Friday, February 10, 2012

Fail Quote(s): Santorum & Vox Day on female combat soldiers

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We start with fundagelical Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum, babbling on about the Pentagon’s new rules about allowing more female soldiers in combat zones:

Transcript from the video description on YouTube (slightly edited):

JOHN KING: Let me hear another one for you a President Santorum might face. The pentagon says it’s easing roles on women taking a front-line role – some frontline roles – in combat as medics, as people involved in communications, perhaps opening the door to a broader role ultimately for women in combat. Good idea or bad idea?

RICK SANTORUM: I don’t – you know, look, I want to create every opportunity for women to be able to serve this country, and they do so in an amazing and wonderful way, and they’re a great addition to the – and have been for a long time – to the armed services of our country. But I do have concerns about women in front-line combat. I think that can be a very compromising situation where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interests of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved, and I think that’s probably – you know, it already happens, of course, with the camaraderie of men in combat. But it’s, I think it would be even more unique if women were in combat. I think that’s probably not in the best interests of men, women, or the mission.

You know, it’s one thing – an outdated, irrational and bigoted thing – to argue that women aren’t fit for combat, but most sexist cranks usually at least try to come up with a better argument than saying that women are too “emotional” for duties traditionally held by men.

But you know what? I applaud Santorum’s remarks; they’re the best way to ensure that he piss off half the voting populace and thereby destroy his already tenuous chances of ever reaching the Oval Office.


Then again, it’s still better than our dear Vox Day’s typically reasonable take on the matter:

Contra what you may assume, I am all for more women in the U.S. military. I not only want to see all 238,000 combat-related positions opened to women, I want to see the Pentagon create an entire combat battalion of female-only Marines. In fact, I demand it in the name of diversity and equality!

Then, after half the battalion gets wiped out in its first action by 25 Taliban fighters armed with an RPG and four AK-47s between them, and the other half surrenders, America can kick back and enjoy the many gang-rape videos that will be on the Internet about 24 hours later.

Do I really need to add anything here? Didn’t think so.

Stay classy, Vox.

(via @todayspolitics)