Senate approves draft for women as well as men

[Flanker1Six]

Source:  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/15/us/politics/congress-women-military-draft.html
Needless to say, as an egalitarian, I'm thrilled by the news.  I believe that women shouldn't be barred from any occupation on the basis of sex, and that includes military service.

It wasn't too long ago that black soldiers were barred from serving with white soldiers or gay soldiers from serving period (or forced to keep their homosexuality hush-hush).  Now, women are finally achieving equal standing in the military.  We're heading, in fits and starts, to a more egalitarian society where men and women have more equal rights and responsibilities.  Great news.

But I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that equality has its opponents - both on the left and the right - who would take us down a different path, a more unequal union.  Their expected tantrums over this are going to be hilarious.  I'll grab the popcorn.

What Hydra said!   Long over due in my book; as long as they don't lower standards so women can qualify!  You go ladies! 

[Baruch]

They will lower the standards ... but that is conspiracy theory.  The question of standards is flexible, unless you are in a fox hole, you don't need physical strength.  Having everyone match that ... even if they are a button pusher ... is part of the hypocrisy of the present arrangement.

[Atheon]

This is a step toward equality of the sexes, which is a Good Thing. Men and women should be equal under the law.

But this is a step away from freedom, which is a Bad Thing. Mandatory Selective Service registration is anti-freedom, and should be abolished.

[Baruch]

I will go further, the rule of law has been and should be abolished.  If it has been abolished for the upper class, it should also be abolished for the lower class.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Back in the early '70s I had a personal rule, "Shoot the women first". They had something to prove and were trying to prove it by killing me. So, I guess I applied an unequal standard there, but I'm still alive over forty years later.

Bottom line from this career military man, anybody can try for any job. If you meet the (current) standards, you get the job. Then you just have to survive in it.

Pax vosbiscum.

[marom1963]

All right, I don't care any more - I don't approve of drafting women. That's that. I approve of equal pay for women. I approve of putting a woman in the White House. But I don't approve of drafting women. And I don't give a damn what arguments are put up in favor of it. Somebody needs to be better than a piece of meat for a battlefield and my vote goes to women - Why? My mother, my sister, other women that I have known. My mother was too fucking good to be flung out on a battlefield. What about my father? He would have agreed w/me. Rant and rave all you want, that's how I feel about it. Somebody needs to be better than cannon fodder - and my vote goes to women.

[Baruch]

If I had both a son and a daughter, I would urge them to both violate the draft registration law, and accept the punishment for it.  And if they did a call up, I would urge them to run.  However, if they wanted to join the military, voluntarily, I would be all for it.  I am not anti-military, I am anti-tyranny.  Draft the rich and powerful, and put them in front ;-)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

All right, I don't care any more - I don't approve of drafting women. That's that. I approve of equal pay for women. I approve of putting a woman in the White House. But I don't approve of drafting women. And I don't give a damn what arguments are put up in favor of it. Somebody needs to better than a piece of meat for a battlefield and my vote goes to women - Why? My mother, my sister, other women that I have known. My mother was too fucking good to be flung out on a battlefield. What about my father? He would have agreed w/me. Rant and rave all you want, that's how I feel about it. Somebody needs to be better than cannon fodder - and my vote goes to women.

Men can die, women shouldn't?

As for cannon-fodder, what a quaint 19th century idea.

[marom1963]

If I had both a son and a daughter, I would urge them to both violate the draft registration law, and accept the punishment for it.  And if they did a call up, I would urge them to run.  However, if they wanted to join the military, voluntarily, I would be all for it.  I am not anti-military, I am anti-tyranny.  Draft the rich and powerful, and put them in front ;-)

No, the children of the rich and powerful either get deferments or else do guard duty at our embassy in Liechtenstein.

[marom1963]

Men can die, women shouldn't?

As for cannon-fodder, what a quaint 19th century idea.

Men are the principle beneficiaries of society - they get the lion's share of its goodies, so let them fight. Women take most of the World's crap and pay the freight for human existence - let them stay home. I repeat: my mother was too fucking good to die on a battlefield.

[stromboli]

Men can die, women shouldn't?

As for cannon-fodder, what a quaint 19th century idea.

