Thursday, November 16, 2006

How the Grinch stole the JROTC

Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) is an elective at secondary schools across the nation. It is a wonderful opportunity for young people to be exposed to the benefits of discipline and organization, and there is no commitment to join the military after graduation from high school. I taught at what could be considered an "inner-city" high school for a year, and their JROTC program was one of the school's shining lights. The students who joined were truly the cream of the school, and some others who joined definitely were not, but quickly improved their attitude.

The Grinches of the San Francisco board of education voted 4-2 yesterday to ban JROTC from San Francisco school campuses. The board's stated reason for doing so was because of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which is ironic because homosexual students are not barred from participating in JROTC. But the whole discrimination-against-gays angle is just window dressing. We all know the real reason JROTC was banned in San Francisco: they downright hate the military and everything it stands for. They hate the masculinity, the aggression, the strict adherence to honor and values - the very things that are anathema to the huggy-huggy, kumbaya political left. I have also noticed that San Francisco re-named their famous Army Street. Now it is labeled on maps as Cesar Chavez Street. Deep down, people like these bozos in San Francisco actually believe that if we simply got rid of our military, there would be no more wars in the world, and everyone would just get along. How serene it must be to live in their world. Luckily for these leftist loons, there are people who are willing to make it possible to live in that world of theirs. I can't confirm if George Orwell really said this, but there is a famous quote often attributed to him that says, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." What will forever tick me off about people like these morons on the San Francisco board of (mis) education (and millions of other Americans like them) is that their putrid actions like the one yesterday are made possible because of the sacrifices of those "rough men (and women)" that they so despise.

Good Day to You, Sir

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hear hear.

Dave Splash said...

I don't accept your premise that the people of San Francisco just hate the military for no reason. The anti-gay reason is legitimate. There are some people who view discrimiation based on sexual orientation as anti-American and unconstitutional. When the military lists homosexuality as a defect like "stammering or stuttering, dyslexia, sleepwalking, motion sickness, obesity, and insect venom allergies.." (WP) (link) and use it as a reason to discharge people or disallow them from service, it is still fair to say the organization discriminates. That is enough reason for anyone to take issue with the military.

Before you become totally unhinged and say liberals hate the military, etc. etc., -- I don't. But I am disappointed that our military will willfully remove some potentially great soldiers, officers, etc. for the sole reason of who he/she sleeps with. We need the best possible people in today's military, and I just don't view being gay as a reason to disallow someone from service.

Darren said...

Howard: those things you state aren't created by the military itself. They've been required by Congress for several decades.

Perhaps the new Democrat-controlled Congress will reverse these policies, like "Don't ask, don't tell; Defense of Marriage Act"-signing Democrat Bill Clinton did.

Liberals hate the military. If I were the SecDef, I'd put an immediate halt to Fleet Week in San Francisco.

W.R. Chandler said...

Howard, I never said San Francisco and many leftists in general hate the military for no reason; I specifically listed the reasons, and pointed out that their reasons are atrocious.

Dave Splash said...

Don't blame Clinton for the ban on gays in the military. That has been the policy since before he, you and I were all born. I know you hate Bill Clinton, but there are some things in the world that he is not responsible for. Get over him. He has been out of office for more than six years. Really. I didn't see you arguing for a repeal of the ban, so I guess that means you support legal discrimination.

I don't know what you mean by "leftists." You guys conveniently come up with new names to attack your opponents. I am a liberal Democrat and I don't hate the military, nor do I know anyone else who does. I hate the current civilian leaders of the military (Bush, Rumsfeld), and think that anyone who truly respects the military would as well.

But the guys have (R) after their name, so they must be "good for the military" right? They cut benefits for veterans, extend tours of duty for national guard members, and engage the military in wars in the wrong country, yet you still support them. Really sad, guys.