Even though Barack Obama claimed during the course of his campaign in 2008 that he was against gay marriage, he has recently - and officially - become the most pro-gay President in American history.
As a Conservative, I am virulently against his support of gay marriage. I feel that allowing gays to enact an agenda against heterosexuals -- and declaring the existence of "gay marriage" -- is an act of aggression that can not stand.
However, it might surprise the readers of TJR to find that I am not 100% against his actions concerning gays serving in the military.
My political hero, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, once famously said that "You don't have to be straight to be in the military, you just have to be able to shoot straight."
I agree with Barry. Our military leaders do not.
Saying that someone can't serve in the military just because they are gay is the same thing as saying someone can't serve in the military just because they are black. It's discrimination.
And our country shouldn't do it.
If you are a true Conservative, you respect our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution almost as much as you would respect a religious document like the Bible or the Torah.
Those documents describe equal protections for all.
And much like a Biblical passage, you either believe in these founding documents, or you don't.
I have always felt that we Republicans were going to be on the losing end of the battle with the gays.
Gay marriage? No. That is inventing something that doesn't exist and using force on heterosexuals.
But how can we justify not giving gays the same legal protections as a heterosexual married couple?
It is for this reason I agree to the compromise of a "domestic partnership" certificate for gays.
Legal protections, yes. Complete redefining of social structures? No.
And to defend our military, I need to say this....
The previous rules against gays in the military were generally there for the safety of the individuals involved serving in the military.
When I was 17 years old I attended U.S. Army Basic Training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Any soldier who was being accused of being a homosexual on a Southern Army base was putting themselves in a very dangerous situation. There is rampant homophobia in the military, and even being suspected of being gay could get a soldier severly beaten -- if not killed...at least back in those days. Maybe attitudes have changed, but I am not so sure about that.
I understand the reasons for the previous rules.... and I still prefer that gays not serve in combat units.
But there is no reason gays can't serve in the base hospital, or commissary, or the food preparation areas.
One indisputable fact about this subject is clear.
Gays have always served in our military. And they always will.
Right now we are just arguing about how honest they can be about it.
