Posted on 04/07/2013 1:49:28 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Former Tucson lawmaker Terri Proud, who was just hired by the state Veterans' Services Department, was fired Wednesday in the wake of her statement in a news story that menstrual cycles might be too problematic for women to be in combat. The department director who hired her has resigned.
Joey Strickland submitted his resignation letter on Tuesday, shortly after the Arizona Sonora News Service story on Proud appeared in the Star.
Proud was a personal appointee of Strickland's to the $40,000 administrative assistant position and didn't go through a formal hiring process. She was terminated Wednesday, before she even officially started her new job. She was supposed to start in May.
Proud was given the job despite Gov. Jan Brewer having told Strickland a year ago not to hire her, said gubernatorial spokesman Matt Benson, adding Brewer only just learned about the appointment from the newspaper.
"It's fair to say that we voiced concerns regarding our learning of a recent hire of his via the news media," Benson said of Strickland's resignation.
"Col. Strickland was given very specific instructions about a year ago to avoid hiring this individual. He chose to do so anyway, and unfortunately that individual's questionable judgment was on display this week with some ill-chosen public remarks regarding women in the military," he said.
Benson wouldn't say why the Governor's Office didn't want Proud hired.
Proud said she didn't know that the governor didn't want her, and doesn't know why.
"I have no idea. I have no idea why they didn't want to hire me," Proud said. Although she would like to know, she has no plans to ask Brewer.
Proud has a reputation for being controversial. She gained national attention during her time in the Legislature for a viral email exchange in which she said women who want abortions should have to watch one first.
In the Tuesday story, Proud said, "Women have certain things during the month I'm not sure they should be out there dealing with. I don't know how to address that topic in a very diplomatic manner."
The comment was taken "way out of context," Proud said Wednesday.
Proud said the comment wasn't intended to bash anyone, though that appears to be how the comment was taken. She posted on Facebook that the firing apparently came after activists called the Governor's Office.
Benson he didn't know if governor was getting many calls about the issue.
"I don't have a problem with women being on the front line if that's their choice," Proud said. "I'm not going to sit there and say, 'No, you don't have that right.' I was making a funny comment, 'What are they going to do?' "
How menstrual cycles are handled is a curiosity she has, Proud said, noting that whether or not that hurdle is being addressed is a real issue, even if it isn't talked about. Women are designed differently from men and need to have their needs met on the front lines, she said.
Proud said no one had called her to ask her about the comment; she was just fired.
"For the Governor's Office to do this because of an article that was written is asinine. It's wrong," Proud said.
Strickland said he wasn't emotionally ready to talk about the job loss yet.
Benson said Brewer is grateful for Strickland's service, and that the department will now be going in a different direction.
Deputy Director Robert Barnes takes over as interim director.
Strickland took over the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services in 2008. Before that, his department biography says he served in the Army from 1966 until he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1994, followed by 14 years in different government positions in Louisiana.
Proud said she is "absolutely devastated," about losing the job, especially since she fought for female veterans during her time at the Legislature with her bill that created a specialty license plate for female veterans. The license plate doesn't just raise awareness, she said, but gives money to help homeless female veterans. The plates cost $25, and $17 of that goes toward a special fund to help homeless female veterans.
Why? I fail to see the problem here.
Amazing how a persons honest opinion gets one fired.
Pregnancy could be problematic as well, I would think. But we have to pretend men and women are the same.
Only if your opinion is in opposition to the people in control. Its a communiust thingie.
I once lived in the land of the free and home of the brave, but then things “changed”. I now live in the land of the Fee and home of the Knave.
Bit extreme. Why did the department director resign?
They are natural-born killers during all of that.
Arizona vets director asks Brewer for job back - The ex-director of Arizona's Department of Veterans' Services has sent a letter to Gov. Jan Brewer asking to rescind his resignation, but the governor's office says that won't happen.Director Joey Strickland was forced to resign Tuesday after the governor's office learned he had hired a former Arizona state representative he had previously been ordered not to employ. Former Rep. Terri Proud also lost her state job after questioning female troops' ability to serve in combat in an interview with a news reporter.
In a letter released by Brewer's office Thursday, Strickland says he was told not to hire Proud almost a year ago when she was in the Legislature because hiring a sitting lawmaker appeared to be improper.
"I was never told not to hire her in the future," Strickland wrote in the letter dated Wednesday. He said he was forced to resign by Brewer's chief of staff on "a trumped up allegation" that he disobeyed an order.
Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson said the resignation is final.
"We are moving forward in seeking a permanent replacement to lead the Department of Veterans' Services," he said.
For her part, Proud said in a statement sent to media organizations late Wednesday that Brewer shouldn't have forced Strickland to resign.
"If the Governor has it out for me, or has something against former legislators finding jobs, then I was not aware of it until now," Proud said in a statement. "Strickland should not have been removed, Brewer overreacted."
There is a rather simple solution gentlemen. There are forms of birth control that stop periods altogether, right? (There used to be anyway) That would take care of both periods and the risk of pregnancy, and is likely what the advocates of women in combat intend to do if and when the situation ever really arises.
bttt
If Proud just announces that she is a lesbian who is pro abortion and pro gay marriage she will be rehired at twice the salary.
At this point in time, telling the truth when said truth is opposite to the Government’s agenda gets one fired. At a point later down the road, it will get one executed. This is the plan that all Communist Countries followed. We are not quite Communists yet, but ome can see it coming. As the older voters die out and the younger gimmie my freebies geeration expands.
It’ll be uproariously funny if, when she’s proven correct, people ask “Why didn’t anyone see this coming?”
This insane move to put women in combat is being pushed for ideological reasons, not because it’s a good idea. Therefore, anybody who even questions the ideology is an enemy of the state. Get ready for more of this.
Notice too that her statement had nothing to do with her current job of caring for veterans, that is, people who aren´t in the active military any more. But, she violated ideological protocal so she’s got to go, and her boss too!
This PC stuff has got to end. You can’t say anything anymore, in particular if it is the truth.
As I like to say:
Let ‘em learn the hard way, ‘cause teaching them is more trouble then they’re worth.
It’s a well documented fact that a group of females living in close proximity ( i.e. in a sorority house) will often sync their menstrual cycles. So I guess this means you won’t have one female performing below par a few days each month; instead the entire squad will “out of sorts” at the same time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.