Sacrifices made in the name of lust » « Dianne Feinstein is dead

Stupid old bigot says the quiet part out loud

Tommy Tuberville, the dumb-ass Republican who has been single-handedly holding up various military appointments, spoke out about why he voted against the latest general to go up for confirmation.

“I heard some things that he talked, about race and things that he wanted to mix into the military,” Tuberville said about Brown.

“Let me tell you something: Our military is not an equal-opportunity employer,” he said.

“We’re not looking for different groups, social justice groups,” Tuberville said. “We don’t want to single-handedly destroy our military from within. We all need to be one,” he added.

He also said, “Our military is becoming so political that we’re going to go south when it comes to readiness.”

You know, the military is an equal opportunity employer — about 31% of the members belong to racial minorities. Maybe he was confused because the senior ranks are far less egalitarian?

At least his last sentence is correct. It’s just that he represents the problem.

Sacrifices made in the name of lust » « Dianne Feinstein is dead

Comments

  1. birgerjohansson says

    Black servicemen fought in Europe and the Pacific before this dinosaur was born.
    Black and hispanic soldiers fought under Pershing before TT’s dad was born.

  2. Pierce R. Butler says

    … we’re going to go south when it comes to readiness.

    I’d call that a dog-whistle to the “Let’s attack Mexico!!1!” faction, except Tuberville so far has not shown the intelligence to do dog-whistles.

  5. quotetheunquote says

    Wow, I can’t believe the U.S. is still in a state where this old (fictional, from a TV show, but still) argument still has to be made:
    Fitzwallace on gays in the military
    “…that’s what they were saying about me 50 years ago – blacks shouldn’t serve with whites, it would disrupt the unit. You know what? It did disrupt the unit. The unit changed. The unit got over it. I’m an admiral in the US navy and Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff – beat that with a stick.”

  6. wzrd1 says

    Remember now, Tubby’s entirely pro-military, which is why he wants to eject all minorities – per his own words above, resulting in the military losing 1/3 of its strength. I’m sure he’ll be happy then to eject those remaining who aren’t WASPs. Leaving insufficient numbers to even be capable of supervising a boy scout troop.
    If we were in a conflict, I could successfully bring charges of treason against him for giving aid and comfort to the enemy. He’d then be able to speak what passes for a mind to his heart’s desire, for few listen to prisoners in solitary confinement and those few tend to not listen.

    Since this office has been existence longer than he’s had a political career:
    https://diversity.defense.gov/
    I’m sure that the officers there are highly entertained by his suggestions, given it’s nearly verbatim the arguments against desegregation under Eisenhower, who obviously would have been denied his stars by Tubby.
    Speaks volumes, can’t even wrangle an original argument, but has to go what’s been decided a half century ago.
    I’d slap him with a rock a few times, but frankly, he’s not worth the effort. Besides, shit splatters.

  7. HidariMak says

    Tubby has zero military experience, believes that holding up dozens of military appointments does not impact military readiness, and thinks that women who get pregnant (even through rape) should get zero consideration. If he really wanted to help military readiness, he would resign.

  9. says

    I find it rather disheartening (if also completely expected) that the less-than-esteemed junior senator from a state that, on all appearances, still has a substantial government presence of Confederales himself is not a veteran, nor did he have any relevant academic background or work experience, but nonetheless demands not just a voice in but veto over military policy down to individual promotions.

    One wonders what he and his ilk thought of me, an atheist by choice and Jew by descent (who was not raised as to either, but that’s not for here). Oh, wait a minute: Once upon a time, while on temporary duty at Air University, Maxwell AFB, Alabama (in Mooooooooooooooontgomery), during late March I tried to do a favor for a couple of colleagues. They were out on a training activity with no phone access during the day (I was injured so was back at the base), so I called the Chamber of Commerce to find a synagogue/temple for Passover services — there weren’t any listed in the local phone book, and due to a death in the family the base’s rabbi was away. Unfortunately, due to a calendar confluence this was the day after the Palm Sunday sermon, I didn’t even get a “Bless your heart!” response from the heavily-Southern-accented receptionist; instead I got “Go to hell, you christ-killer! [click]” Thus my skepticism on the relationship of good Confederate‘murikan-valued Alabamans to the military.

