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George Will: Women in combat ‘dumbing down the standards’ because of ‘anatomical facts’
By David Edwards
Sunday, January 27, 2013 15:04 EST
Conservative columnist George Will on Sunday argued that women should not be allowed in combat because of “certain anatomical facts,” ignoring that ABC Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz had pointed out that she interviewed female service members who were capable of carrying “6-foot, 4-inch Marines.”
Appearing on an ABC News panel, Will told Raddatz that the military was effectively lowering the bar by lifting the ban on women in combat, even though the Pentagon had said both men and women would be subjected to the same physical standards.
“That’s what they always say,” Will opined. “Let me give you an example. No Child Left Behind said we’re going to have 100 percent proficiency by 2014 in reading and math in the schools. And the scary thing is we might because the only way we’ll get there is because is by dumbing down the standards, which is actually underway. The question is, will we change the physical fitness requirements so that we don’t have a disparate impact? Are we going to gender norm the requirements?”
“Give you an example, you’ve been out, Martha, in these combat zones?” he continued. “You’re a 6-foot, 4-inch, 240-pound Marine and you’re injured and you need the Marine next to you to carry you back to safety, and the Marine next to you is 5-foot woman who weighs 115 pounds. It’s relevant.”
“Okay, can I tell you something, though, George,” Raddatz interrupted. “I’ve met a lot of combat medics who are women, who rappel down, who pick up big 6-foot, 4-inch Marines and take them to safety. I just interviewed a woman…”
-snip-
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/27/george-will-women-in-combat-dumbing-down-the-standards-because-of-anatomical-facts/
35 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Of Standard Journalism
rocktivity
On the military
If combat means living in a ditch, females have biological problems staying in a ditch for thirty days because they get infections and they don't have upper body strength. I mean, some do, but they're relatively rare. On the other hand, men are basically little piglets, you drop them in the ditch, they roll around in it, doesn't matter, you know. These things are very real. On the other hand, if combat means being on an Aegis-class cruiser managing the computer controls for twelve ships and their rockets, a female may be again dramatically better than a male who gets very, very frustrated sitting in a chair all the time because males are biologically driven to go out and hunt giraffes.
Address, "Renewing American Civilization," Reinhardt College (7 January 1995)
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich
If combat means living in a ditch, females have biological problems staying in a ditch for thirty days because they get infections and they don't have upper body strength. I mean, some do, but they're relatively rare. On the other hand, men are basically little piglets, you drop them in the ditch, they roll around in it, doesn't matter, you know. These things are very real. On the other hand, if combat means being on an Aegis-class cruiser managing the computer controls for twelve ships and their rockets, a female may be again dramatically better than a male who gets very, very frustrated sitting in a chair all the time because males are biologically driven to go out and hunt giraffes.
Address, "Renewing American Civilization," Reinhardt College (7 January 1995)
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich
Barbara Buttrick fought bare-knuckled in the street, took on allcomers, drunk or sober, in rustic fair booths, and then any opponent she could find when forced to move to the United States to turn professional. Even after becoming the first recognised women’s world champion, she sought a further attainment. Successfully, too, for female boxing will finally become an Olympic sport next year. She will be 82 on Tuesday, stands barely 5 feet tall, and weighed only 98 pounds in her pomp . . .
I like her. I hope they make a DVD of her fight footage. I would sure like to see that.
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