THE U.S. SENATE DEBATES MILITARY SEX ASSAULTS…..26,000 OF THEM!

THE U.S. SENATE DEBATES MILITARY SEX ASSAULTS…..26,000 OF THEM!

(USATODAY, Tom Vanden Brook, Salon.com, Politico)

(Natasha Lennard, Huffington Post, Robert Weiss, Juana Summers)

(Stephanie Gaskell, ABC NEWS, Arlette Saenz, Ashley Rowland, Frazer Chronicle)

A massive problem…..approximately 26,000 sexual assault incidents involving thousands of perpetrators, and somebody has the gumption to say “an amendment goes too far”, or “a suggested bill taking military commanders out of the equation would take a valuable and powerful tool out of the mix.” Another senator worried about impugning the character of military commanders. These people must be out of their fricken minds…..they’ve gotta be kidding…..right?

Unwanted sexual advances…..I would venture to say that every red blooded male has been guilty of inappropriate advances with women, hell I’ve been and I was a boy…..and they where girls. The only problem that I had was that I didn’t score, but I can honestly say that I never forced myself on any girl, or women.

Maybe it was my upbringing, you see I had a mother, and three sisters…..no brothers, and you can’t count my dad…..cause he told me about the rhythm method and I’ve gotta tell you…..to this day I have no idea what the method is, if it’s used, or ever existed, and as I suspect, it was one of my dad’s ghost tails.

However getting back on track…..sexual assault and unwanted physical advances of any type whether between a man and women, or a man and man, or a women and women is a disgusting issue that is way overdo for some sort of meaningful action.

There have been military defense task forces, senate hearings, military tribunals, exposés by newspapers, presidents have talked tough, and victim groups have weighed in on the matter…..all too absolutely no avail. There is a bigger question here…..one that nobody seems to want to tackle, and come to grips with, what in  hell is going on with mostly American men and their attitude towards women?

Another question that should be on the tip of any potential female’s tongue, who might be contemplating a military career, or enrolling in a service academy would be, what are my chances of getting sexually molested, and if so, what are my chances of being taken serious and will the justice I would seek be forthcoming.

Rape or sexual mis-deeds seem to be synonymous with the United States military service, the War Department and actually some in political offices. The issue has always been like an itchy finger on the trigger of a gun, but an issue that sure as hell should be addressed non-the-less, no matter who get’s implicated or hurt.

I wonder how this perversion is affecting those young people who might be entertaining either a hitch in the military or a career. If I were a recruiter, I’d sure as hell want the issue addressed and some strong rules and regulations enacted.

NEANDERTHAL MAN IS NOT DEAD…..HE’S IN THE U.S. MILITARY

Everybody can agree one thing if nothing else on this issue…..the military has, and is taking a pretty caviler attitude towards an issue that is…..in the private sector, illegal. You can’t maul, fondle or feel up another human being unless they express a desire to be treated in that way.

You can’t make a person run a gauntlet of military personnel just for the hell-of-it, to cop a feel, to grab some booty, or to humiliate a person. This activity is unacceptable, despicable, and can’t be tolerated in any of our military.

A General Mark Welsh, in his testimony in front of a Senate committee stated that it was the hookup culture of our nation’s young people. And this statement was from the Air Force Chief of Staff. I gotta tell you, it makes me want to go right out and get my two granddaughters to enlist in the Air Force, this Welsh guy must be a piece of art work.

Here’s a guy, (General Welsh, born in…..where else, San Antonio, Texas, a graduate of the Air Force Academy who has been in the Air Force since 1976, has more assignments than Carter’s got little liver pills, has been an a managerial position for most of his career…..and I’ll bet has come across a sex incident or two in his time…..any doubt how he dealt with the accusations, these young people were just hooking up!

I have absolutely nothing against this General Welsh clown, he’s not even much of a part of today’s blog, it’s just that he opened his big fat, stupid mouth in front of a governmental investigating committee, you know, with reporters, television cameras and tape recorders…..makes me sleep well at night knowing we have men like the General protecting our freedom and way of life.

