A frontpage story in today’s Washington Post addresses a number of military hardware and technology shortcomings that, in the face of growing threats from China, Russia and other ruthless adversaries, are causing alarm among experts. But nowhere in the story is there any mention of the Biden Pentagon’s distracting and costly new push for “diversity.” The original draft of this email was sent to the reporter, Missy Ryan, and several of her senior Post colleagues.
Dear Ms. Ryan,
The question may not occur to you and your editors — or maybe it does but you’re afraid to raise it else His Wokeness, Mr. Bezos, might fire you. But how can taxpayers expect our military to maintain its capabilities and readiness as the crack killing machine it must be to keep the world safe for democracy while double-chinned diversity officers, suddenly with the upper hand at the Pentagon, preach critical race theory, pay for gender-swap surgeries, design flight-suits for pregnant pilots and RIOs, allow for ever lower physical standards (push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, etc.), and the president himself gives speeches denouncing supposedly rampant misogyny and discrimination in the ranks while flanked by frumpy, middle-aged women generals [“Military scrambles to hold edge over China,” A1, Apr. 2]? What potential adversary would ever be afraid of frumpy old ladies?
Which brings to mind an old Bill Murray gag from his days anchoring Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update.” During the Feb. 9, 1980, episode, when comedy was still allowed, he did a commentary in reaction to President Carter’s plans to expand the military draft to women, saying he thought it was a great idea. Were we to lose a war with Russia, Murray explained, we could effectively dismiss the loss by chiding the enemy with, “Wow. So you beat a bunch of girls.” He concluded by saying, “I think the best defense our country can possiblly have is an army of poorly equipped, untrained and unarmed women.” And if the Biden administration keeps its current course, that may be exactly what we end up with.
Meanwhile, China’s state media openly worry about feminized young men being unfit for military service — mamas’ boys who are the lingering result of that dictatorship’s since discontinued one-child policy. Conversely, American media worry about “toxic masculinity.” But which is the more serious problem when it comes to war-fighting? Too many pansies, or too many unwoke bad-asses?
The answer is obvious, but the Biden administration’s new Pentagon leadership nonetheless denies it while so far failing to get on top of our military’s hardware needs and personnel readiness. Instead it squanders time and money treating our armed services as just another jobs program on which ever more radical social engineering and sensitivity training can be imposed in the name of “equity.” The Post should be brave enough to speak this plain truth.
Darren McKinney, Washington, D.C.