Guest post by Kristinn Taylor
A White House official said Wednesday that gay college football star Michael Sam is as courageous for publicly announcing his homosexuality as are soldiers, police officers and firemen who risk their lives in the line of duty.
Paulette Aniskoff, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement, made the statement on Twitter in reply to a comment made to her two days ago by this writer of a retweet she made of First Lady Michelle Obama’s personal tweet praising Michael Sam for his “courage” for coming out. Aniskoff works directly under Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett at the OPE.
Just incredible.
Paulette Aniskoff @PAniskoff44 • Feb 10 RT @FLOTUS: You’re an inspiration to all of us, @MikeSamFootball. We couldn’t be prouder of your courage both on and off the field. –mo
Kristinn Taylor @KristinnFR • Feb 10 @PAniskoff44 @FLOTUS @MikeSamFootball Soldiers at war, cops on duty, firemen fighting fires: They have courage. Not pampered athletes.
Paulette Aniskoff @PAniskoff44 – @KristinnFR I don’t think those are mutually exclusive. Also – have you read his story? Pampered is not the word most would choose… 1:25 PM – 12 Feb 2014
This week video was released of the courageous star athlete dancing topless at a gay club. If you look closely you can see him dodging IEDs that might blow off his legs and genitals while bank robbers’ bullets whiz by him as he avoids the backdraft of an out of control fire–in between letting people stick their hands down the front of his pants.
Raw courage.
Moves: Michael Sam is seen here topless surrounded by women in a grab from a video recorded in October at Missouri’s gay SoCo nightclub in Columbia. At the time the video was shot Sam had come out to his team mates – but it was still months before his dramatic coming out to the nation in anticipation of the NFL draft. (Daily Mail)
Like millions of Americans now and before him, Michael Sam had a tough childhood. That he is now a pampered college athlete riding a media/political propaganda wave does not make him as courageous as those men and women who put their lives on the line for other people’s freedom and safety.
That the Obama administration thinks otherwise is an insult to those who have shown true courage.
President George W. Bush gives a Memorial Day address at the Normandy American Cemetery at Normandy Beach in France, May 27, 2002, White House photo via Wikipedia Commons.
