Men without chests
- JAMES BEMIS
Every once in a while, a bit of truth sneaks through the Big Medias politically correct filters. When it does, it usually offers a telling blow against the latest Groupthink.
A case in point was the San Francisco Examiners bombshell revelation that Frank Lindh, father of American Taliban member John Walker Lindh, left his family to move in with a gay lover when John was 16.
Its not much of a stretch
to imagine this may have played a major role in young Walkers estrangement from
his own culture.
Scurrying to provide cover, the homosexual propaganda
engine revved into action. The Examiner ran an editorial by noted gay columnist
Michelangelo Signorile that declared, The sexual orientation of John Walkers
parents, like their liberal politics and their tolerant attitude toward child-rearing,
did not cause Walker to join the Taliban.
If anything, Signorile
babbled, its the other way around: The ingrained, religion-based hatred of homosexuality
in American society may have caused John Walker to have a visceral reaction upon
learning of his fathers supposed involvement with a man (despite even his own
parents perhaps tolerant views on the subject), and that societal hatred may
have been among the contributing factors that led him to embrace a rigid, homophobic
religious philosophy and regime.
Sure. It was this countrys homophobia
that caused little Johnny to go off his rocker. If you believe that, Ive got
some Enron stock to sell you.
The agit-prop machine neednt have worried.
To my knowledge, the Examiner was the only major newspaper to carry the
story. Given the huge amount of media coverage given to young Walkers family
and upbringing, this may at first seem a bit surprising.
Endless attention
has been lavished on Walkers Buddhist mother, his devout Catholic father
although the accuracy of that description must now be in dispute the Marin
County neighborhood in which he grew up, his friends, reading habits, and a million
other details. But only one newspaper saw fit to mention that Walkers
father left the family to take up with a gay lover when his son was 16
and that paper denied it had any impact on the boy! Its as if Lindh's father's
homosexuality was just another triviality, like the brand of cigarettes he smoked
or whether he preferred boxers or briefs.
The rest of us, though, neednt
pretend. Of course Frank Lindhs coming out of the closet affected his then teenage
son how could it not? The damaging consequences of divorce on impressionable
children are well-documented. Imagine the additional fear, confusion, and humiliation
suffered by a boy finding out his father is leaving his mom for another man! It
defies reason to believe this would not be a shattering event in a young mans
life.
Look at the facts: John Walker converted to Islam shortly after
his parents divorce and after reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X as part
of a class assignment. The Muslim leaders manly charisma may have been part of
the attraction. Transforming his identity, he adopted the Arabic name Sulayman,
giving up Western clothing for a long white robe and a turban. Eventually, he
became a jihadi, a fighter of holy wars, revered by Muslims for their courage.
Humiliation may also explain why Walker now uses the last name of his mother.
The reason for the medias reticence in covering this story is obvious
homosexuals are one of several protected classes carefully safeguarded by the
Fourth Estate. Todays journalists are not so much interested in reporting facts
as in promoting and preserving liberal myths. To the press, every story is really
a progressive ethical lesson, with not-so-subtle hints about who the good guys
are.
But Frank Lindhs domestic partnership was not only immoral but
extremely self-centered as well. Like an irresponsible child, Lindh ran away from
his most important commitments, abandoning his wife and son in search of personal
fulfillment and never mind the consequences. One guesses honor wasnt
a word bandied about too frequently in the Lindh household.
Winking at
such indiscretion and negligence of duty as the media has done in the Lindh
case though, is ultimately self-destructive. People cannot lie to themselves
forever; sooner or later, the truth rears its head. A culture cannot insist that
homosexuality is the same as heterosexuality without destroying healthy manhood.
It cant act as if divorce doesnt devastate families. And it cant pretend that
selfish and shameful fathers dont produce alienated children like John Walker,
who would rather destroy their country rather than live in it.
C. S.
Lewis, prophetic as usual, put it best: We continue to clamor for those very
qualities we are rendering impossiblein a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove
the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them
virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our
midst.
This is Meaghen Gonzalez, Editor of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.
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Acknowledgement
James Bemis. "Men Without Chests." Catholic Exchange (February, 2002).
This article reprinted with permission from Catholic Exchange and James Bemis