    But congratulations General Brown (ceremony today, officially on Sunday — Wikipedia is wrong, Milley’s term expires Sunday and he hasn’t formally resigned) for being an AFROTC graduate Chairman. I think it less than coincidental that both of the Black Chairmen are ROTC graduates,† not ringknockers, when over 80% of the Chairmen in the history of the office have been academy grads. I’m sure I won’t agree with all of his decisions (he is, after all, a rated officer), but then I won’t have all of the information and experience he has on which to base his decisions, either. Which, come to think of it, is rather the point regarding Tommy Footballcoach’s (mis)conduct.

    † Do not get me started on how someone experienced with the USAF officer personnel system can read General Brown’s service history and point out all of the additional sidelining he has overcome on the way. Unless you’d really like to learn more about The System than you’ll ever find use for.

  10. whheydt says

    While I realize that Robert A. Heinlein raises mixed feelings, and Starship Troopers even more so, there is a relevant sub-plot in the book that most people miss. This is largely because a specific aspect of US Navy policy up through WW2 is largely unknown. In the Navy during that period, the only job that Filipinos were assigned was Steward. Heinlein, in the book, is objecting to that and advocating advancement on merit regardless of background. The protagonist, Johnny Rico is a Filipino, as revealed when someone asks, late in the book, what language his family spoke at home and his answer is, “Tagalog.”

  11. robro says

    Great headline from the Washington Post: Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore files for bankruptcy on eve of new Maryland law that allows more sexual abuse survivors to sue. That’s the headline in an email I received. The published version is “Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, facing possible slew of abuse lawsuits, files for bankruptcy”.

  12. brucej says

    Tuber-head should rejoice in the relaxing of the Senate dress code; he can wear hi Klan regalia openly on the Senate floor.

  14. birgerjohansson says

    Whheydt @ 10

    Heinlein’s libertarian beliefs were whacky, but he stood out as a bright beacon in an era saturated of racism.

    And he was not fooled by religion, or the odious Scientology guy. It must have seemed unfair that he had to retire for medical reasons, while that buffoon managed to stay in in the Navy despite obvious screwups.

  16. says

    he stood out as a bright beacon in an era saturated of racism.

    Try his book Sixth Column Heinlein was as saturated with racism as the next guy in that era.

  17. whheydt says

    Re: robro @ #11….
    Grumble. I don’t think the courts should accept bankruptcy petitions from religious organizations because it forces a violation of separation of church and state.

  19. Silentbob says

    @ 16,18

    I’ve not read either but the synopses suggest Heinlein was critiquing racism not embracing it. In both cases it comes across as, “how would white people like it if they were treated like they treat others”?

    Again, haven’t read, so probably wrong.

  21. eafoster says

    It is really time the Americans have an age limit on people who can run and sit in Congress. Now this guy most likely is a racist from back in the day, but it could also be his mind is “slipping”, like he forgot this is not something you say in public. Its kept for those southern country clubs, etc.

    When Tupperville says things such as he did, in public, it gives others a “pass” to engage in similar behaviour.

    Racism is never going to end. This I know. As some one said to me, We may not be able to change how they think, but we can change how they act. There doesn’t appear to be any ramifications for Tupperville’s actions. Too bad there isn’t a Human Rights Commission where people could file complaints and be heard.
    “wonder how much they’re paying him”, then I realize he does it for free.
    Tupperville is endangering tjhe military and its readiness to be prepared for unwelcome issues. He just doesn’t care. Some one ought to tell him, things aren’t going back to what they once were. What is remarkable is I haven’t heard any of his collegues speaking out against him.

  22. StevoR says

    @ 16. Marcus Ranum : “Try his book Sixth Column Heinlein was as saturated with racism as the next guy in that era.”

    Haven’t read that one that I recall but its wikipedia page :

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_Column

    Notes :

    The idea for the story of Sixth Column was proposed by John W. Campbell, who had written a similar unpublished story called “All”. Heinlein would later write that he “had to reslant it to remove racist aspects of the original story line” and he would also have to write that he did not “consider it to be an artistic success.”

