WASHINGTON, D.C.—Bigots in the House of Representatives continue to approve legislation that is intended to thwart what they see as the president's "gay agenda." Yesterday, on the same day that President Obama made history by expressing his personal support for same-sex marriage, the House Armed Services Committee voted to approve amendments to the 2013 defense authorization that would prohibit such marriages from taking place on U.S. military bases, while also protecting chaplains and other service members from being "persecuted" for expressing their opposition to homosexuals in the military.
As with similar legislative efforts that cover educators, these bills or amendments, which have been attempted several times before, are promoted as necessary to protect the beliefs of American citizens, even if those beliefs impinge upon the rights of other citizens. In this case, the sponsor of the amendment to protect anti-gay expression, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., said the amendment, which passed 36-25, is necessary because the 2011 repeal of the military’s gay ban has forced bigoted and/or religious service members to, as Fox News put it, "hide their beliefs out of fear of recrimination."
"This is trying to protect the ability of people to have their own opinion,” said Akin, a Republican congressman out of Missouri running for the U.S. Senate who also has had the moral fortitude to state publicly, "The president has repealed `don't ask, don't tell' and is using the military as props to promote his gay agenda."
The other anti-gay amendment passed yesterday by the panel, to deny same-sex marriages on military bases, was sponsored by Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-Miss.), who is trying to overturn current Defense Department policy, which allows private same-sex ceremonies to take place on bases.
This is not the first anti-gay go-round for Akin, who previously sponsored a similar amendment to the one now being hawked by Palazzo.
According to Navy Times, "Akin was an opponent of lifting the gay ban. In 2010, just before the military’s policy changed, he convinced the House Armed Services Committee to pass an amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages from occurring on military bases only to have the provision stricken from the final bill during negotiations with the White House and Senate. This is the same prohibition that Palazzo is now sponsoring."
A similar excision will take place this time as well, which is probably why Akin wants to move into the Senate, where he can work with House bigots to see some of these hate bills passed and sent to the president's desk, where, once the current gay-lover is dealt with, a 'real American' can sign them into law.
