It's a man's world for the radical right wing patriarchy which is pretty pissed off about the inclusion of women into roles heretofore reserved for males. As the media mouthpiece for those who are desperately clinging to outdated gender norms, it's not surprising that Fox & Friends would advance the agenda of those groups who seek to erode the gains that women have made in the workplace, including the military. This morning, Brain Brian Kilmeade interviewed Robert Maginnis, from the SPLC homophobic hate group, The Family Research Council, about how putting women in combat could put America's security at risk. And BTW, Maginnis said the same thing about allowing gays to openly serve in the military. Nice to see Fox's patriotic morning Team America embrace the hate.
After an opening featuring rousing, patriotic music and military iconography, Brian Kilmeade informed us that "under President Obama women will be allowed to fight for our country on the front lines for the first time." After video of former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was shown, Kilmeade (who never served) sighed and said "the reality is that our military might have to lower its standards in order to help those women qualify combat." He asked "should fairness come before fighting ability" and introduced his guest, retired Lt. Colonel Robert Maginnis. He referenced Maginnis' new book about "how cowards are pushing women into combat," but didn't mention that Maginnis is a "Senior Fellow for National Security" at the Family Research Council. While he spoke, the chyron set the Fox propaganda message: "Levelling the Battlefield, Is 'Army Strong' Becoming Army Fair?"
Kilmeade "explained" that Maginnis isn't saying that women, already in combat," isn't saying that they shouldn't be "taking bullets" for us; but that we "shouldn't lower the standards to put them there." Maginnis praised the "gallantry" of women in combat but then qualified it with the statement that "counter-insurgency is different from other operations." Invoking the dualistic world view of the right wing, he claimed that one side wants equality while the other side wants to maintain standards and - ready for it - "there are differences between men and women." He said that "what we need to ask is what kind of *country sends its women into combat." He asked "are we that type of country." He invoked "The Founders," who were clear about "whose responsibility this is." (Guess Bob doesn't know about Molly Pitcher!) Bob ranted about how Congress shouldn't allow presidential administrations to "codify" the laws governing the military.
Kilmeade "explained" that Maginnis is "worried about the training and criteria is going to be diminished in order for women to qualify" but that he's "OK if women can qualify" and that he just "doesn't want to see the tests downgraded." The chyron used a favorite Fox & Friends bête noire to reinforce the agitprop: "Equality Over Security, Are P.C. Police Invading the Pentagon?" Maginnis said "the reality is most women can't do it."
And then, as usual in any right wing discussion, the sex crept in. Maginnis asked if we want to mix the sexes "with the sexual dynamics and the inevitable consequences of that mixture." He accused - ready for it - "radical feminists" of pushing for equality while "they couldn't care less about the readiness of the force." More reinforcing chyron propaganda: "GI Jane Vs. GI Joe, Women May Face Different Standards." Kilmeade's "explanation" further reinforced the message. "You're here because you feel that diversity is taking precedence over readiness and you want to see it stopped because our security is in danger and our enemy is not doing the same thing." The chyron put the cherry on the icing: "Separate but Equal, Pentagon May Lower Standards for Women."
Here's the thing. The military hasn't lowered standards but Fox News is enabling a homophobic and misogynistic member of a hate group to spread the toxic fear that this will happen. And it's about the sex thing on the battlefield - really? Women are presently embedded in combat roles and, as far as I know, there isn't rampant debauchery. And standards? How bout the fact that the military is dealing with overweight, out of shape male recruits? Maginnis rails about the feminist and gay agenda in the military. It looks like he has his own agenda which the I love America network is helping to push.
Fox & Friends - Team America - "F#%k Yeah!"
*Austrialia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Norway.
Addendum: Media Matters has more relevant background information including the fact that the military and veterans groups support women in combat. They also provide quotes, from the military, about the fact that standards will not be lowered.
Sooo… the prerequisite for being tough is to walk through an unlit area, on a dark night, with snakes and gators?
Because there are women who pick fights with gators.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTSlHbCXYqc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9TG85_jbRA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2yRPZNEqXI
They deal with snakes, too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYAMlhyKRog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjmjN3V_Wkw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdR2Wn5QGLY
Congratulations, George… You’re exactly as tough as a girl in Florida who got told to just keep walking.
