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Why Can't She Take It Like a Man?
Newsmax.com ^ | 22 May 2004 | Dr. Jack Wheeler

Posted on 05/23/2004 2:38:47 PM PDT by txradioguy

We know conclusively that the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal is as phony as a Bill Clinton sex denial because there are no calls for the resignation or indictment of the one individual most responsible for the abuses. That would be the officer in charge of Abu Ghraib and all U.S. military prisons in Iraq, the commander of the 800th Military Police Brigade, Army Brigadier General Janis Karpinski. And why have there been no calls for her resignation? Let’s be honest. It is because she is a woman.

Thus the frightening lesson of the abuse scandal: Political correctness trumps national security even in wartime.

Yes, Democrat Demagogues are willing to sacrifice America’s national security, to trash the morale and honor of American soldiers risking their lives in Iraq, and lose the War on Terrorism in order to defeat George Bush in November – so they use the abuse scandal as an excuse to go after Donald Rumsfeld. But be assured that if Karpinski was a man, demands for his accountability would be loud and clear.

It would be expected that if Karpinski were a man, he would have taken those demands like a man. But Karpinski is not and so has not. She has taken them like a woman – whining, making excuses, and complaining that it’s not her fault, that she’s being “scapegoated.”

I am waiting for feminists, or any woman who is simply proud of being female, to denounce Janis Karpinski as reinforcing the negative stereotype of women unable to accept responsibility, and humiliating her gender worse than were the Abu Ghraib prisoners under her jurisdiction.

In fact, we owe the entire Abu Ghraib scandal to the leadership failure and gross incompetence of Janis Karpinski – and to the fear of her superiors to do anything about her ineptitude because she was a woman. She should have been relieved of her command last summer but was not.

Near the town of Mahawil in southern Iraq, U.S. Marines uncovered a mass grave site holding the remains of some 15,000 Iraqis. They were slaughtered for taking part in the Shia uprising against Saddam in the early 1990s. Saddam’s agent responsible for conducting the mass killings was Mohammed Jawad Anayfas; the grave site is on land owned by him.

In July 2003, Anayfas was captured by US forces and turned over to the Military Police Brigade under Karpinski’s command. The Brigade Headquarters managed to lose his paperwork – so instead of contacting her superiors, Karpinski ordered Anayfas set free.

Soon thereafter, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz came to Iraq and visited the Mahawil gravesite, where he was informed by Marine Lt. Gen. James Conway how outraged the local Iraqis were over Anayfas’ release. Visibly upset, Wolfowitz vowed Anayfas would be recaptured and tried as a war criminal. Anayfas is still at large and Karpinski received no reprimand.

When confronted by the Iraqi public outcry – for Anayfas was only one of several war criminals whose paperwork was lost and she released – Karpinski proceeded to evade responsibility and fabricated an entire string of deceptive excuses. Just like she is doing now.

Wolfowitz knew of Karpinski’s incompetence and evasion of responsibility last summer – and did nothing. Even he lacks the courage to question the political correctness of feminizing the American military.

Such feminization is epitomized by Lynndie “They told me to hold the leash” England, the Army Private happily smiling in the infamous photos and pointing to a prisoner’s exposed genitals. She too has hired lawyers who loudly declare she’s just an innocent “farm girl” and nothing but a “scapegoat.” No more than Gen. Karpinski is she willing to accept the responsibility of her actions.

In his investigation of the abuses, Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba recommended that Karpinski be relieved of her command. Even though she received a letter of admonishment from Joint Task Force-7 Commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, she has only been suspended from her command, not relieved.

The true scandal of Abu Ghraib is the unwillingness of the female military personnel involved to do a mea culpa. If there is any vast conspiracy on the part of their superior officers, it is not to “scapegoat” them, but to refuse to treat them as men, as accountable and responsible as men.

Donald Rumsfeld stood straight up to the world and accepted responsibility for Abu Ghraib. He took it like a man. War is not woman’s work. It is man’s work – not because men are more brutal or stronger, but because they can endure the stresses of combat and be accountable for the failures those stresses inevitably create. They don’t whine, deviously evade, blame others, make up excuses, and whimper “It’s not my fault!” If they do, they are despised and looked upon with contempt by their male comrades.

