Separate But Equal Rears Its Head Again
Yes, indeed, gentle readers, here in America everything old can be brand new again.
Take, for example, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and his Congressional testimony on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
General James Conway told the panel that if gays were allowed to serve openly in the military, his Marines would have to have segregated housing. Keep The Gay isolated, so it doesn't infect or bother the Normals.
(I'm condensing what he had to say a bit, of course.)
Needless to say, this will go a long way to destroying the Marines as an effective fighting force by wrecking the very unit cohesion the General seeks to preserve. Other nations manage quite well having integrated units in their military. Unless, of course, General Conway would like to characterize the Israeli Defense Forces as a bunch of mincing nancy boys.
And, of course, all this bother masks a very real problem in our military - sexual assault.
No, I don't mean our clean-cut lads getting jumped by out-of-control perverts (although what do we have a Navy for, I shouldn't wonder). I mean, of course, the current and probably increasing plague of sexual assaults by American men on American women serving in the military. I say "probably increasing," as it's rather hideously under-reported, whether through shame or fear of reprisal.
Unfortunately, that also damages unit cohesion. Maybe General Conway should be asked whether he thinks we should get women out of the military, too.
Take, for example, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and his Congressional testimony on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
General James Conway told the panel that if gays were allowed to serve openly in the military, his Marines would have to have segregated housing. Keep The Gay isolated, so it doesn't infect or bother the Normals.
(I'm condensing what he had to say a bit, of course.)
Needless to say, this will go a long way to destroying the Marines as an effective fighting force by wrecking the very unit cohesion the General seeks to preserve. Other nations manage quite well having integrated units in their military. Unless, of course, General Conway would like to characterize the Israeli Defense Forces as a bunch of mincing nancy boys.
And, of course, all this bother masks a very real problem in our military - sexual assault.
No, I don't mean our clean-cut lads getting jumped by out-of-control perverts (although what do we have a Navy for, I shouldn't wonder). I mean, of course, the current and probably increasing plague of sexual assaults by American men on American women serving in the military. I say "probably increasing," as it's rather hideously under-reported, whether through shame or fear of reprisal.
Unfortunately, that also damages unit cohesion. Maybe General Conway should be asked whether he thinks we should get women out of the military, too.
posted by Walt at 9:36 AM
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