Will Ann Coulter never learn?
There are some things you just can't say, not even in jest. And at
the top of that list right now is anything derogatory about the "gay"
lifestyle or, worse yet, anything that is considered a slur against
homosexuals, a protected class of people with special rights which entitle
them to live free from all offense.
Ann surely should have known this. After all, hasn't she seen any of the
countless films or TV shows produced by Hollywood in recent years which
promote homosexuality as a perfectly normal and acceptable alternative
lifestyle? Indeed, the homosexuals in virtually every one of these films
and TV shows are smarter, funnier, hipper and more humane than the
heterosexual characters.
Hasn't she seen or read any of the endless media stories promoting
homosexuality in the same glowing manner, with never a critical word to be
uttered? Doesn't she know that our schools are teaching children that
homosexuality is a completely legitimate practice, and one we must all
embrace and support as such whether we engage in it or not?
Yet despite all of this, Ann had the unmitigated gall to get up before an
overflow crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday,
while the cameras were still rolling, and say this: "I was going to
have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John
Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word
'faggot,' so I – so kind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards."
The reaction was swift and severe. DNC Chairman Howard Dean called upon
Republican leaders to denounce Coulter, and they were quick to comply –
starting with the "Big 3" in the Republican presidential race. A spokesman
for Mitt Romney called Coulter's use of the F-word "an offensive remark,"
adding that Romney believes "all people should be treated with dignity and
respect." Rudy Giuliani said her comments were "completely inappropriate,"
while a spokesman for John McCain tried to one-up Rudy by saying they were
"wildly inappropriate."
What was missing from all the hysteria that followed Ann's CPAC appearance
was any discussion of the larger cultural context in which she made her
remarks regarding Edwards. As with her attack upon those four
politically-motivated 9/11 widows (the "Witches of East Brunswick"), the
media once more ignored the salient argument she was making to focus instead
on the sensational aspect of the language she used. Then Democratic and
Republican legislators, liberal and conservative bloggers summarily followed
suit. All anyone wanted to talk about was the anti-"gay" epithet.
Well, there is a larger point here that most seem to have missed, and it
centers on the fact that we are well on our way in this country to
criminalizing all speech and behavior that can in any way be interpreted by
homosexual activists as being offensive to them or critical of their chosen
"lifestyle."
To that end, when "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington called his "gay"
co-star T.R. Knight a "faggot" last year, he was so scorned and reviled for
it that he not only apologized profusely but then checked himself into
rehab. It was probably the only way to save his career. Then retired NBA
star Tim Hardaway told a radio interviewer last month: "I hate gay
people ... I don't like it [homosexuality]. It shouldn't be in the world or
in the United States." He, too, was forced to repent in sackcloth and ashes
after he was banned from NBA All-Star Game activities, lost a national
endorsement deal and was subjected to relentless nationwide criticism.
Liberals, of course, are quite fond of lecturing us that the First Amendment
is designed to protect speech that some people will find offensive – that
is, when they're defending flag-burning or child pornography. But somehow
that principle never seems to apply when it comes to criticizing
homosexuality or those who practice it, whether such criticism is based upon
religious convictions, personal conscience or anything else. As Miami Heat
coach Pat Riley said of his former player Hardaway's comments, such opinions
simply "cannot be tolerated."
This applies not only to what Hardaway said about ''gay'' people, but what he
said about homosexuality as well. However, while I'm sure most of us who oppose the "gay" agenda would agree
with
Romney that all people should be treated respectfully, we reserve the right
to believe, teach and proclaim publicly that homosexuality itself is sinful,
unnatural and perverted. We reserve the right to quote from Romans 1 and
other portions of God's Word which teach just that. We reserve the right to
point out that Rom. 1:27, 32 warns that homosexual behavior will cause
disease within the bodies of those who practice it leading to premature
death. And we reserve the right to warn those who are engaged in this
behavior or being tempted to practice it that homosexuality is therefore,
according to God's eternal declaration, not so much a "lifestyle" as it is a
deathstyle.
At least for now. Our ruling liberal elites have no intention whatsoever of
allowing us to continue enjoying these rights, not without serious societal
recriminations for now and, if they get their way, criminal penalties in due
time. That's why Democrats have been working so assiduously for so many
years to pass hate crime bills which would in effect criminalize speech
offensive to homosexuals. And now that they're in the majority, Democrats
are redoubling those efforts.
Interestingly, the same liberal elites who are calling for the public
condemnation of Ann Coulter have been largely silent about John Edwards'
anti-Christian bloggers. They have not demanded that those bloggers be made
national examples of, nor have they forced them to check into rehab. In
fact, many media outlets never even covered the story. That should tell you
all you need to know about the raging firestorm that's erupting over
Coulter's use of the F-word.
So should we go around callously calling people faggots? No, of course not.
But, at the same time, should we bow down before the liberal establishment
and worship at the feet of the "gay" agenda they're promoting as some sort
of sacrosanct ideal?
No, absolutely not, no matter how many pro-"gay" Democratic Party activists
or Republican presidential candidates come forward to condemn Ann Coulter.
Related offer:
Tom Flannery writes a weekly political column called "The Good Fight" and a continuing religious column called "Why Believe the Bible?" for a hometown newspaper in Pennsylvania. His opinion pieces have appeared in publications such as Newsday, the Los Angeles Times, and Christian Networks Journal. He is a past recipient of the Eric Breindel Award for Outstanding Opinion Journalism from News Corp/The New York Post, in addition to winning six Amy Awards from the Amy Foundation.