    I’ll also note the Farnharm’s Freehold noted by #18 chigau (違う) includes the rveiew that :

    Charles Stross has rhetorically asked whether “anyone [has] a kind word to say for … Farnham’s Freehold ”, and then described it as the result of “a privileged white male from California, a notoriously exclusionary state, trying to understand American racism in the pre-Martin Luther King era. And getting it wrong for facepalm values of wrong, so wrong he wasn’t even on the right map … but at least he wasn’t ignoring it.”[5]

    The New Republic, while conceding Heinlein’s desire to “show the evils of ethnic oppression”, states that in the process Heinlein “resurrected some of the most horrific racial stereotypes imaginable,” ultimately producing “an anti-racist novel only a Klansman could love.”[6]

    Heinlein also had some commentary in his novel Friday where we had an Artificial Person (genetrically modiified superhuman realluy) – the title character Firday – described as chaving very mixed ancestry including Cherokee if memory serves so that she couldn’t be a racist and that Heinelin opposed racism but I think its fair to say he was a bit racist whilst opposing it in holding stereotype ideas and not really understanding fully the issues and perspective sso .. yeah?

  24. birgerjohansson says

    Chigau @ 18
    No, and having read this I can understand why it was never translated…
    Aaargh I read some of his later books and found them weird, but this is much worse.

  25. StevoR says

    From a letter to the main character – Friday – in Heinlein’s eponymous novel : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_(novel)

    I once scratched my curiosity by listing the sources that went into creating you. (Friday – the main character. Ed.) As near as I can recall they are : Finnish, Polynesian, Amerindian, Innuit (sic), Danish, red Irish, Swazi, Korean, German, Hindu, English -and bits and pieces from elsewhere sincenone of the above is pure. You can never afford to be racist; you would bite your own tail!

    All that the above really means is that the best materials were picked to design you, regardless of source. It is sheer luck that you wound up beautiful as well.

    Pages 304- 305, Friday, Heinlein, New English library ,1982.

    FWIW. Heinlein’s wikipage also has this :

    Heinlein grew up in the era of racial segregation in the United States and wrote some of his most influential fiction at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. He explicitly made the case for using his fiction not only to predict the future but also to educate his readers about the value of racial equality and the importance of racial tolerance.[95] His early novels were very much ahead of their time both in their explicit rejection of racism and in their inclusion of protagonists of color. In the context of science fiction before the 1960s, the mere existence of characters of color was a remarkable novelty, with green occurring more often than brown.[96] For example, his 1948 novel Space Cadet explicitly uses aliens as a metaphor for minorities. In his novel The Star Beast, the de facto foreign minister of the Terran government is an undersecretary, a Mr. Kiku, who is from Africa.[97] Heinlein explicitly states his skin is “ebony black” and that Kiku is in an arranged marriage that is happy.[98]

    In a number of his stories, Heinlein challenges his readers’ possible racial preconceptions by introducing a strong, sympathetic character, only to reveal much later that he or she is of African or other ancestry. In several cases, the covers of the books show characters as being light-skinned when the text states or at least implies that they are dark-skinned or of African ancestry.[101] Heinlein repeatedly denounced racism in his nonfiction works, including numerous examples in Expanded Universe.

    Plus :

    Heinlein summed up his attitude toward people of any race in his essay “Our Noble, Essential Decency” thus:

    And finally, I believe in my whole race—yellow, white, black, red, brown—in the honesty, courage, intelligence, durability, and goodness of the overwhelming majority of my brothers and sisters everywhere on this planet. I am proud to be a human being.

    But, OTOH, he did create fictional ethnic bioweapons and : “John Hickman, writing in the European Journal of American Studies, identifies examples of anti–East Asian racism in some of Heinlein’s works, particularly Sixth Column.[105]”

    Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Race

    So some contradictions there and Heinlein was conservative and liberatarian so, yeah. Mixed feelings although I did use to love his books as a kid in hindsight, well, there are issues..

    I also recall reading a really funny and clever review of Stranger in a Strange Land somewhere (maybe linked by someone here?) looking at the whole foundinga sex cult as the big idea of that novel butcan’t seem to find it now although this review :

    https://www.tor.com/2010/12/10/smug-messiah-robert-a-heinleins-stranger-in-a-strange-land/

    Also raises some notable points against it.

