GOP Congressman: Women In Infantry Roles Could ‘Impair’ Missions Because Of Their ‘Nature’
10:37 am - 01/09/2013
GOP Congressman: Women In Infantry Roles Could ‘Impair’ Missions Because Of Their ‘Nature’
Women are physically unfit to serve in combat, Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR) claimed during a Tuesday appearance on the Laura Ingraham radio show. Cotton, who was last seen suggesting that Iraq might have orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, recognized female accomplishments in non-infantry combat roles like helicopter pilot and that women have fought and performed well in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Cotton nonetheless concludes that women should be legally prohibited from competing with men for infantry combat positions:
To have women serving in infantry, though, could impair the mission-essential tasks of those units. And that’s been proven in study after study, it’s nature, upper body strength, and physical movements, and speed, and endurance, and so forth.
Listen:
Cotton appears to assume that allowing women to serve in the infantry would necessitate a double standard in physical testing for male and female soldiers, but that’s not so. A Marine pilot program training women as combat officers subjects them to the same grueling physical training as their male classmates. Though the two women in that program didn’t pass (along with 26 of the 107 men enrolled in the course), many women are more than physically capable of performing in combat roles. Indeed, a survey of several NATO allies that allowed women in “frontline roles” in Afghanistan found that female officers caused “no significant problems,” and actually performed better than their male counterparts in intelligence-gathering roles. Preventing women who pass the same physical tests as their male counterparts from serving in the combat infantry is sexism, plain and simple.
When the Department of Defense loosened its prohibition on women in combat in early 2012, then-Presidential candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA) said he had “concerns” about women serving in combat roles because of “the emotions that were involved.”
Source
Women are physically unfit to serve in combat, Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR) claimed during a Tuesday appearance on the Laura Ingraham radio show. Cotton, who was last seen suggesting that Iraq might have orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, recognized female accomplishments in non-infantry combat roles like helicopter pilot and that women have fought and performed well in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Cotton nonetheless concludes that women should be legally prohibited from competing with men for infantry combat positions:
To have women serving in infantry, though, could impair the mission-essential tasks of those units. And that’s been proven in study after study, it’s nature, upper body strength, and physical movements, and speed, and endurance, and so forth.
Listen:
Cotton appears to assume that allowing women to serve in the infantry would necessitate a double standard in physical testing for male and female soldiers, but that’s not so. A Marine pilot program training women as combat officers subjects them to the same grueling physical training as their male classmates. Though the two women in that program didn’t pass (along with 26 of the 107 men enrolled in the course), many women are more than physically capable of performing in combat roles. Indeed, a survey of several NATO allies that allowed women in “frontline roles” in Afghanistan found that female officers caused “no significant problems,” and actually performed better than their male counterparts in intelligence-gathering roles. Preventing women who pass the same physical tests as their male counterparts from serving in the combat infantry is sexism, plain and simple.
When the Department of Defense loosened its prohibition on women in combat in early 2012, then-Presidential candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA) said he had “concerns” about women serving in combat roles because of “the emotions that were involved.”
Source
ETA: Well, not that they -can't-, but that it's not as popular to do so nowadays.
Edited at 2013-01-09 10:25 pm (UTC)
It's their choice. If you're too emotionally involved, stay out of the debate.
Edited at 2013-01-09 11:51 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2013-01-10 12:07 am (UTC)
And I hope they all systematically kick his ass until he realizes just how wrong he is.
Is it really that difficult for these guys to understand that soldiers should be assessed based on their capabilities rather than generalities? But then they'll always see women as women first, people second, instead of comparing everyone equally and noting that plenty of women beat out plenty of men when it comes to physical and mental fitness. jfc man
And of course Santorum's remark is plain old bullshit based on the idea that women are ~delicate emotional little flowers~ and men are apparently killing machines. I'm sure glad his dim view of pretty much everyone doesn't match up with reality.
Having emotions isn't a female thing; it's a human thing. I'd rather not have soldiers who are mindless killing machines, thanks.
Edited at 2013-01-10 02:36 am (UTC)
There isn't a damn Combat Arms related task that can't be achieved by a suitably motivated and trained female. Not humping the .50 cal or Mark 19, not traversing the turret on a MATV in order to accurately respond with counterfire, not firing a Javelin missile, and not carrying squad mate to the Casualty Collection Point for medical care. In fact, most of the heavy weapons were carried by female soldiers because they were the ones best qualified to use them. It caused no amount of aggravation for some of my fellow soldiers that the 5 foot flat in boots Specialist could handle the SAW or 149b better than any of the Scouts.
Well said!
edit:
And I hope to hell that the dude creeping up on that female soldier got his ass handed to him, at least legally (court martial, demerit/demotion, whatever), if not physically.
Edited at 2013-01-10 10:20 pm (UTC)
Whatever you say, jackass.
Right, because as we all know, men don't have emotions. Men are MANLY IMPREGNABLE FORTRESSES DEVOID OF HUMAN FEELING, RAWR!! Grow the fuck up, Santorum.
He's been in the military, he knows how to handle himself. Perhaps if he gets his ass handed to him a few times, he'll remember that he's not invincible.