Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The National Organization of Women (NOW) thinks of the military as nothing more than a jobs program

Get pregnant while on active duty in Northern Iraq under Major General Tony Cucolo's command, and you get in trouble. Penalties for getting pregnant, or for a male soldier who impregnates a female soldier would be administered under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, likely in the form of a letter of reprimand and perhaps a reduction in grade and a small monetary fine.
When asked about this policy put in place last month, Gen. Cucolo said 'I realize it might be hard for those who have never served in a military unit. I knew there would be public interest and I am fine with that, that's Americans. I've got to take every measure to preserve my combat power.'
To date, the order is considered valid and has not been challenged by anyone other than by National Organization for Women (NOW) president Terry O'Neill. She has reportedly requested via correspondence to the military commander in chief, President Obama, that he intervene and countermand this standing order. Ms. O'Neill was quoted as saying 'well it may be his prerogative to be dumb but that's really not a very good idea.' .
The two sides of this issue are of keen interest to me.
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The army, as represented by Gen. Cucolo, has finally taken a baby step towards turning back decades of political correctness as it pertains to women in combat or combat support roles. Prior to this, great pains were taken to insure that women were given equal standing in the ranks with their male counterparts, but were given great latitude regarding issues that relate only to female soldiers, and pregnancy is the primary issue here. Male members of combat and combat support units for decades have been expected to pick up the slack for missing females in their ranks when the females became pregnant while on active duty.
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Each unit (be it a platoon, battalion, regiment, division, etc.) has specific man power allotments prescribed by equipment and staffing regulations (technically called TO&E, or Table of Organization and Equipment) that specify how many soldiers are required to carry out any unit's assigned mission. For example, an army supply company may specify 100 soldiers, but the ratio of male to female soldiers within that company has never been specified. If at any one time, 10 female soldiers are pregnant and have been relieved of more strenuous duties via a medical document of pregnancy (called a 'medical profile'), the remaining 90 soldiers must still perform 100% of the duties of this supply company to meet it's mission requirements. Many times this involves additional guard duty, for example, or other unpleasant duties that are shouldered by fewer soldiers, and morale suffers accordingly. Resentment towards these pregnant females builds over time, when they have been given light admin duties involving pencil pushing and drinking coffee, rather than sitting out in the cold numbing snow or perhaps searing, sweltering heat at a guard post. General effectiveness of these affected units is diminished as a result.
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Terry O'Neill sees things in a totally different light: she does not understand that the purpose of an army is to kill people and break things. She looks at these positions as purely social in nature, and does not agree that armies should be going around killing people and breaking things. Ms. O'Neill is highly perturbed that the army does not continue in its old manner of coddling pregnant women, using the ranks of the military as a protector of a budding family, and paying these unproductive pregnant women full pay while they simultaneously adversely affect the cohesiveness and overall morale, and ultimately the fighting effectiveness of the unit.
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Contrary to believing in the force of the military being used to protect and defend our country, Ms. O'Neill and her entire organization (NOW) are showing their true colors: they are pacifists who think (incorrectly) that people of different nations can always negotiate their differences away, and that evil does not exist in the world, only bad negotiators. She sincerely believes that we employ a standing army as a way to create jobs, and sending them into battle is not what they are there for. Or at least that is my guess as to what she thinks military people are supposed to do: sit around and cash a pay check but Heaven Forbid they actually kill people and break things.
. Terry O'Neill calls Gen. Cucolo 'dumb' for demanding that all soldiers under his command be accountable to their unit and fellow soldiers, I call Major General Tony Cucolo a patriot. We need more of this kind of policy in our military today, not less of it.
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I know who the 'dumb' one is on this issue.

18 comments:

TKZ said...

Great post. NOW is a society of nit-wits. Babies don't belong in combat, and neither do pregnant women, so it's pretty much a no-brainer that women shouldn't be getting preggers while on active duty.

Fredd said...

Exactly right, TKC. Pregnant women and babies have no place within the ranks of armed and dangerous (yet righteous) soldiers.

You call it a no-brainer. I like the shortened version of that sentiment; 'duh.'

Spinsterpov said...

Although she supports the idea that a woman should be stupid enough to get pregnant in a combat zone and rails against her being punished for that, I'm sure she'd support the woman for aborting the child she was too stupid to prevent.

Bottom line, getting yourself in a situation where you cannot perform the function of your job is a punishable offense. It's like shooting yourself in the foot. Any women who fails to protect herself while on active duty should thank her lucky stars that she doesn't get dishonorably discharged.

Fredd said...

