The Truth Is Offensive?

Have you heard the latest on Supreme Court Justice nominee Elena Kagan? In response to all of the lesbian questions surrounding her nomination, with several former classmates, colleagues, and roommates speaking out for and against her, she remains silent on the subject except to say, "I reject heterosexual labels to avoid offending gays." CBS News reported last week that she was gay, but no refutable proof has surfaced either way.

My concerns don't revolve around whether she is, or is not, a lesbian. My fear is having a Supreme Court Justice who refuses to stand up and make a statement of fact for fear of offending a group. How has our country arrived at this point? How can a nominee even be considered for a position in our "pillars of justice" and at the pinnacle of our legal system who refuses to make a statement regarding her personal preference? Is it clear she has extreme bias for a specific group in the U.S.? Ummm, yep. Is it clear she will not be able to reach an unbiased ruling regarding a specific group? Ummm, yep. Should she recuse herself from further consideration because of a clear bias in numerous cases she will probably sit on? Ummm, yep.

"I'm heterosexual." There, I've said it. Have I offended anyone? Has the heterosexual world stood up and cheered because I made this statement? Are the gays in West Hollywood pouring into the streets in protest? If I screamed this statement over the airwaves, would it be offensive to anyone? The answer is, "It shouldn't be." It's a simple statement of fact, not meant to be inflammatory; not derogatory or judgmental toward any group; not a condemnation of a lifestyle I don't share. It's simply a personal opinion utterance.

At this critical time in our country, we need courageous leaders. We need people of integrity and conviction in positions of leadership. We need people who will stand up for what they believe in without fear of being politically correct to a fault.

Failure to have this kind of leadership was evident during the last presidential campaign where many questions went unasked for fear of the "race card" being pulled - the electoral effect was devastating. We needed courage from the Republican party to ask the tough questions and not cease until answers were provided. Instead, we had a "tip-toe around the real concerns" campaign and two years later the questions remain.

Obama's citizenship, faith, legal proceedings records, affiliations, associations, and character should have been vigorously explored to the public's satisfaction before he ever took the oath of office. They weren't asked because of the "PC Cloud" looming over the Republican head. To coin a WWII phrase, it's time to "Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead!"

I pray it's not too late for this country to recover from that lack of courage. Unfortunately, it seems history is repeating itself with our Supreme Court.