  27. charles says

    whheydt @10. Regarding Filipinos in the Navy, while I was on USS Long Beach there was one filipino in E division and ever other one I knew of was in either Wardroom or Captains Mess. Also there were no non-whites in propulsion, nor do I recall any at nuke school.

    You might have to hit over the head to recognize racism, but I can’t see “Farnham’s Freehold” as anything except racism. Still I think reading Heinlein help make me a better person, and not as a bad example to avoid.

    I read once that Heinlein changed a lot after divorcing his first wife, to marry his secretary.

  28. birgerjohansson says

    Petesh @ 26

    Truman does not count! He was a steenky demmucrat. Not like Reagan (who single-handedly liberated Normandy), or Eisenhower* who had absolutely nothing to to with bad decisions taken regarding a secular, Democratic government in Iran.

    Besides, hardly any generals are non-white which proves TT is right- if the darkies were any good, there would be more of them among the top brass.

    *and Eisenhower decreed no lesbian women were allowed in the military, which is another proof he was brilliant.

  30. says

    Tuberville is also almost the only member of the Armed Services Committee who NEVER served in the military. Oh but his dad did and died in combat. Talk about stolen valor bullshit. Does he play dress up in his daddy’s uniform and look in the mirror?

  31. says

    @30

    I suspect that when he does dress-up-in-a-uniform it’s a Confederate uniform. And that he thinks Braxton Bragg was the epitome of military leadership.

  32. John Morales says

    StevoR, re “I also recall reading a really funny and clever review of Stranger in a Strange Land somewhere (maybe linked by someone here?) looking at the whole foundinga sex cult as the big idea of that novel butcan’t seem to find it now ”

    I’ve previously linked to a YouTube review which amused me:
    Modern Classics Summarized: Stranger In A Strange Land

  33. StevoR says

    @ ^ John Morales : Classic! Thanks again for that. Some fasinating stuff on Hellenic (& more) mythology there too it seems.

    @31. Jaws : Who? (Wiki checks) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braxton_Bragg Ah. Yup. Something new learnt today, thanks.

    @21. eafoster :

    … When Tupperville says things such as he did, in public, it gives others a “pass” to engage in similar behaviour.
    …(Snip)..
    Tupperville is endangering the military and its readiness to be prepared for unwelcome issues. He just doesn’t care. Some one ought to tell him, things aren’t going back to what they once were. What is remarkable is I haven’t heard any of his collegues speaking out against him.

    Good points there. Racism is increasingly being normalised, ignored and shrugged off and the descent into further racism in USAian culture thus accelerated. Overton window pushed ever further to extremist bigotry and “”ideas” and a trend that badly needs reversing. A consequence of Trumpism and also something enabling it and exacerbating it I think.

  34. Silentbob says

    @ ^

    I challenge anyone familiar with Stevo’s history on this blog not to laugh at this comment. ;-)

  35. John Morales says

    @ ^

    Too late, Stridentbib.

    BTW, I do like StevoR’s attitude. Reminds me somewhat of Walton, though he is older. A true space cadet, an actually well-meaning person, someone who has overcome adversity and come good.

    —

    I do recall some aspirational resolution about not being nasty but rather being positive about other commenters by a certain commenter here.
    Still, resolutions are cheap, no?
    Truly intended, at the very moment they’re expressed.

    It’s informative seeing how that has developed, and the outcomes so far.

    (Can you guess to whom I refer, Silentbob?)

  36. John Morales says

    [Obs, Walton’s thing was the monarchy, StevoR’s thing is space. Point remains]

  39. John Morales says

    CreakyBug:

    In your case I’d accept a

    What?
    Whatever.
    Brag about your cluelessness all you want.

    Point being, StevoR is keen and genuine and a worthwhile commenter.

    Why you imagine others might laugh at his comments is not obvious to me, but I can suspect its basis. Earnestness, genuineness is not your thing.

    (P.S. I’ve no idea who “Walton” is Grampa.)

    PZ doubtless does, as does any other old-timer.

    (chigau probably remembers him)

  40. StevoR says

    @ ^ Silentbob & John Morales : I remember Walton. A good regular commentator here many years ago.

