Poppy Brite posted about O.S. Card’s anti-gay marriage article yesterday. This is another perfect example of someone’s opinions being elevated based on their success in a completely different realm. Much as I don’t automatically believe Margaret Cho about politics just because I find her hilarious, I don’t agree with things Orson Card says just because I like some of his books. He should really stick to writing advice columns on how to get published. That, at least, he doesn’t sound like an asshole while doing.
Here’s the deal: Orson Card is a Mormon. Orson Card is a writer. Orson Card has named his children after authors (pretentious much?). Orson Card is not a military veteran, yet takes it upon himself to speak for us.
Who do you think is volunteering for the military to defend America against our enemies? Those who believe in the teachings of politically correct college professors? Or those who believe in the traditional values that the politically correct elite has been so successful in destroying?
Speaking as a veteran with 12 years experience defending the nation, in this all-volunteer military we have, I think I’ll pick apart his paragraph here. Those who are volunteering for the military include those who believe in the teachings of Ayn Rand as well as those who believe in the teachings of Tom McClancy. They include a surprisingly heterogenous group, not the bloc of mindless Neoconservatives that Card and (apparently) Dubya believe are in the service. Besides which, using the military majority as a basis for social laws is stupid. If we did that, we’d still have segregation by race and gender. Both of those integrations were forced on the military by the wiser and cooler heads of state.
Foremost, I have to say, “Stick with writing about writing” to Mr. Card. When he writes about what marriage is supposed to mean to me, he sounds like an asshat.