Janis Karpinksi deserves America’s contempt. She deserves to be court-martialed and dishonorably discharged. If she wishes to regain some small measure of respect from her fellow citizens – and of her own self-respect – she needs to stand up, accept her responsibility, and take it like a man.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: abughraib; iraq; iraqipow; karpinski; oif; prisonabuse; prisonscandal; waronterror
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"Political correctness trumps national security even in wartime."

I would cross out wartime and replace it witl ALL the time.

1 posted on 05/23/2004 2:38:48 PM PDT by txradioguy
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To: txradioguy

Bump for the searing laser of truth.


2 posted on 05/23/2004 2:43:25 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: txradioguy
Democrat Demagogues are willing to sacrifice America’s national security, to trash the morale and honor of American soldiers risking their lives in Iraq, and lose the War on Terrorism in order to defeat George Bush in November"

What must it be like, to be so consumed with hatred and loathing that only one thing has any meaning in this world?

3 posted on 05/23/2004 2:43:41 PM PDT by Old Sarge (It's not Bush's fault - It's THE MEDIA'S fault!)
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To: txradioguy

Janis Karpinksi deserves America’s contempt.

**

She's had my contempt from day one.

And women do not belong in such positions.


4 posted on 05/23/2004 2:44:16 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Never again trust Democrats with national security!)
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To: txradioguy

I love the way that when the scandal hit the fan, she got into her civvies and took her lawyer on a tour of the talk shows.

This isn't about women in the military, specifically, but it does show the problems with declining standards in all areas of behaviour or professionalism. If you allow incompetence, it will exist. If you allow shoddy performance, it will occur.

It shows the problems with the Clinton White House and their PC crap and how people were promoted beyond their abilities based upon non performance criteria.


5 posted on 05/23/2004 2:45:15 PM PDT by MarkBSenior
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To: txradioguy

"Donald Rumsfeld stood straight up to the world and accepted responsibility for Abu Ghraib. He took it like a man. War is not woman’s work. It is man’s work – not because men are more brutal or stronger, but because they can endure the stresses of combat and be accountable for the failures those stresses inevitably create. They don’t whine, deviously evade, blame others, make up excuses, and whimper “It’s not my fault!” If they do, they are despised and looked upon with contempt by their male comrades."

Amen. There are only a few people even willing enough to point this out. There are always exceptions to the rule, but in this case, he's right on. So, kudos to you, sir.

Thanks for the great post, txradioguy.

Chris


6 posted on 05/23/2004 2:45:26 PM PDT by writer33 (The U.S. Constitution defines a Conservative)
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To: txradioguy

Karpinsky has also been all over the media making excuses.

AND the Occifer machine has kicked in to defend her... Let the Enlisted take the fall...

Makes me ill.


7 posted on 05/23/2004 2:47:29 PM PDT by tiamat ("Just a Bronze-Age Gal, Trapped in a Techno-World!")
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To: txradioguy
It is man’s work – not because men are more brutal or stronger, but because they can endure the stresses of combat and be accountable for the failures those stresses inevitably create.

Who is being held accountable again? The low level soldiers. I don't believe this stopped with Karpinski, that somehow she's both a meek politically correct woman and a mastermind at hiding the situation at the prison. Who is Karpinski's boss? Why isn't he being asked to "take it like a man"?
8 posted on 05/23/2004 2:48:58 PM PDT by lelio
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To: Bigg Red

This shows this "woman" to be a quota queen. Her lack of leadership as a general makes it apparent she did not EARN her job by her deeds, she got her job by the grace of clintonian politics.


9 posted on 05/23/2004 2:49:39 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: lelio

"Who is Karpinski's boss? Why isn't he being asked to "take it like a man"?"

BG Karpinski chose to only try to make it to the prison every "three months". It's her brigade, she's a general officer for pete's sake! It's her responsibility to know what's going on inside her prison!

Her bosses all the way up the chain have taken the abuse flung at them by the media over the actions of a few knuckleheads. They took it, she chose to weasel out and point fingers. It's pitiful when you're a soldier, conduct ub-becoming when you have a star on your collar point.

