be an unfair assessment…but why should women and gays be forced to suffer the inability of these straight men to evolve beyond their noticeably arrested and obviously immature sexual constructs? As I think about it, that may be the best argument for electing a woman or a gay president.
First off, “don’t ask, don’t tell” is a Democratic policy that was put in place by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Democratic President. Three questions: 1) Was this question asked at a Democratic debate (I truly don’t know)? 2) How is this a Republican issue? 3) Since the Democrats took over Congress 11 months ago, why haven’t they changed the policy? Is it that they are homophobic?
He’s supposed to be an objective reporter, not a Hillary plant, as the questioner was.
Ask me that question when the Dems decide to put themselves on Fox News.
By the way, the question is valid. No argument from me on that. But, it was up to CNN to do the vetting they were supposed to do on the questioners. The media keeps telling the American people that they are the watchdogs of those in government (or those who want to run the government, in this case). What does it say when the media routinely doesn’t do what it says it is doing?
i too was shocked and appalled by duncan hunter’s answer. and let me posit this - they are in a war zone with no (legal) alcohol or prostitutes, the normal outlets for stress in other wars. probably hunter thinks that everyone will just start butt-fucking and blowing all over the place if gays are allowed to well, be gay. or they’ll be the only ones able to have sex!!! no fair!
and don’t even get me started on the widespread rape of women soldiers…
No one was appalled that Grover “drown government in a bathtub” Norquist was allowed a question. The premise of the YouTube debates was to let ordinary citizens who don’t have access to the campaigns to ask what they felt was important of the candidates. Republican campaigns wet all over theirselves to get Norquist’s attention and approval. All he has to do is pick up a phone and any time any place the candidates will show up, and roll around on the floor, belly-up to get his support.
I was aghast when the crowd started booing the good General after he admitted he was gay. And that was before Bill Bennett told everyone he (the General) was a Hilary supporter. Those people should be ashamed at how incredibly rude they were. Mob rule is an ugly thing. And i have no doubt that had they had pitchforks and torches the General would have been run out of the state of Florida. When did the people in this country get so ugly and vicious? And when did political activists become like drunker soccer mobs?
Duncan Hunter’s answer shows everything that is wrong with religion entering into politics, the Christian Embassy, Christianists taking over the Air Force Academy and the far right taking over the chaplancy of almost every branch of service, and even with General Peter Pace. How do we go about purging them from the officer corps and the rank and file in the military, and from the general populace? I truly fear for this country and our beloved Constitution.
Somegirl, no alcohol might explain the huge uptick in heroin and pot use. I remember the incredibly sad stories about the Amerasian kids thrown away after the Vietnam war. I think if the Taliban re-takes Afghanistan and the Sadrists or another religious group takes over Iraq that children of prositutes and American GIs will end up much more worse off than the Vietnamese kids who were put in orphanages. These kids could end up stoned to death, and so could their mothers.