One of the most startling images to come out of the sexual revolution was the sight of a rainbow flag flying high over Boston City Hall. Any one who saw the flag that day knew what it meant. It meant that the gay rights movement had triumphed. The same opinion was expressed in the Portland Press Herald recently by an author who stated that the gay rights movement had at long last won, and the Christian Civic League should finally surrender.
Those who read my thoughts regularly will know that I am a casual observer of naval history. When I heard the Portland Press Herald say that Christians had lost this phase of the Culture Wars, I was reminded of a sea battle that took place in 1812. On a bright autumn day, a large crowd gathered outside the Portland Observatory and listened to reports about a battle between the U.S.S. Enterprise and a British ship, the Boxer. Not long into the battle, a cannon blast blew away the main mast of the Boxer, and mortally wounded her captain. The Yanks called out for the Boxer to strike her colors; to which the English crew replied, "We cannot, since our flag is nailed to the mast."
There is a resolve in these heroic words which is really quite admirable. Some things in life cannot be surrendered, no matter how great the odds are against you. Among these things are the principles of ethics and morality. A branch can be twisted and turned as it grows, but only one path keeps it straight and true.
As a result, there have been many responses to our proposed referendum to roll back special rights for homosexuals. Each response has taken a different approach. One editorial likened the League to "fleas which spread the disease of intolerance." Another column solemnly intoned that the war is over. A third newspaper immediately fired back that the battle for gay marriage was just beginning. The leader of a liberal organization said a column I wrote should not have been published. He called on the Maine Sunday Telegram to censor my opinions, because I blamed the gay rights movement for a number of societal problems. He also said that my opinions were, among other things "factually unsupportable."
The real problem was that I told the truth about the origin and purpose of the sexual revolution, and this set off alarm bells in the liberal establishment. The gay rights movement, with its frequent pleas for tolerance, will not tolerate dissent. They prefer not to engage in a discussion about the ethics of homosexual behavior, gay adoption, and same sex marriage - for obvious reasons.
A great military strategist once wrote, "When you see the other side resort to many banners and slogans, take courage! It means there is confusion in their camp." I agree. The diversity of opinions expressed by the other side is very encouraging. It means they cannot refute the simple truth that same sex marriage, gay adoption, and special rights for homosexuals is morally wrong. These are all practices which cannot be justified under any system of ethics.
The best the liberal establishment can do is to ask us to strike our colors and give up the ship. But we will not, because, as in the case of the Boxer, our flag is nailed to the mast; and we cannot surrender.
