April 25, 2003

Andrew, Get Over Santorum

I'm getting tired of Andrew Sullivan going off on a moral crusade to purge the Republican Party of anyone who finds gay sexual acts to be immoral and to label people with those beliefs "intolerant." He's already called me (not directly) a "fool" because I'm tolerant, yet still support the Republican Party. I'm also tired of him creating a crisis where none really existed which only gives the Democrats--a party more opposed to human liberty (especially economic rights)--ammuntion to use against the GOP.

To find backing for his crusade, Sullivan quotes an editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times where it reads,

How can we have any hope of creating a democratic government in Iraq free from domination by repressive religion if we cannot free our own laws of official faith-based biases inflicted on our fellow citizens?

It's a poor argument because the U.S. imposed democratic governments on both German and Japan after World War II. That was before Martin Luther King and his civil rights movement, before Stonewall and the gay rights movement, and before the countless affirmative action programs designed to end racism in society. Somehow a less tolerant United States did pretty well with those two countries.

In defense of Sen. Santorum, John Hawkins offers a good piece. Sullivan should pay attention to this important point where Santorum talks about opposing homosexual acts:

Some people apparently have a big problem with that. If so, then they have a problem with just about every Christian church in America that preaches "love the sinner & hate the sin" and a large majority of Americans who agree for the most part with what Santorum said. There's a reason why the vast majority of Americans don't support gay teachers, gay adoption, gay scoutmasters, etc. Of course, those same people probably wouldn't favor allowing porn stars or people who are heavily into BDSM to be teachers, adopt kids, or be scoutmasters either. The American public may tolerate aberrant lifestyles, but they don't approve of them.