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Stepping
Over the Line
The
gay activist who "outed" Congressman Ed
Schrock engages in political extortion. Is there no
limit to the politics of personal destruction?
The
August 30 announcement by two-term U.S. Rep. Ed
Schrock that he was withdrawing as a candidate for
election in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District
generated headlines as big as those announcing the
2003 invasion of Iraq.
It stunned his constituents and prompted a
scrum, as politicians eager to replace Schrock tried
to push to the front.
What
has received little attention is that all of this
was set in motion by a single
Washington
,
D.C.
activist. That
activist maintains a website dedicated to
“outing” politicians and their staffers when
they oppose his gay agenda.
That
so few have expressed concern about this scurrilous
tactic is deplorable.
If it becomes a regular practice, our
Republic will suffer serious damage.
The
activist’s allegations that Schrock engaged in
homosexual activity while in office may be accurate.
Schrock may indeed be guilty of hypocrisy, as
the website charges.
He may have brought dishonor on himself.
But
this kind of extortion must be brought to a halt.
The gay activist who published the
accusations about Schrock on his website obviously
isn’t offended by homosexual activity.
He hasn’t outed all homosexuals in
Congress. He
decided to single Schrock out for punishment because
Schrock voted against and spoke out against the gay
agenda.
Is
this how we want politics to be played?
If so, the stench from this manure-spreading
will drive most good people away.
Gay
activists have labeled as hateful those who support
affirmation of marriage legislation or a federal
constitutional amendment to prevent a state like
Massachusetts
from foisting its homosexual marriages on other
states. The
truly hateful people are those who publish
accusations against staff members of elected
officials who oppose the gay agenda.
This is despicable stuff — and dangerous.
These
destructive political operatives who practice this
kind of political extortion to advance their agenda
are likely to reap what they sow. Mean-spirited
tactics generally spawn like conduct among political
opponents.
Those
who oppose the gay agenda have been subjected to
vicious personal attacks.
The recent outings go well beyond the usual
attacks. Gay
activists, including Schrock’s accuser, have
decided to destroy those who merely associate with
the enemy, even if the targets are themselves
homosexual and aren’t opposed to the gay agenda.
Perhaps,
the next chapter will be a wave of outings of
legislators who have supported the gay agenda.
Opponents of the gay agenda might also
inflict collateral damage on gay and lesbian
staffers of legislators who support gay rights.
Where
will this end?
Politics
has lost any semblance of civility.
The deterioration of relations among elected
officials, professional consultants and staff
members caused by this hatefulness will have
long-term, adverse consequences.
We
can have an honest debate about questions of
homosexuality or war or gun rights.
A consensus must be found and quickly about
what will be tolerated and what will not be.
There
will be cries that free speech is being stifled if
websites like the one that has outed elected
officials and their staff members are effectively
shut down. The
First Amendment was never intended to restrain
society — as opposed to the government itself —
from using reasonable measures to stop the flow of
poison that threatens our political system.
The
political class must take care of this problem.
Unless these worthies are willing to do that,
politics won’t be fit for decent folks.
--
September 7,
2004
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