Granted, it was 1995 and women had yet to serve in any combat roles, but Christine McDonnell, as Press Secretary for Concerned Women of America had this to say about military schools and women:
[Military schools] are vital to the security of our country and to the defense of our country. By integrating women into, particularly into military institutes, it cripples the readiness of our defense.
Yep, she really did say that and a lot more. Video from C-Span below.
Again, I feel the need to remind you that this was 1995 and O'Donnell may have expanded her views on the topic. But, back then, on the Washington Saturday Journal, O'Donnell debated Ms. Olanoff of the National Organization for Woman about public funding for single sex education at the Citadel. The debate is partially in response to this article in the Washington Post, Female Cadet Leaves Legacy, which spoke of Shannon Faulkner's court case and subsequent leaving of the Citadel.
For those of you who don't want to listen to the entire debate, I've picked out a few more highlights.
When you have women in that situation it creates a whole new set of dynamics which are distracting to training these men to kill or be killed.
Psst... Christine... A little side note for future talks about men and combat - neither men nor women are trained to be killed. At least, not in our military. Just in case you hadn't figured that out yet.
These dynamics between men and women are what make the relationship between men and women beautiful so I don't think we should try to desensitize men to the differences.
Psst... Christine... I think it is safe to say that men have not been desensitized to women in the military. There are more married active duty couples than ever before! It didn't hurt in that department either!
It's an honor to be a lady. A beautiful part of womanhood is to be ladylike.
Psst... Christine... I know many an active duty soldier who is willing to fight your right to be a lady. And for her right not to act like one. The constitution is a wonderful thing.
Women are the backbone of our country because of the role of mothers and are vital to the health of a family and to remove the role of the mother the family will crumble. And when that happens we look at what's happening in our society now: crime is up, SAT scores are down, violence among youths within youths killing one another teens and stuff has risen, teen pregnancy has risen, promiscuity has risen.
Psst... Christine... Just so you know that in today's military world I've met many a military spouse who stays at home and takes care of the kids as the primary parent just like you want us too! And, guess what? A lot of them aren't women. They're men.
In response to the the National Organization of Woman's spokesperson hope that the courts would look at this issue as a constitutional one and guarantee women equal rights under the law and allow them to attend any institution that is funded with taxpayer dollars, Christine wanted us to know:
The constitution also guarantees us all a strong defense and the constitution promises that our country and our government will do everything possible to uphold an effective military.
I guess they have managed to do that without barring women from attending the Citadel. I love it when history proves us right.
This entire clip is entertaining to watch. The young O'Donnell was definitely out of her element and was new to this kind of debate. She was nervous and repeated her talking points even when they had gone astray (like men being trained to be killed). Nevertheless, the woman was repeating drivel that many an American believed at the time. We've come a long way baby. But if we elect the likes of Christine O'Donnell, she would love to take us back to those good ol' days.
I would be very curious to know where O'Donnell stands on this issue today. Does she believe that women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are crippling our defense? Does she believe that the 110 women who have died in Iraq or the 14 who have died in Afghanistan weren't ladylike enough? Fifteen years can change a lot of opinions. If anyone hears from the campaign, would you let me know?
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