Yuma mayor calls gay soldiers “limp wristed”

[WillParkinson]

Anti-gay bigots need to get together and pick a theory about gay soldiers. First there was Bryan Fischer, of the American Family Association, arguing that allowing gay troops to openly serve would transform the American military into a genocidal institution. In his “historical analysis” the ranks of Hitler’s Brownshirts and Stormtroopers teemed with flaming queens. Apparently the Fuhrer couldn’t find straights to do his real nasty work but ‘mos, lacking any morality, would do any and every thing. Now there is the mayor of Yuma, Arizona. Al Krieger is adamantly against any repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and said the following at a Memorial Day ceremony(!) honoring fallen troops.

“I cannot believe that a bunch of lacy-drawered, limp-wristed people could do what those men have done in the past.”

Predictably he was called out for his comment. In an interview he compared himself to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (the hubris!), and added this superb line.

“We need solid strong men, not pacifists, to fight those battles.”

There are so many things to say to Mayor Krieger, but I’ll only offer a suggestion. Mr. Mayor? Could you do me a favor? Please find Eric Alva. He’s a Marine. Lost his leg when he stepped on a land mine. I’m sure he would love to hear your ruminations about pacifists and “lacy-drawed” men.

http://www.365gay.com/blog/061110-yuma-mayor-calls-gay-soldiers-limp-wristed/

[YOY]

1. I know a former infantryman who is now a woman who could pop his head off like a soda bottle.

n/t

[HillWilliam]

2. He doesn't have the nerve to say that to THIS gay vet's face

or he damnsure wouldn't the second time.

I got your lacy drawers, muthafucker.

[mitchtv]

3. Arizona, is it the new Mississippi ?

what an idiot

[sui generis]

4. Dear Al Krieger, Mayor of Yuma

I cannot believe that any withered old piece of shit piss poor protoplasm like you could do what no other mayor has done in the past - dishonor American war dead. Apparently you have some Victorian notion that gay men come from rotten meat, and not from real families with brothers and sisters and children, parents, and friends who love us and care about us as much as we care about them. You're not just attacking us when you attack gay servicemembers. You're attacking policemen, firemen, judges, emergency room doctors, other mayors, representatives and senators, captains of industry, and of course possibly the person who cuts your hair and serves your food.

That's just not very smart - but you have apparently let the crap out of the bag and you can't unsay it.

For the record, it's almost exclusively STRAIGHT men who like to wear women's underwear and personally I would not recommend calling anyone who's carrying a gun in service of our nation "limp wristed", without exception. But you should go ahead and do that if you don't believe me.

Al Krieger, you should call Dan Tosh and ask for a Web Redemption.

[TommyO]

5. Eric Alva has already weighed in on this

http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2010/06/vet-eric-alva-responds-to-az-mayor-who-says-limp-wristed-cant-serve-country/

This Memorial Day was an especially poignant one for me. Just days earlier — and after years of effort — Congress was finally on its way to repealing the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law. Based upon antiquated fears of gay and lesbian people, this shameful policy has led to the unjust discharges of over 14,000 servicemembers. Many thousands more like myself have been forced to lie about our loved ones in order to serve the country that we love.

But for some, apparently old prejudices die hard. Speaking at the Desert Lawn Cemetery in Yuma, AZ on Memorial Day, Mayor Al Krieger used this solemn occasion to denigrate the service of these Americans. Referencing the recent repeal of DADT, Krieger said:

“I cannot believe that a bunch of lacy-drawered, limp-wristed people could do what those men have done in the past.”

These hateful words are absolutely inconsistent with the unbending physical and mental courage that I encountered among all of the men and women with whom I served, whether gay or straight. Many members in my unit knew I was gay — and this simple truth never once came in the way of our ability to do our job. It didn’t stop Navy corpsman Brian Alaniz from heroically coming to my aid after I stepped on a landmine, earning me the dubious distinction of being the first casualty in the Iraq War. Minutes later, he would become the second casualty of the war. Since then, we have stood by each other — literally — as we learned to walk again with our new prosthetic legs.

Because of my injuries, my wrist might not be as strong as it once was, but my fidelity to this country and its founding ideals has never once wavered. Gay and lesbian service members have always fought to defend this country — soon, we will be able to do so as equals. On the next Memorial Day, I ask Al Krieger to remember our sacrifices, too.

[Toasterlad]

6. Apparently, Al Krieger Has Never Heard of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben

Or any of the hundreds of thousands of other gays who have served this country since the colonial days, every one of whom was more of a man than he will ever be...including me.