But one thing stands out for me as a bright beacon of hope...
Women. In combat. Even when no-one expects it.
The bravery of the soldiers at Fort Hood in the face of a brutal and cruel attack was profound. Stories of individuals who did everything they could to save their comrades are a comfort after something that makes no sense.
All the soldiers and civilians who risked their lives in this attack are true heroes.
But doesn't everyone think it's time to shut down the right wing anti-women politicians and officially admit what has already been proved again and again on the ground, and let the women who deeply desire to give their full service to the armed forces to have all the opportunities they deserve?
The opposing factions in congress and their lobbyist cronies call themselves anti-feminist, but let's face it, they're anti ALL women. They don't believe that women can hack it in combat.
Clearly, they're not paying attention.
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And I agree, the whole idea that women are "too delicate" for combat is hooey.
I have heard from several people in the military that the reason they don't want to put women into combat is because it is worse for civilian moral to have women dieing instead of men, and I call bullshit. War is terrible either way, and if someone can feel better about a man dieing then a woman, they need to examine themselves because either way it's a human life.
admit as a country that women are in combat and get out of our way
I had a self-defense teacher who had served in the Israeli army and was certified in krav maga. She was a tiny little thing, but had hand-to-hand taken out a man almost three times her size who tried to rape her. He broke her arm, but she left him unconscious in an alley.
I have to agree with you. I have the opportunity to interact with women in the military (given my job) and across the board they strike me as capable, skilled, and deadly when the need arises. I don't grok what the problem is...
Military service has long been a tool of sexism; which also turns a blind eye to the many women who have served in battles and conflicts throughout history. Take a close enough look at any major conflict, and you'll find a woman at arms.
You want to tell me a woman driving a supply train isn't going to be shot at? Women died in WWII. Women died in Vietnam. Women are dying in Iraq. What disturbs me most is how their sacrifice seems to be silenced, like a state secret.