Anyway, so thinking about the things going on within the past few days (and weeks) has rendered some thoughts. This is regarding the new Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense nominee, the Boy Scouts, and the gun debate. Let's begin!
In case you haven't been keeping up with the news, outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before Congress on the attacks at the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya that resulted in four deaths including the ambassador. Now, I just happened to listen to this while driving back from my wonderful time in DC for the inauguration. Now, Secretary Clinton can hold her own ground and is very tough. She didn't back down from Senators McCain, Paul, or Johnson. It is true she got grilled on the issues, but in the end she was able to relay her point across about the situation at the time. It seems odd that Republicans would want to imply that Secretary Clinton wasn't up for the job or even the handling of the situation; in fact, they even questioned her judgement. While I do understand their point and frustration, it is important to remember that this is the same Republican Party that lead the United States into Iraq over "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and it was the intelligence reports of Ambassador Condoleezza Rice & then-Secretary of State Colin Powell. In addition, it was also this Republican Party that chose Alaska governor Sarah Palin to be placed on the Republican ticket in 2008 in a failed attempt to gain the women voters. It is the same party that had members of its own choose not to go to meetings on the [Capitol] Hill regarding security concerns for the embassies in the area; and, it is also this Republican Party that has failed to vote on any budget measures to enhance money allocated for embassy security...but, as usual, it is President Obama's fault and anyone within his administration.
Since the hearing, Secretary Clinton has left her post and the senior senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry, has taken the helm at the State Department. While I applaud his advancement and look forward to his service, I still don't agree that it would be wise to allow the Republicans a chance to gain a seat in the Senate (even if it isn't likely, I wouldn't tempt it). All in all, Secretary Kerry will do a fine job and I wish him the best. As for the other cabinet position, that will be a little more of a fight. Former senator Chuck Hagel has been nominated to succeed Leon Panetta at the Defense Department. There are concerns over his remarks, in the past, regarding: the state of Israel; homosexuals, supporting cuts to the defense department, sanctions on Iran, and a number of other issues. I won't go into every item I just mentioned, but I will say this: I do believe that he is a good fit for the job at hand. I also believe it is certainly wrong for members of his own political party (that's right, he is a Republican from Nebraska) to oppose his confirmation based on their "concerns" or whatever term they choose to hid behind. I think that this nomination, among other issues, will create an even bigger civil war within the Republican Party.
One of the other headlines in the news is regarding the Boy Scouts of America. They are considering eliminating the ban for gay scouts and adults from participating. In fact, there was supposed to give a statement on the overall conclusion this week; but, they felt that it was getting to heated on both sides of the argument and have chosen to make a determination on the future of the ban in May at the annual Executive Council meeting. As a former boy scout (yes, I was a boy scout and yes, I still hate camping and the outdoors in general) I just don't see the point. There are plenty of gay scouts and it is not like they push their beliefs onto others. I know supporters of the ban are citing the Boy Scout Oath. I know that oath by heart and I know plenty of people who say things after repeating it for so many times. But, let's look at the Oath......let just open out Hymns to page 281910 (I hope someone understands that number and the irony of it within this topic):
"On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight."
Now, let's just break this down...line-by-line:
On my honor I will do my best: honor according to whom? I could have a bad honor as a gay scout, but the straight scout that lies all the time is considered to have good honor? So we are to judge a person's character? Also, one should always do their best.
To do my duty to God & my country: Well, what if one does not believe in God? Are they still able to join? How does one prove that they are doing their duty to God, or much less believe in God? Everyone should do their duty to the their country.
and to obey the Scout law: Oh yes, the scout law.....who else can do this beside me?
Well, a Scout is -
- Trustworthy
- Loyal
- Helpful
- Friendly
- Courteous
- Kind
- Obedient
- Cheerful
- Thrifty
- Brave
- Clean
- Reverent
....Too many thoughts regarding the laws so I'll elaborate more on those later.
To help other people at all times: Well, so tend to the sick, needy, and those who aren't able to help themselves? You mean the 47%??? Well, that's socialism and that is UN-American!!! (Make sure you note the sarcasm because I'm not a republican if you didn't know)
To keep myself physically strong: well, this makes sense.....if you stay in shape you don't have to go to the hospital as much and we don't have to pay for you to get better EVEN though a "psychically fit" individual can go to the emergency room for a toothache or a running nose and we are happy to help them out. If you aren't strong then I won't be able to help you even though it's what "honorable" people do (sarcasm is still in play here).
To keep myself mentally awake & morally straight: So if a scout falls asleep or doesn't pay attention in a merit badge class (I never did except for Environmental Science because I didn't understand the point of it) does that mean they should be kicked out of the program? How about the Straight scoutmaster who has been divorced three times, is he morally straight? What about the older scouts that drink when they get together on the weekends or drink with their Scoutmasters (yeah, it goes on...just saying)? What about the straight scouts that become recreational drug users when they are not a troop meeting, but still fall under the guidelines of "you can miss X amount of meetings before....."?
I think the Boy Scouts of America should be able to except, and embrace, all its members and reinstate those that have been kicked out of the program for their sexuality. One last thing, I find it extremely ironic that the same NONPROFIT that gives the most money to the Boy Scouts is the same that funded the Proposition 8 in the state of California. Forget about the Church & state argument, if you are going to politic from the pulpit, then it's time you loose your tax-exempt status, pay up, and pay up for your back taxes. I'll proudly support the rights of same-sex couples.
Well, I planned on speaking about the gun debate. Honestly, nothing for me has changed on this issue so if you would like to know how I feel, please read the piece I wrote two-or-three posts back.
