John McCain spent the 2008 campaign leaning on his own story of military service [FIVE AND A HALF YEARS, ALAN!] in order to avoid answering questions about his lack of integrity and principles regarding, for instance, military issues. We were supposed to ignore the fact that he stood firmly against the new GI Bill, because, hey, didn’t you hear that JOHN MCCAIN WAS A PRISONER OF WAR? And now, we’re supposed to ignore his lack of principles yet again, as he changes his position on DADT repeal again and again, moving the goalposts every time something happens that he doesn’t like.
Well, David Badash has something he would like to point out to the Senator from Arizona:
But here’s something for you to ponder. Many, many gay and lesbian service members have fought — just like you — and many have died, so that you could be free today.
In World War II, partly because of poor screening practices, and partly because demand for soldiers was so high, up to one million LGBT soldiers fought for their country, according to Allan Berube (1946-2007,) author of the 1990 book Coming Out Under Fire.
[...]
It’s time for you, Senator McCain, to accept the fact that the military has actively tried to seek out LGBT service members. It’s time to see that even your own family finds your positions “awkward.” In short, it is time to support the rights of LGBT service members, and vote to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
It’s unlikely that McCain will change his mind, since he doesn’t seem to know how to change it in the correct direction on most any issue. But it’s nice to see that the American people are, yet again, getting an object lesson in the fact that the great myth of McCain the reasonable maverick moderate was just a media creation, and that the man beneath the myth has always been a callous wingnut with little regard for anyone but himself.
The simple fact of the matter is that most people in McCain’s generation (including he himself of course) are just too ossified in their beliefs regardless of the evidence to the contrary; and lgbt people won’t have full equality and acceptance until they die off or are completely out of politics and the younger generations, who have a ‘who cares’ attitude about gays, take over the reigns of power.
I agree. Often in photos or videos of anti-gay protests or meetings of some kind or another, the vast majority of the attendees are old white male farts and their toadies. Unfortunately I have to tolerate one or two in my life until they depart (I love them but definitely do not like them). It is so sad to say, but these folks will be on the wrong side of history and are tainting the memories others will have of them by being hateful and too set in their ways to educate themselves and update their beliefs.