THERAPEUTIC REPORTS TROUBLING

General Welsh of course has since apologized for his remarks, but his attitude offers a telling look inside how inept military justice system really is. No matter the size of a sexual assault (Tailhook symposium, in 1991 where 83 women and 7 men were allegedly assaulted by 100 Navy and Marine Corps aviation officers…..which was reported), or the occasional three, two, or one on one happens and goes unreported pretty much…..the overbearing reason that has been given for not reporting sexual advancements…..(the 1991 Tailhook) incident, and how it was handled.

The initial report blamed the assault on mainly low ranking military personnel, but after several sexist remarks made in the presence of Assistant Secretary of the Navy, (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Barbara S. Pope, investigating person of the incident, she refused to accept the report.

Rear Admiral Duvall M. Williams Jr. remarked that “a lot of female navy pilots are go-go dancers, topless dancers and hookers.” How could anybody in a position of authority say something so utterly stupid?

Former Navy Secretary Jim Webb, speaking at the Naval Academy said, “When the Tailhook investigation began, and certain political elements used the incident to bring discredit on naval aviation as a whole, and then on the Navy writ large, one is entitled to ask…..Who fought this? Who condemned it? When a whole generation of officers is asked to accept…..the destruction of the careers of some of the finest aviators in the Navy based on hearsay, unsubstantiated allegations, in some cases after full repudiation of anonymous charges that resemble the worst element of McCarthyism…..what admiral has had the courage to risk his own career by putting his stars on the table, and defending the integrity of the process and of its people.”

The above is a direct quote from the former Navy Secretary…..you could look it up, I’ve included it here for one simple reason…..to illustrate in graphic rhetoric what the military feels about civilian interference…..it goes deep and is a hindrance to any kind of justice whenever a thorny issue comes up. There is a complete break-down, ranks are closed, and the vial activity that goes on in our military continues.

In another instance at any sort of justice movement during the 1990’s and cleaning up Navy sexual behavior, another former Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman “condemned the Clinton White House for imposing policies of ‘political corrective’ on the Navy and the Senate Armed Services Committee for impeding the career advancements of officers linked to the 1991 Tailhook sexual assault scandal.”

It is terribly damaging to the very fiber of the Navy as an institution, according to Lehman, “this continuing attack from so many quarters.” Officers were victims of media assassination. Following what should have been a minor story, Lehman continued, “14 admirals have been cashiered, 300 naval aviators have been driven out of the Navy or their careers terminated.”

At this point it was be pointed out that both Webb and Lehman of long, and strong ties to the Navy, both served, both were the top bosses, and I’m sure that both men knew some of the key figures involved with Tailhook. Another issue that is obvious is the fact that neither Webb nor Lehman viewed the people that were the alleged victims in the incident were innocent of any wrongdoing…..it appears as if logic went right out the window with these two guys.

All branches of the military are at fault, it’s just that the Navy got their collective hands in the cookie jar, but it illustrates exactly the attitude of how issues of sexual scandal, harassment up to and including rape of a male or female soldier, male on male rape in barracks, usually conducted as a demonstration of power, procurement of sexual favors from a prostitute is viewed as a rite of passage, of becoming a man!   

 

WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Military communities (civilian communities were military installations are located) also feel the weight of military life and attitudes. There are instances initiated by military personnel as well as some in the civilian population.

The attitude that is wide-spread in the military inherently causes action, reaction and a feeling of alienation by both the military and the townspeople. In locations where there is already hostile feels towards the military, in some instances, the civilian population feels it has no alternative but to confront with physical anger…..and in foreign countries…..attacks happen sometimes on a weekly basis.

As a nation we need to hold our military forces responsible for the activity, and it’s obvious that the military is incapable of policing itself after some of the comments and attitudes listed herein. There is a debate going on in the Senate about getting a handle on the situation, and enacting laws, and rules and regulations that, in the end…..through responsibility will hold the perpetrators of this activity to the standards of civilian law.

It’s necessary, the right thing to do…..and way overdo. I could care less about the image of the military; after all, military personnel shoot the enemy, and in the process sometimes miss the enemy and hit an innocent.

HAVE A NICE DAY!