Spinster: good point. Like a jockey gaining 150 pounds, and expecting to win the Kentucky derby.

Or your neuro surgeon electing to have all his fingers aputated, right before your operation, and he is confused at your terror...

Ok, that last one is a bit far fetched, but you still have a good point.

jadedfellow said...

Dear Fredd,

Praying you have a good CHRISTmas.

jadedfellow

(This is just a bent promise I hope?)

Anonymous said...

O'Neill and the NOW nags are the dumbasses. I was in theater for one year before I retired and I can back up everything you and the General say.

I thought getting pregnant was already a court-martial offense. The rules are absolutely no sexual contact. You can't even possess dirty pictures, and it's for a good reason.

Give the liberals enough time and they will destroy this nation, damn 'em...

Kid said...

Exceptions to everything but there is a lot of planned pregnancy going on for women who use it as a means to avoid active duty/deployment.

If they join knowing the responsibility, they are shirking their duty and putting someone else in their active duty position. Completely Unacceptable. If you don't want it don't join.

Kid said...

PS - you know "Some"en are really screwing up this country. They'll have us living in one giant daycare center with their over-reactions.

We're practically there already it seems.

TS/WS said...

In Nam, if a friendly on post was caught asleep; the friendly's superior would walk up behind and, pow (silencer) in the back of the head-never to wake again.
These things have to be taken seriously--maybe not to the (pow) extreme.

Fredd said...

Foutsc: This policy is a step back towards the way things oughtta be, and if you ask me, liberals have taken quite a few too many liberties lately, and (as the spiritual leader of the Obama-led liberals might say...) 'America's chickens....are coming home....to roost.'

Fredd said...

The Kid: I served in a combat support unit, where we would see perhaps 35% women in our ranks. Of those, about 1/3 used pregnancy, menstrual issues or general helplessness/uselessness, to avoid deployments and/or terminate their military contracts at the most opportune times (or, inopportune if you were their leaders). This is not the exception, a few micreant females who lack character, this is a systemic problem that has yet to be addressed in any meaningful manner.

Even the policy of Gen. Cucolo uses kid gloves on these miscreant women: Article 15? A mere slap on the wrist, whereas I would recommend having their children put up for adoption and the sleazy women shipped off to the military facility in Leavenworth.

Fredd said...

PS> The Kid: let's think about installing day care in Leavenworth.

Fredd said...

They/We: like Sherman said, 'war is hell.'

I took the time to counsel a recent ROTC grad in the ways of the military world: treat your men with respect, they will treat you with respect and follow your lead into Hell. Crap on them, then bad things will eventually befall you.

In the fog of battle, if you as a leader become a significant liability to your command, it has been said that fragging is not a thing of the past.

Shooting soldiers for retreating in the face of enemy fire without retreat orders may be out of fashion, but I believe it's authorization is still on the books.

And falling asleep on guard duty is the worst offense any soldier can commit in a combat zone, risking the lives of the entire unit.

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Well written post.

Your one line; "Male members of combat and combat support units for decades have been expected to pick up the slack for missing females in their ranks when the females became pregnant while on active duty" also pertains to the private sector.

John Stossel awhile back (when he was still with ABC) had a great segment addressing this exact isssue but again in the context of the private sector.

Fredd said...

Christopher:

In all free societies, where you allow free loading loopholes, you will always attract free loaders. While the military is not exactly what anyone would call a free society, you get my point, and we can extend this argument as you pointed out to the private sector.

This phenomenon is not only pertinent to females with lack of character, but is systemic in nature. There's always a portion of every population who look to game the system.

I think that Gen. Cucolo's concern is that the free loading by women under his command jeopardizes lives. In the private sector, these free loading females only suck up peripheral funds, and no lives are at risk. Big difference.

Kid said...

Fredd, You know more about this than I do. Let's go with your recommendations. The day care as well.

Hannityinaskirt said...

Great Post Fredd. I don't think O'Neil gets what this job requires. I mean it isn't like a civilian job where you can take off for awhile. If you leave your job in the military you can get people killed. You need to think about more than just yourself, you can not put people's lives in danger. NOW only cares about promoting Liberalism, never really for women. If they did they would realize that men AND women's lives are put in danger when people act irresponsibly. If women wanted to be treated equally that also means they need to be punished equally when they break the rules.

Fredd said...

SkirtedHannity: exactly so. These feminist idiots don't care to take in the whole picture, they only want to cherry pick the issues that further their liberal agenda, our security be damned.

Good thing that NOW is not representative of women in general, but rather only liberal women. And only a fraction of those, if the truth be known.