As for those alligators and snakes, big deal. There are WOMEN in Louisiana who can handle those creatures just as well as the men (and, in some cases, even better).
And as for your slam at Aria about “easy to hide behind your keyboard,” you’re not really one to talk. You’re doing the SAME thing right now.
And, if memory serves, I do believe there was a WOMAN who actually fought during the Civil War and it wasn’t until she was wounded during combat that her fellow soldiers discovered she was a woman.
And you might want to brush up on your information about Israeli female soldiers. From the IDF’s own website (English-language version), you’ve got such things as
“KARAKAL
Karakal is a special battalion (gdud) inside the realm of Chir that is comprised of both women and men, both of which do all of the training together and exercises/guarding which is required. It is a unit that is full capacity combat and mainly is stationed in the south at the Egyptian border and the Jordanian border. Women need to posses an 82 profiles (Men 72) and pass Gibbush Lochemot (Women Fighters Tryout) in order to be accepted into Karakal.”
and,
“CHILUTZ veHATZALA
A combatant position responsible for retrieving and rescuing using various methods; there are different training techniques practiced on a daily basis.”
As for those “dog handlers,” here’s how the IDF describes the duties:
OKETZ
This is a sayaret of the Kfir Brigade. For women, they must first pass Gibbush Lochemot (Female Fighter Tryout) in order to be a fighter. If a woman passes the Gibbush, she is placed Karakal (which is a faction of the Kfir Brigade). Once starting tironut in Karakal, there is a Gibbush (Tryout) within the unit in order to be accepted to Oketz.
Men need to be drafted into Kfir, and then do the Gibbush for Oketz. If they pass the Gibbush men are placed into Oketz. If they do not pass, then they continue as a combat soldier in Kfir. Oketz specializes in training and handling dogs for military applications. Each dog is now trained to have a particular speciality. Attack dogs are trained to operate in urban areas, as well as in rural, bushy areas. Dogs are also trained as tracking and chasing dogs, for manhunts and detecting breaches at the borders. In addition, dogs are also trained as weapons and ammunition dogs, to search for guns and munitions, as explosive dogs, to sniff out hidden explosives and as search and rescue dogs, to find people in collapsed buildings. Oketz operators are often assigned to other units in the case of a particular need for their specialist skills, such as in the extraction of terrorists from fortified buildings." (Emphasis added by me.)
Pretty much, George, Israeli women get FULL combat training, and, in Israel, a “front-line” of combat can easily become a main street in Tel Aviv or Haifa. Wikipedia points out that, per the 2000 Equality Amendment to the Military Service Law, “The right of women to serve in any role in the IDF is equal to the right of men.” Also, from Wiki, “When the Second Lebanon War broke out [in 2006], it was the first time since 1948 that women were in field operations alongside men.” (Again, emphasis added.)
Now, it might make you happy to know that there are some in Israel who aren’t happy with women serving alongside men—but they’re religious fundamentalists who believe (much like those “ebil Mooslims” you hear so much about on FoxNoise) that women shouldn’t be allowed to mix with men they’re not related to. (Oh. There was even a story similar to that HERE in the good ol’ USofA. A bus line in NYC, operated by Orthodox Jews and receiving funding from the City, had a strict policy—or perhaps, “has,” is more appropriate since the line hasn’t changed its policy—of gender segregation where men sit at the front of the bus and women have to sit in the back. I’ll bet that just makes you long for the “good ol’ days” when the segregation wasn’t by gender.)
Hell, in the novel those movies are based on, there’s actually a passage where they said the army could have just saved time by giving that level of training to a Starkweather wannabe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiPQlIXdUCg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU-RM7n-zyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3_0BVKcjIA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxHm7rSwfVI
Yeah, women are soooo brittle, George. We just need big, strong men to save us, and tell us we were right for hiding in the corner.
Pig.
Or those women who fought and died for their country and freedom in WWII, Russian women, Greek women, French women, Norwegian women.
Nope, women can’t hold their own in a war situation. sheesh.
Gay or straight,
Love is great!