MG Taguba in his report already stated that the problem at Abu Ghraib was at most at the brigade level. That put is squarely on BG Karpinski.

How high would you prefer the blame and the resignations go?

How many more times are we going to call the generals home to answer redundant questions by people and media playing partisian politics and take the field generals away from their REAL missionw hich is securing Iraq?


10 posted on 05/23/2004 3:00:19 PM PDT by txradioguy (HOOAH!!!...Not Just A Word...A Way Of Life!!!)
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To: txradioguy
I would bet the Dems/Libs have a points system for trophy heads.

Of course, GWB would top the list, if they could get his. Cheney next. Then Rumsfeld and/or Ashcroft and/or Dr. Rice.

General Karpinski, being a general due to modernized PC of the military, gets pass, of course.

I made a comment in another thread:

23 May News Report (Press lied about Gen. Sanchez, Abu Ghraib. Official statement.)
      Posted by TomGuy to Ragtime Cowgirl
On News/Activism 05/23/2004 3:10:48 PM CDT #2 of 26

It seems the libs/dems are giving Gen. Karpinski a pass and trying to get a trophy head from a 'higher-up.' They apparently concluded that trying to get Rumsfeld's first was too difficult a task; same with General Myers. So, for today, it appears they are after General Sanchez.

If they do a trophy head from a 'higher up' above Gen. Karpinski, look for them to unceasingly attack the next higher up levels anyway.


11 posted on 05/23/2004 3:02:06 PM PDT by TomGuy (Clintonites have such good hind-sight because they had their heads up their hind-ends 8 years.)
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To: TomGuy

I know LTG Sanchez. I guarentee you that had he known even a whiff of something wrong was going on at Abu Ghraib it would have been taken care of via UCMJ.

To implicate that he condoned what was going or knew or wittnessed any abuse is the last desperate attempt at a "gotcha" by the RATS and their enabelers in the media.


12 posted on 05/23/2004 3:05:27 PM PDT by txradioguy (HOOAH!!!...Not Just A Word...A Way Of Life!!!)
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To: longtermmemmory

Someone on FNC made a comment to day that BG Karpinski is STILL out there running her mouth and pointing fingers at everyone but herself. I'm not sure what she hopes to accomplish but if she keeps it up she'll never wear a uniform again.


13 posted on 05/23/2004 3:06:50 PM PDT by txradioguy (HOOAH!!!...Not Just A Word...A Way Of Life!!!)
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To: longtermmemmory

...she got her job by the grace of clintonian politics.

**
Exactly!


14 posted on 05/23/2004 3:10:12 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Never again trust Democrats with national security!)
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To: txradioguy

The libs/dems just want to stir the 'stuff' as long as they can get the stink from it.

They will beat the dead horse another 2 weeks if they can. That will lead them close to the convention.

You can bet they have other 'stuff' in their arsenal they will try to bring out.


15 posted on 05/23/2004 3:13:43 PM PDT by TomGuy (Clintonites have such good hind-sight because they had their heads up their hind-ends 8 years.)
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To: writer33

I don't know, I know of a LOT of libs who do all of those things... it sounds like a spot-on description of clinton or kerry... I think it is wrong to say that women can't handle stress like men, based upon one terrible officer.


16 posted on 05/23/2004 3:15:23 PM PDT by smcmike
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To: txradioguy

txradioguy wrote:


Someone on FNC made a comment to day that BG Karpinski is STILL out there running her mouth and pointing fingers at everyone but herself. I'm not sure what she hopes to accomplish but if she keeps it up she'll never wear a uniform again.





I think she's trying to stay out of Levinworth.......


17 posted on 05/23/2004 3:16:39 PM PDT by tiamat ("Just a Bronze-Age Gal, Trapped in a Techno-World!")
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To: txradioguy

great peice...


18 posted on 05/23/2004 3:16:50 PM PDT by The Wizard (Democrats: enemies of America)
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To: txradioguy
Already posted here and here.

The search function is our friend.

19 posted on 05/23/2004 3:19:25 PM PDT by mountaineer
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To: txradioguy

Grat, great article.

Bump.


20 posted on 05/23/2004 3:19:28 PM PDT by little jeremiah ("Gay Marriage" - a Weapon of Mass. Destruction!)
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