Funny how we can go from the Obama Administration talking about the “War on women” to “Women in war” now that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has lifted the ban on women in combat.
Although these two things are totally related. The false “War on women” was about contraception and women in combat derive from the same roots. Contraception is demanded so that women can functionally be like men. Having and maintaining a desirable job can be torpedoed by that inconvenient pregnancy. Children if desired must only appear in the fullness of time when everything is situationally perfect. To do this women must be able totally control their fecundity. What feminism has brought us is not femininity but a desire to be men with “lady parts” as the Obama campaign used the term. This view leads to a view of equality that flatten any physical differences between men and women puts “anything you can do, I can do better” into the law. Thus women in combat is the natural progression of this thought process.
What it also means is that once again military readiness will be sacrificed for political correctness. I served on the U.S.S. Eisenhower (CVN–69) when it was the first aircraft carrier to deploy with women in the crew. It does not take a genius to imagine the consequences of putting men and women together at sea for months at a time. Almost every wrinkle of those consequences occurred when we went on cruise. There were many scandals and I remember a cartoon in the newspaper showing our ship with a Stork asking permission to land. I also witnessed first hand that the majority of the women were not up to the physical requirements for carrying equipment during the drills run at sea. Yet we were not allowed to note this problems or to complain about them. It was the Emperors’ new clothes when it came to observing such problems. I observed this multiple times during my Navy career and things like women techs who weren’t able to carry a toolbox up into the cockpit. Somebody else had to do it for them. If an emergency would have occurred while deployed and fire-fighting was called for breaking out the hoses and P–250 pumps and other equipment it was obvious that our readiness for that scenario was diminished. A scenario where more deaths would likely result.
We won’t be seeing men and women compete in the same events in the Olympics because the events would be dominated mostly by men. We won’t be seeing women linebackers in the NFL anytime soon or almost any professional sport. Great women athletes will be competing against other great women athletes. There are just physical differences that can’t be overcome by even the most intense training.
Yet while the segregation of men and women in sports teams is totally understandable it takes a bit of political correct insanity to think women in combat makes sense. We won’t be legislating the NFL to force them to hire women players (at least for now), but somehow in the PC universe it is fine to put women in combat situations and pretend that it will have no effect in the intense physical environment of combat. Democrats in recent decades have used the military like a social experiment. The fact that people will die because of this is not their concern. I remember when the U.S.S. Stark was hit by a missile one crewman was able to evacuate two other crewman who were unconscious by carrying them up a ladder to safety. If that crewman was a women what do you thing the odds are of the same result occurring?
On the Laura Ingraham show today I heard one women who was a former Marine officer defend this change. At least she was realistic enough to not believe that the majority of the women in the military would be up to the physical requirements of combat. She placed it at around 1 percent or less. She thought that women should have a choice in whether they wanted to be in combat situations. That perhaps if they met some level of physical qualifications and volunteered. Now I would freely admit that there are some women who are probably more physically capable than some men in the military. This female officer apparently has no real understanding about how things work. For one things the gods of PC would never admit that not all women would be qualified for combat duty. The military is forced to accept all women to this role and will not be allowed to set specific criteria. For example Physical Readiness Tests, at least in the Navy, were specific for sex. Men and women had different physical requirements despite serving in the same jobs. The physical standards for women were lower than that for men. It is a given there will be disparities like this in combat situations and many have already occurred. For example women being flown out at Kandahar to be able to take showers. This disparity in testing and treatment angers people. PC fairness almost never results in actual fairness, but to closing your eyes to expected results.
This is not a harangue against women serving in the military. Just putting women in combat situations or possible combat situations like shipboard. Even if you could remove the physical differences in capability you still have the dynamic of men and women in close quarters that introduces problems and does nothing to increase capability.
7 comments
Well I’m a lady and don’t want to be a man, so agreed with much of what you said. I am confused though about the reference to women and showers. Why are they being flown out?
They were flown out after two weeks without showers, the men did not get the same privilege.
I’m trying to figure out the logic of why they did that, the explanation given for its need. How silly, if they can’t take it, they shouldn’t be there.
I think the last sentence should read: “Even if you could remove the physical differences in capability you still have the dynamic of men AND women in close quarters that introduces problems and does nothing to increase capability.”
Your original wording was a perfect Freudian slip! 😉
Here’s another slant – and very ‘right on’:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323539804578260132111473150.html
So, you are saying that a woman who is 5 foot 11 and can bench 300 pounds should be denied the opportunity to take a combat position which will allow her to advance to higher ranks in the military, but a man who is 5 foot 3 and barely makes it through boot camp should be expected to perform well in combat… because, well, because he is a man.
You cannot limit what other people can do because you believe that the group they belong to shares certain characteristics.
In the past, when bigotry was the norm and those who were victimized by bigots had no recourse but to suffer in silence, your view of the world was the only acceptable one. After women fought for and earned the right to vote and were given full citizenship they realized that, if they worked really hard and smiled nice, the men who controlled the jobs and the money would let them have a little more equality each year.
It’s been nearly 100 years and women are still fighting for equal pay for equal work and equal chances to use their god given talents without men telling them that they can’t do anything that involves rational thinking or physical strength and endurance.
Too many generations of little girls listened when they were told to strive to be whatever they wanted. They are making that advice a reality.
If it makes you uncomfortable, it is understandable. Changing to match facts that disagree with what you have always known to be “reality” is difficult. However, it’s time for those of us who are having a hard time opening their minds to get out of the way and stop binding the feet of women because that’s what we have always done.
I’ll pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten you and cheer for the women and men who stand together to defend this country so that you can have the freedom to express your opinion.
Generally speaking, a 5 foot 11 woman who can benchpress 300 pounds is going to have to work continuously to keep that muscle up, whereas a 5 foot 3 man is going to be able to get the muscle to benchpress 300 pounds pretty quickly and then keep it up. It’s the magic of testosterone. I’m a fairly strong woman myself, but the stuff my brothers can do easily versus the stuff I can do easily are just a different level of magnitude. Similarly, when it comes to things like footslogging or digging holes or keeping going in the cold and wet, I’ve got pretty decent stamina but nothing like my brothers.
For the average woman, keeping up with the average man is extremely difficult.
You may not be the average woman; but frankly, the military is not a place that deals primarily in elite bodybuilders and Olympic athletes. It’s about what average people in decent good shape can do in stressful situations without much rest or food.
The strengths of women in combat are quickness and agility in close combat, and using surprise ranged weaponry every possible time you can. These are not the strengths that are primarily asked of a combat soldier or sailor. Most of being in the military, even in wartime, is about working hard, carrying stuff and doing tasks, and getting dog tired.