  41. Silentbob says

    @ 35

    Stridentbib

    Mark my words, in a week this clown’s going to be calling me Syphilis Bubonicus and thinking he’s the apex of witty repartee. I called it now.

    (His best effort so far is “FecalBubulum” and I’m not even kidding X-D )

    https://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2023/09/07/that-israel-is-an-apartheid-state-has-become-undeniable/#comment-5238648

    Spare a thought for me having to deal with this 8 year old whose actual age is more than that squared.

  42. John Morales says

    Mark my words, in a week this clown’s going to be calling me Syphilis Bubonicus and thinking he’s the apex of witty repartee. I called it now.

    <snicker>

    (As you wish)

  46. Jim Balter says

    Heinlein had a lot of problems and shared in the institutional racism of his society, but to say Farnham’s Freehold shows that he was a racist is fucking stupid. Here’s a far better take on it:

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13163696

    Tbf, I viewed Farnham’s Freehold as being intended to be as explicitly anti-racist as Henlein said he was (cf. I’ve never agreed. The racist son is an utter imbecile whose racist comments are repeatedly shot down by the hero protagonist, and the ultra-civilised future black society they run into that assumes that white people are less than human (and tasty!) but are otherwise very congenial is obviously a clunky parody of Jim Crow era America rather than a depiction of impending threat posed by black people (it’s been made abundantly clear that the white people wiped their own civilization out, and the Joe character even gets to explicitly point out the enslaved white folks really aren’t treated that much worse than a household servant in 1960s Alabama.)
    Of course, it’s done with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but somehow it’s far more forgivable in its consistently tone deaf naivety than if it appeared Henlein actually had a decent understanding of race relations. (like the District 9 filmmakers ruining their perfect race-relations satire with comedy savage Nigerians…)

    The daddy who’s such an ubermensch even his own daughter wants to sleep with him, whilst he’s actually busy screwing her best friend is much harder to accept, of course.

  48. Silentbob says

    As an amusing aside from the horrors of the day – well amusing to me and possibly some others…

    On the first of the month when the resident idiot troll was calling me “Stridentbib” I predicted within a week he’d be calling me Syphilis Bubonicus.

    Well the reality was nine days later he was calling me “SnotBag”, so I still claim victory since although I was two days out; the insult I gave him for free was so much more adult and sophisticated than the one he came up with I’m sure he was thinking about it for two days at least. X-D

    What an utterly pathetic assclown, Lol.

    (Needless to say, I’ve never called the resident troll by anything other than his name or “Mr Hyperliteral”, “Captain Hyperliteral” for reasons that will be painfully obvious to any regular. ;-) )

    Let’s see if he can up his game to at least at middle school level. I say not. :-)

  49. John Morales says

    [Obsessive person obsesses]

    Needless to say, I’ve never called the resident troll by anything other than his name or “Mr Hyperliteral”, “Captain Hyperliteral” for reasons that will be painfully obvious to any regular. ;-)

    Heh. Once again, what’s your natal name, Smegmaticbob?

    (As always, who tries to troll whom is rather evident)

    What an utterly pathetic assclown, Lol.

    Psychological projection reveals your fears, bub.

    (They’re quite real, of course)

  50. Silentbob says

    Ya put the worm on the hook. Ya put the hook in the water – and BAM! ya got a fish. Literally how long did that take? Look at the timestamps! Less than an hour. X-D

    That’s how it’s done folks. I out-trolled the troll in my spare time.

    We now return you to your regular programming. :-)

    (Sorry, I was feeling bored.)

  51. John Morales says

    <snicker>

    I’m sure your worm is well and truly hooked, bub.

    (Was that a two-tissue job?)

  52. hemidactylus says

    @51 John Morales and Silentbob
    Thanks for your bullshit still going on because I got to see @47 Jim Balter say:

    Marcus Ranum and Chigau are wrong and stupid which probably means Balter is still an asshole. No surprise there. He loves calling people stupid. Maybe compensating for his own stuff.

  53. John Morales says

    hemidactylus, nah, no thanks needed on my part.

    I’m only ever responding to SmoochyBuba, not initiating.

    So. What is it you imagine constitutes bullshit on my part?

    (Or are you like the BabulousBag, who accuses but never sustains?)