Top US General says homosexuality is "immoral"

Top Marine General Peter Pace, in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, stated that he feels homosexuality is immoral and akin to adultery.

Pace also said that he supports the military's so-called "don't ask/don't tell" policy, but it would be his personal preference for the military to not have non-heterosexual members. That rule "don't ask/don't tell" allows homosexuals to serve in the military as long as their sexual preference is not disclosed. It has been in effect since 1994.

The Tribune quoted Pace as saying, "I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts... I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by a saying through our policies that it's okay to be immoral in any way."

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group which has assisted enlisted personnel who claim to have been wrongfully discharged due to their sexual orientation, is outraged, according to MSNBC. The group's website has numbers estimating 65,000 enlisted non-heterosexuals.

While not everyone agrees on the morality of being gay, most people do agree on the moral question of other military activities.

Neither the Tribune nor MSNBC.com articles mention whether Gen. Pace was asked about killing people. Or indefinite detention without criminal charges. Or unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country.

If, in fact, the Department of Defense "should not condone immoral acts," it sounds to me like the war is over and we have a lot of military hardware to sell. General Pace's beliefs, though, are his personal thoughts and not those of the Pentagon.

- Scott Ritcher

Photo: Department of Defense
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