I did something today that I've never done before. I wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper.
I've been published in this paper before. But I was always writing about a new car dealership, or the best way for old people to exercise, or how a restaurant has been in business for a whole entire decade. Not about anything that mattered. Clearly.
But something has been happening locally that means something to me. Some local activists have been protesting the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy at a recruitment office. It has been getting a lot of press.
Yesterday, some military wife wrote a very ignorant letter to the editor claiming that the protesters were appalling. I couldn't just let that go. I tried to answer her letter from the mindset of a military wife. We'll see what happens.
Here's what she had to say:
Attention activists are demanding is appalling
Re: Aug. 13 opinions regarding gays in the military.
On August 12, 2005, I watched as my high school sweetheart transformed before my eyes from a boy to a man. As he marched gracefully across the famed parade deck at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot, S.C., I noticed a newfound pride in his demeanor "" for his country, his fellow corpsmen, his loved ones, and most of all himself. In the year-plus of his duty the man I love can proudly proclaim himself "one of the few, the proud," a United States Marine. He has accomplished many great things, and I continue to stand beside him, not only in love but in support of this nation and the courageous people who defend it.
Personally I am appalled by the ignorance of these so-called "activists" who continue to make a spectacle not only of themselves but of those who endlessly sacrifice to give these "activists" the freedom of speech. The United States military is based not only on competance but on personal modesty and self-respect as well. They make a public spectacle of a respected institution, and then wonder why they have been turned away from its ranks.
To these "activists" I wish to say these things: first, please consider the men and women who sacrifice daily for you to abuse your rights. Second, know that you have been turned away because of your lack of modesty and respect, not your personal life choices. Third, if you wish to serve, please do yourselves and this country a favor and have some self-respect first.
And here is my response to it:
Re: Ms. Jessica A. King's opinion that the attention activists are demanding is appalling.
In her recent letter to the editor, Ms. Jessica A. King, an obviously proud Marine wife, stated that she was appalled by the ignorance of local activists protesting the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
Frankly, I am appalled that a fellow military wife could be so ignorant, hateful and close-minded herself.
I have been a proud military spouse for eleven years. I don't need to list my husband's accomplishments, as many as there are, to validate this fact. But I believe I have a much deeper understanding of what it means to serve this country.
No matter how you personally feel about gay rights, you must see the importance of free speech and the right to peacefully protest to be at the core of what our service members are fighting for. To claim that these protesters are making "a spectacle not only of themselves but of those who endlessly sacrifice to give these 'activists' the freedom of speech" is to miss the point entirely.
Ms. King persists in surrounding the word activist with quotes, which is both juvenile and erroneous. It is the act of standing up for what you believe in and fighting for the right to serve in defense of our country and our values next to your fellow citizens that makes one a true activist. And there is nothing disrespectful or immodest about that.
In fact, it is this very spirit that makes America great and worth defending. There would be no honor in military service if our country was not founded on such beliefs.
Ms. King closes her letter with three points she would like to make to the gay rights activists. She states, "...first, please consider the men and women who sacrifice daily for you to abuse your rights."
I fail to see how protesting a specific military policy is in any way demeaning the men and women of the United States military. Especially since these people are only trying to ensure that they can also serve. And to claim that they are abusing their rights is just incorrect. They are exercising them.
Second, Ms. King states, "...know that you have been turned away because of your lack of modesty and respect, not your personal life choices." This is also completely erroneous. These potential soldiers are being turned away because they have come out and proudly stated that they are gay. Make no bones about it. The military discriminates against gays. And claiming that being gay is a "personal life choice" only brings up an argument that is completely beyond the scope of one letter.
Lastly, Ms. King states, "...if you wish to serve, please do yourselves and this country a favor and have some self-respect first."
I fail to see how these protesters lack self-respect. I believe that it is only Ms. King's homophobia, hatred, and ignorance that are being showcased here.
*****
Update: I was mentioned here at The Frontlines, the blog of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
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