In perusing the headlines at memeorandum today, there was quite a bit of a stir about a comment Huckabee made regarding gays.
The comment causing such a stir from Meet the Press:
MR. RUSSERT: But when you say aberrant or unnatural, do you believe you’re born gay or you choose to be gay?
GOV. HUCKABEE: I don’t know whether people are born that way. People who are gay say that they’re born that way. But one thing I know, that the behavior one practices is a choice.
It’s very clear to me, in this instance, Huckabee is talking about personal choices and how one implements their own personal, behavior choices.
However, in an article entitled “No Sex For You”, author Steve Benen, guest posting at Washington Monthly, descends immediately to sex–he sets up the strawman Huckabee is telling gays they have to be celibate. To quote:
I see. So, Huckabee doesn’t actually care if someone is gay, he cares whether or not gays are celibate.
And here I thought his years of bizarre criticism of the gay community were a sign of intolerance. I’ve clearly misjudged him.
The comments section of this article get even sillier, with the “best” (tongue firmly planted in cheek) being this one:
Bruce:
You hit the nail on the head. I was wondering the same about mandatory English requirement everyone wants to impose on new immigrants. How free are we as a country if people have to be forced to learn another language?
Republicans love to talk about “freedom” but when you look at their policies you will quickly find out that they want to impose control on individual freedoms while liberating corporations from the burden of accountability. It boils down to freedom for the wealthy to do as they please.
Posted by: rational on December 30, 2007 at 4:04 PM | PERMALINK
From there, we go to Jeff Fecke at Shakespeare’s Sister–his article name is “Sorry Homosexuals, No Sex For You”–same Huckabee quote:
Mike Huckabee thinks that God may have made homosexuals the way they are, and therefore, you’d best keep your legs crossed until death
and
For the record, shooting at reporters is perfectly cromulent behavior. Having sex with someone of the same sex as you? Awful. To be fair, Huckabee thinks all sex outside of marriage is sinful. He just doesn’t think homosexuals should be able to ever get married. At least to each other.
The best comment from this place is here:
Unless they’re publicly fornicating, how does Huckabee determine what their chosen behaviors are? Or is it like that WMD thing, you make a guess, condemn, and punish on the basis of what the judges imagine?
Man, this bigotry stuff needs to come with better instructions.
Nowhere did Huckabee take the comment to the sexual level. He was commenting on the choices people make–and putting responsibility for those choices squarely on the person themselves.
This is where the right and left have a significant divergence–the left has no concept of personal responsibility, no concept of personal accountability for their choices and actions. It’s always someone else’s fault: they were “born” that way, they “couldn’t help themselves”, they’re “sick” and need another pill, or whatever–anything possible they can think of to excuse their personal choices and actions and attempt to exonerate their personal responsibility for those choices and actions.
With today’s irresponsible MSM, however, we get half quotes, fake stories, lack of research, lack of follow through–but ultimately, the “lead” will always have something to do with sex. As it does here.
The liberals, the secularists, the atheists will continue to find a way to ridicule anyone of faith for their very faith. My belief regarding this is simply these people are afraid. They are afraid there is nothing else for them. They are perpetually angry because they know nothing else. They think life is supposed to be “fair”. Life isn’t fair. Anyone who states a truth, anyone who points out to them they and they alone are responsible for the choices they make in life, in any aspect of their lives, is going to be ridiculed.
And such we see here. I don’t agree with a lot of what has come out about Huckabee. However, I don’t see where he referenced a person’s sexual behavior. He was asked a direct question. He answered it–honestly–in that he doesn’t know if someone is born gay or makes that choice down the road. He followed up by stating a person’s behavior is that person’s choice.
Sex? This isn’t about sex. This is about choices made and acted upon. The left just can’t handle personal responsibility and being held accountable for their own choices. And so they have to set up a sexual strawman and fight that strawman.
Completely, utterly shameless, ridiculous and, frankly, nuts. They need to get some new mirrors, preferably mirrors not pilfered from the local carnival funhouse, but mirrors forcing them to face reality.
Cross posted at Grizzly Groundswell here.
Catch the Wave! at Memeorandum for more on this story.
Filed under: Gays, Huckabee, Miss Beth | Comments Off on Sex? I Could Have SWORN This Was About Personal Responsibility…