Posted on 05/04/2005 4:50:17 AM PDT by Cornpone
Someone needs to discuss some basic physiology with her. Women are physically weaker than men, and Marine infantry-style combat is a physically demanding work of the highest order. A Marine unit fights as a unit, and forging weak links into that chain weakens the entire chain, and places the lives of all in greater danger.
Social experimenters will protest that even an all-male unit has its weakest male member. And they might even try to argue that there are some women who are stronger than some weak men. Although they would be right in both cases in a narrow and limited sense, they would be dangerously wrong in a larger sense. The exceptions do not disprove the general rule, and they do not form a persuasive reason for changing the policy that keeps women out of front-line combat.
A more insidious effect of allowing women to serve in front-line combat is that it serves further to dilute traditional gender roles thereby further weakens the traditional family (we have diluted those roles so much already that I am confident that my even raising the point in warning will generate sneer of derision from some conservatives, not just liberals). When women are viewed simply as smaller men, we have a disaster in the making vis a vis the families of America.
It would really piss off our troops, and the terrorists had better watch out. I'm not too sure about this assumption of rape anyway, as the women captured in the initial war, and in the Gulf War, were treated well -- better than the men. That is part of their religion.
Most soldiers wouldn't be able to do that. However, I knew a woman soldier who could.
Maybe an old timer. That used to be FL's abbreviatation back in the day before they shortened all states to just 2 letter abbreviations. But you're right it's long out of date.
Hillary is a great person to look at for an examination of strength and weaknesses and she would have to admit that she has more weaknesses.....and then she should take into account that without Bubba, she would likely be a nobody at this point in time. Heard she still hates to be called Mrs. Clinton....but that is who she is.
You know one woman who could do this? This is your justification for changing the policy that keeps women out of comabt?
One can prove many an inane theory by cherry-picking one exceptional case to buttress his argument. Implementing inane theories in a combat setting has disastrous consequences.
Baloney!
Baloney!
Did you see the spoof MadTV did on women on submarines called "Crimson Tide"? It was hilarious and clearly showed why........
I better stop.
Tell that to an old girlfriend of mine who was an Army sergeant. She looked fairly normal physique-wise, but she could run any man in her company into the ground, and most likely could have easily kicked my ass. Glad I never pissed her off. There was a female in another company who was built like a tank, and was the best deuce-and-a-half driver I've ever seen (if you've driven them, you know the upper body strength it takes). She was also our M-60 gunner.
Granted, such women are the exception rather than the rule. But in an military where you're supposed to excel, why hold these exceptional women back? Let them prove themselves. Let them take the male PT test, let them hump it with the rest. If they can hack it during exercises then let them fight, if not, well, buh-bye!
Thank you for a very well thought-out reply that logically refutes every point I made. I must concede in the face of such eloquently reasoned discourse.
I thought the article was referring to BAM, but I don't know any alternate meaning to WM ...
In all fairness to the author, FLA was the official postal abbreviation for Florida, in years past. I don't remember exactly when they made the switch over to the 2 letter abbreviations, but I think that form of abbreviation is more of a reflection of the author's age.
When you say 80's music, are you referring to Van Halen or Flock of Seagulls?
It seems that they are doing everything they can to avoid involving them in a firefight or an assault - no instance of a firing their weapon is even mentioned in the article. They are called forward once females or children are detained for one purpose:
“With them, we can grab a wife [of a suspected insurgent], for example, put the screws to her, and find out where the husband might be hiding."
Have our guys roughing up Arab women in front of a village of locals would create more problems. The female Marines are employed for searches and interrogations in the field. Of course there are risks of ambushes or counter attacks that would see these women engaged in combat, but I am sure the risks have been weighed appropriately by brass in the field.
It's not a theory. If there are those that can hack it according to the male standards with no privilege or special treatment, then let them (no female PT test, please). To keep them back means 1) they aren't living to their full potential and 2) we just lost an effective fighting soldier.
Well, I see that you're a fool. Why don't you shut up?
I have known many other women (and worked for some) who had similar qualities of mental and moral toughness. Without exception I can say that these women did not and do not believe women should serve in front-line combat units. It is because these women possess superior judgment and mental toughness that they clearly see the terrible downside to allowing women to fight in front-line combat. They don't allow selfish sentiment and willful ignorance to muddle their thinking.
We need more such women, and fewer metrosexual males and effete liberals, in leadership positions. That's one reason why I'm excited about the potential addition of Justice Janice Brown to the United States Supreme Court.
Both :-) and various heavy metal hairbands
Dang, sorry i missed it.
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