Pubdate: Wed, 31 Oct 2012
Source: Daily Campus, The (UConn, CT Edu)
Copyright: 2012 ThesDaily Campus
Contact:  http://www.dailycampus.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2778
Author: Gregory Koch

OPINION CHANGING, NOT PANDERING, CAN BE COMMENDABLE

When the New York State legislature voted to legalize same-sex
marriage in June 2011, Mark Grisanti, a State Senator from Buffalo,
was one of four Republicans to vote in favor of the bill. Grisanti,
who had voted against a similar bill a few years earlier, explained
his change of opinion by saying "I would not respect myself if I
didn't do the research, have an open mind, and make a decision =C2=85 bas
ed
on the information before me. A man can be wiser today than yesterday,
but there will be no respect for that man if he has failed in his duty
to do the work."

Although some will accuse them of flip-flopping, the actions of
Grisanti and State Senator Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie, another
former opponent who voted for the legislation, are not only
acceptable, but commendable. Although changing a stance to pander to
voters is despicable, when a politician genuinely does change his
views, it is noble of him to publicly announce this and act
accordingly.

Of course, there are some candidates who suddenly change their
opinions when it's convenient. Look at Mitt Romney. When he was
running for Governor of the liberal state of Massachusetts, his views
were very liberal, at least for a Republican. Once he started running
for President of the United States, he became more conservative, since
he needed to appeal to a conservative base. However, this changing of
opinion is merely political pandering. I do not condone it, but it is
not what I am talking about in this article. I am referring to genuine
changes of view, such as those experienced by Grisanti and Saland.

Saland also happens to be my state senator, representing the district
I live in when not at school. He was serving in the Senate since
before I was born, so he is widely known in the local area. I gained a
lot of respect for him when he crossed party lines to vote for the
legislation, especially after he previously voted against a similar
measure.

It took a lot of courage for Saland and Grisanti to admit that they
had been wrong. It takes a lot of courage for anyone to admit they
have been wrong in the past, in fact. However, this is the right thing
to do. There is a popular quote which is commonly attributed to an
anonymous author that says "When an honest man discovers he is
mistaken, he must either cease being mistaken, or cease being honest."

Grisanti and Saland were faced with a choice in 2011 - they had to
either cease being mistaken and come out in support of the bill, or
cease being honest and pretend they still truly opposed it. They chose
the former and deserve significant praise for that.

Of course, politicians are not the only people who are entitled to
change their opinions on decisive issues. Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition (LEAP) is a group of former police officers, narcs, drug
agents and other former supporters of drug laws who fought the front
lines and realized that the laws did more harm than good. At one time,
these people all believed that by enforcing these laws, they were
doing the right thing.

At some point, they all realized they were wrong. Rather than stick
their heads in the sand and pretend that they still believed the laws
were justified, they left their jobs and formed LEAP. Now they go
around the country lecturing about the harm drug laws cause and how
they wished they never worked to enforce them. This is
commendable.

Although I am a supporter of both same-sex marriage and marijuana
legalization, I would still recognize and commend the courage of these
politicians and law enforcement officials even if I weren't. They have
sincerely changed their opinions, as is their right. Once they did,
they voiced their new opinion instead of pretending they still
believed the old one, as is their responsibility in such a case. They
decided to cease being mistaken rather than cease being honest. Not
only is this an acceptable thing to do, but it is the only responsible
thing to do in this situation.
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MAP posted-by: Matt