The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution protects persons from being forced to incriminate themselves. To "plead the Fifth" is a refusal to answer a question because the response could form self incriminating evidence. This being said is silence just as incriminating?
According to The New Civil Rights Movement, at a Republican debate held on Thursday October 3, 2011, Stephen Hill an active solider in the US Army asked a question via youtube to the presidential candidates: “Do you plan to circumvent the progress that has been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?” Upon his asking, members in the crowd began booing him. He, an active solider in the army, currently fighting to protect our rights, our freedom, and our lives, was booed because of his concern for freedom of sexuality. What’s worse is that from the stage, when one of our own soldiers was left disrespected by the very people he is fighting to protect, the only thing said in his defense was a quiet cry of nothing.
As an American citizen, we are each entitled to believe whatever we want to believe and as long as our views don’t interfere with the rights of others or the law of the land, we are left to decipher our own justifications of what’s wrong and right. However, if I am mad, angry, and terribly upset with my sister because of a wrong she has done me, it does not interfere with me coming to aid her in a crisis. If a candidate doesn’t believe in gay marriage, or in this case the don’t ask don’t tell policy when does that disapproval grant him permission to be silent when a soldier, a man sacrificing his life for his country, is disrespected?
What does it say about our candidates, what does it say about American when we ourselves allow our personal pet peeves to cloud the bigger picture, giving us the right to disregard those who stand watch while we go about our daily lives. If a candidate won’t speak in defense of a solider, an American soldier, the united states army, what will he speak up for?
According to the Huffington Post President Obama was outraged by the lack of response from our candidates. "We don't believe in the kind of smallness that says it's okay for a stage full of political leaders -- one of whom could end up being the president of the United States -- being silent when an American soldier is booed. We don't believe in standing silent when that happens. We don't believe in them being silent since. You want to be commander in chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, even when it's not politically convenient. We don't believe in a small America. We believe in a big America -- a tolerant America, a just America, an equal America -- that values the service of every patriot."
Rick Santorum said, “Any type of sexual activity has no place in the military,” and added “Keep it to yourself, whether you’re heterosexual or homosexual.” Santorum admitted he would force lesbian, gay, and bisexual soldiers servicing their country back in the closet. “What we’re doing is playing social experimentation with our country right now and that’s tragic.” Santorum also said repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was “giving [gays] a special privilege.”
According to Bent Alaska, both Herman Cain and former presidential candidate John McCain state none of the candidates should have remained quiet. Unlike Mitt Romney who justifies his behavior by saying: “I don’t know when they booed and I don’t know why they booed. But I will tell you, that the boos and applause hasn’t always coincided with my own views, but I haven’t stepped in to try and say, ‘this one is right, this one is wrong.’ Instead, I focus on the things I think I will say.” Both Rick Santorum and Herman Cain have stated they would reinstate Don’t Ask Don’t Tell if elected president.
As citizens, they have the right to remain silent, but as candidates for the highest office in America, we expect more. As President of the United States of America, you are an evocate for the American people at all times, not just when it suits you. As a leader, you are on call 24/7. When your people are hurt, endangered, or disrespected we don’t expect a cold shoulder but an out stretched hand. We expect someone who can get down and dirty in helping change come about, not someone who sends a cleanup crew to do the work for him and jumps in at the last minute when the cameras show up. We need someone to jump in and take some of the hard punches so we don’t have to. A leader is a shield of protect for their people, and if this the case with our candidates they there are like the first two little pigs, built of nothing but hay and sticks that will easily crumble beneath the pressure from the big bad wolf.
I guess in the end,
Sometimes silence speaks louder.
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