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Pearl Harbor Day
Dec. 7th, 2007 09:33 amAs an ex-Navy person, Pearl Harbor day is obviously of interest to me. The fact that it's also my dad's birthday (he was born in 1939) is I guess a reminder that, even on red letter days, normal life goes on.
I've been half-heartedly following a debate on Volokh Conspiracy about women in combat. It's full of emotion, andecdote and personal attacks.
The fact as I see it is that women have done as well (or as poorly) as men have in combat. This link in today about a woman getting the Combat Medic Badge is exhibit #25,343 in the argument. (See here for exhibit #25,342.)
Are women on average physically weaker then men? Well, duh. Can and does that cause problems? Again, duh. In large part, the argument is "optimal" vs. "effective." It might be optimal to have all your soldiers six feet tall and able to carry 200 pounds all day. Can a lesser mortal be effective?
At any rate, this argument, like many others, is unwinnable, because most of the debaters don't want their opinions confused by the facts. So, I have retired from the field, and will instead just call Dad to wish him a happy birthday.
I've been half-heartedly following a debate on Volokh Conspiracy about women in combat. It's full of emotion, andecdote and personal attacks.
The fact as I see it is that women have done as well (or as poorly) as men have in combat. This link in today about a woman getting the Combat Medic Badge is exhibit #25,343 in the argument. (See here for exhibit #25,342.)
Are women on average physically weaker then men? Well, duh. Can and does that cause problems? Again, duh. In large part, the argument is "optimal" vs. "effective." It might be optimal to have all your soldiers six feet tall and able to carry 200 pounds all day. Can a lesser mortal be effective?
At any rate, this argument, like many others, is unwinnable, because most of the debaters don't want their opinions confused by the facts. So, I have retired from the field, and will instead just call Dad to wish him a happy birthday.