Dean's World -

I have learned to respect conservatives. For a brief while I considered myself one of them, but eventually I realized I disagreed with them on too many things. But I still recognize that they often have good arguments that should not be simply dismissed. They often raise very good concerns, even Politically Incorrect concerns that should be considered carefully and not just dismissed as "reactionary" or "sexist."

But I can't fail to notice a certain basic fact of life: currently, the American military is the most badass, frightening military machine that has ever existed on Planet Earth. At the moment, if we wanted them to, the American military could destroy any military machine on the planet, and probably do it in weeks if not days.

That's not jingoism, that's fact. But it raises some objections that not all American conservatives are entirely comfortable with. To whit:

America's 21st century forces cut through Iraq's military like a hot knife through butter. They did it not just in months, but WEEKS. They destroyed the Taliban in Afghanistan in WEEKS, not YEARS.

Yet here's the thing: the conservative Center for Military Readiness, which is located not far from my house, and is run mostly by women, has been telling me for more than twenty years that the Pentagon's policy of integrating women into the American military is degrading our fighting forces.

I don't say that they raise no valid objections. But I must say: for over 20 years they've been claiming that women in the American military are degrading our fighting performance. And in the last 20 years, America has become the predominant fighting force on the planet. We let THE GIRLS be a part of our fight, and since then we have become the most fearsome and effective fighting force that the world has ever seen.

I'm not saying we need to admit women into the dogfaces who make up the front-line infantry. Nor even that we need them in the SEALS or the Special Forces. But are you telling me they can't make effective pilots, effective snipers, effective bombers, effective line officers, effective noncoms?

I've been listening to conservatives tell me that GIRLS are degrading our fighting forces' effectiveness for most of my life, and in those same years I've watched America become the most fearsome and effective fighting force the world has ever seen.

Give it up you conservatives. Integrating them has NOT weakened our military forces at all. If it did, then how did America become the most fearsome military machine in world history? Luck?

And by the way: women generally make better snipers than men do. They're often scary-good shots. My wife can give excellent testimony to that. So did my grandma, who was an incredible shot with a rifle.

Yes yes, the boys are bigger and have better upper-arm strength and can maybe run a little faster and do more pushups. But the whole idea that the presence of women in our armed forces has degraded our armed forces? You're nuts.

Yes women add complications and difficulties, but other than that, what? The American military of today is the scariest, most lethal fighting force in the history of the world. And you think that GIRLS are screwing it up? What do you base that on besides theoretical concerns?