I listened to a well meaning group of women debate on OPB the other day,
'Should Women in the Military be Allowed in Combat?'
The arguments pro and con were very rationale, well thought out, intelligent, civilized.
But since when is combat rationale, civilized, intelligent?
If it were me Id take any excuse I could to avoid the murder, mayhem, and insanity of modern combat.
Combat, war, is insane. To be avoided at all costs. A last, last resort. Or so it should be.
But we haven't really needed last resorts - haven't needed to give up our humanity and fight in a war in a desperate effort to protect ourselves since WWII. Every 'war' since then not even declared.
We send people into combat these days not to protect as a last resort, but instead as part of stunted, unimaginative, geopolitical strategy. It's no longer the last resort. To paraphrase a quote by Andrew J. Bacevich, 'We have a very large military hammer and world politics is more and more our nail'.
As Einstein has said, "You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war". And as he said further, "To my mind, to kill in war is not a whit better than to commit ordinary murder."
For the men put into this position by the call of modern manipulative governments - the price to pay can be devastating. At least in WWII they understood there was little other choice.
My advice to women. Leave this particular 'equal rights' issue alone.
Instead, push for advancement of women into the geopolitical policy making process and hope that you can do better.
'Should Women in the Military be Allowed in Combat?'
The arguments pro and con were very rationale, well thought out, intelligent, civilized.
But since when is combat rationale, civilized, intelligent?
If it were me Id take any excuse I could to avoid the murder, mayhem, and insanity of modern combat.
Combat, war, is insane. To be avoided at all costs. A last, last resort. Or so it should be.
But we haven't really needed last resorts - haven't needed to give up our humanity and fight in a war in a desperate effort to protect ourselves since WWII. Every 'war' since then not even declared.
We send people into combat these days not to protect as a last resort, but instead as part of stunted, unimaginative, geopolitical strategy. It's no longer the last resort. To paraphrase a quote by Andrew J. Bacevich, 'We have a very large military hammer and world politics is more and more our nail'.
As Einstein has said, "You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war". And as he said further, "To my mind, to kill in war is not a whit better than to commit ordinary murder."
For the men put into this position by the call of modern manipulative governments - the price to pay can be devastating. At least in WWII they understood there was little other choice.
My advice to women. Leave this particular 'equal rights' issue alone.
Instead, push for advancement of women into the geopolitical policy making process and hope that you can do better.
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