Is gay marriage a Trojan horse within the military?
A stable of Trojan horses is pulling the president's carriage toward the fundamental transformation of America. And the symbolism of the Greek pillars from the 2008 Democratic Convention seems to grow clearer than most of us want to acknowledge.
The Supreme Court will soon rule on same-sex marriages, but the U.S. military has already received its marching orders. It's just bizarre that a record number of senior officers have been dismissed for adultery and similar misconduct when the uncomfortable truth about same-sex marriage is that monogamous nuptials are not the objective.
According to a 2010 article in the New York Times, "Many 'Successful' Gay Marriages Share an Open Secret":
Quietly, outside of the news media and courtroom spotlight, many gay couples are doing just that [i.e., rewriting the traditional rules of matrimony.] ... [M]onogamy is not a central feature[.]
This news faded rather quickly amid the subsequent media onslaught to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), but the article remains rather enlightening:
None of this is news in the gay community, but few will speak publicly about it. Of the dozen people in open relationships contacted for this column, no one would agree to use his or her full name, citing privacy concerns. They also worried that discussing the subject could undermine the legal fight for same-sex marriage.
Instead of this taboo reality giving the commander in chief a reason to pause in firing top military commanders for sexual infractions, the Pentagon issued a directive to authorize 7 to 10 days of special marriage leave exclusively to homosexual military members. In fact, the Los Angeles Times published an article critical of the military's struggle to expedite this unique homosexual privilege.
After the repeal of DADT and just before the Supreme Court struck down DOMA in 2012, President Obama stressed that it was important for him, personally, to support same-sex marriages. At the time, Obama's smoothly emphatic description of "incredibly committed same-sex relationships" may have intentionally distorted reality. It's not as if this administration has a problem being unscrupulous.
The common practice of open relationships and open marriages for homosexuals remains a buried secret for average Americans with traditional cultural values. Some might not want to know, and others might simply refuse to accept it. But ignoring reality does not change it, contrary to what liberals pretend.
A subsequent article at Slate.com, "The Dirty Little Secret: Most Gay Couples are Not Monogamous," returned to the awkward subject the exact day that the Supreme Court struck down DOMA – three years after the New York Times unveiled the still obscure open secret.
Since 2012, the Huffington Post has had an entire page devoted to promoting homosexual non-monogamy, and articles and studies about the cultural practice are easy to find – particularly concerning homosexual men.
Based on the plethora of sources, the stigma and shame traditionally associated with adultery do not deter or apply in the homosexual culture, a fact to which Laura Ingraham recently alluded.
Obviously, not every LGBTQ couple has an open relationship. However, the widespread cultural practice of open relationships should have been a red flag for a serious commander in chief. The armed forces function successfully in part because of the stringent moral boundaries designed to maintain good order and discipline.
Before the country's fundamental transformation, Marine Corps commandant General James F. Amos was the most vocal critic in the debate to repeal DADT. Now, however, the Corps promotes its efforts to be better than its peers at recruiting the LGBTQ community. Questions have followed as to whether the influx of this alternative sexual culture is having a negative impact on good order and discipline. In May of 2014, the Pentagon revealed that reports of sexual assault increased by 50 percent in 2013, yet officials stated emphatically that the increase in reports filed has nothing to do with an increase in assaults committed.
Surprisingly, most of the sexual assault victims in the military are men, but males add up to only 14 percent of the total assaults reported. Officials claim that men tend to remain silent in an effort to avoid uncomfortable questions about their virility. This voluntary silence very well may contribute to the recent report celebrating a 27-percent decrease in military sexual assaults over the past two years.
To civilians like this commander in chief, who has no military experience, the clear boundaries of the UCMJ might seem outdated or too steeped in Christian values, except when used to discharge and punish conservative officers. Regardless, the lines were established to prevent immoral behavior from interfering with national defense.
When warriors deploy, the last thing they should worry about is fellow service members at home attempting to adulterate their spouses or whether their commanding officers are doing the same. The latter problem could put a soldier in greater danger in battle. The military calls this Bathsheba Syndrome, but since the Obama administration is purging Christian evangelism from the military, too, new recruits will likely fail to understand the biblical allusion.
Military officers have a duty to lead by example. Their personal conduct directly impacts the morale and effectiveness of their subordinates. Deterring immoral behavior that can spread disorder and erode discipline throughout any system or unit requires the military to have severe consequences established.
With open marriages not being taboo in the homosexual culture, and the Pentagon now authorizing special leave for homosexual soldiers to be married, it might be some random cosmic accident that no news of homosexual troops committing adultery has been exposed, especially in light of the increased intolerance for the original DADT (adultery).
As the White House continues to exert pressure on the Pentagon to implement and ensure the success of this never-ending sexual experiment, the Navy is now facing a pending officer retention crisis. Junior officers have lost confidence in senior leadership.
Meanwhile, the rest of us have to wonder how the nation's security has been strengthened by firing the most experienced officers busted for the unofficial DADT only for the military to embrace a culture that actually promotes the taboo.
Who knows? As a result of same-sex marriages, maybe traditional sexual misconduct will be ordered legal soon. Just don't expect the shamed senior officers to return to duty. The military has to move forward.
A former Marine officer and a recovering high school English teacher, Lee Culpepper is a Christian, husband, writer, and mentor. E-mail Lee Culpepper here or contact him on Twitter @drcoolpepper.