Lololol.....cannon fodder was abandoned when they invented the machine gun. They learned the hard way in WW1 about sending massed infantry towards enemy lines. Any nation that has been involved in war- and we certainly have- is going to put the best force it can in the field. As to "best force" you might look at the Kurdish "angels of death"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/angels-death-isis-savages-fear-6275913

It doesn't take a 300 pound muscle bound man to pull a trigger, drop a mortar round into a tube or direct artillery. Like I said previously, a woman can fly a drone just as well as a man. And the idea that the draft automatically puts women on the front line is silly. As I also said previously, only a lesser percentage of a service- Army, Navy, etc. fight in pitched battles.

As for that, my oldest son served in Iraq twice and once in Afghanistan. On his 2nd Iraq tour he commanded an MRAP and was recommended for a Bronze Star for saving a squad of Marines from direct fire by using his vehicle to move them across an exposed intersection. (He and his crew was later awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement, or something) His gunner on the .50 was recommended for a Silver Star for HER outstanding courage, taking and returning fire from 3 directions.

I don't have a problem with women being subject to the draft.

[marom1963]

Lololol.....cannon fodder was abandoned when they invented the machine gun. They learned the hard way in WW1 about sending massed infantry towards enemy lines. Any nation that has been involved in war- and we certainly have- is going to put the best force it can in the field. As to "best force" you might look at the Kurdish "angels of death"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/angels-death-isis-savages-fear-6275913

It doesn't take a 300 pound muscle bound man to pull a trigger, drop a mortar round into a tube or direct artillery. Like I said previously, a woman can fly a drone just as well as a man. And the idea that the draft automatically puts women on the front line is silly. As I also said previously, only a lesser percentage of a service- Army, Navy, etc. fight in pitched battles.

As for that, my oldest son served in Iraq twice and once in Afghanistan. On his 2nd Iraq tour he commanded an MRAP and was recommended for a Bronze Star for saving a squad of Marines from direct fire by using his vehicle to move them across an exposed intersection. (He and his crew was later awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement, or something) His gunner on the .50 was recommended for a Silver Star for HER outstanding courage, taking and returning fire from 3 directions.

I don't have a problem with women being subject to the draft.

Actually, I have a problem w/anybody being drafted unless the country is outright attacked, as it was at Pearl Harbor.
I don't mind women volunteering to serve - however, I do not believe that they should be drafted. That's the way I feel about it; rational arguments will not change my feeling.

[Mermaid]

If the feminists really want to be men, they can take testosterone supplements ... and do corrective surgery.  War is a male activity, like breast feeding is a female activity.  And yes, you can make a woman out of a man, but that doesn't make it any less crazy than the reverse.  Both genders are psycho, but not the same kind of psycho.  Not that I am going to tell anyone, of any gender, that they can't do something if they try hard enough.  But that doesn't mean I think they are sane.

I have worked with the military for nearly 30 years ... I enjoy our women in uniform, I even know one who went thru Marine OCS.  But she should have been born a man.  But aside from the MPs ... none of the people I work with are soldiers.  No matter what their benefit package.

No, seriously Baruch. What the fuck did I read here? Can you please explain? Is this sarcasm or do you actually mean these words?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Men are the principle beneficiaries of society - they get the lion's share of its goodies, so let them fight. Women take most of the World's crap and pay the freight for human existence - let them stay home. I repeat: my mother was too fucking good to die on a battlefield.

Yawn.

[Baruch]

No, seriously Baruch. What the fuck did I read here? Can you please explain? Is this sarcasm or do you actually mean these words?

It wasn't directed at you or people like you.  It was an emotional outburst about butch dykes.  So I do mean it.  The idea of raising all women to be liberated, by turning them into bloodthirsty killers ... is abhorrent.  Bad enough we need to do this with men.  There really isn't any solution, because pacifism isn't a solution.  War is a crime scene ... and 90% of the perps in society are men ... so they are more suited ... this is why criminals are routinely recruited thru history for this kind of work.  And I don't mean people locked up for drug addiction.

If an individual woman wants to be a psycho killer, and is suited for that work ... more power to her.  But like I pointed out, I oppose the draft of anyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYK4jrhepdU