View Single Post
Old 03-01-2010, 15:37   #112
The Reaper
Quiet Professional
 
The Reaper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,825
Quote:
Originally Posted by afchic View Post
okay, say one of your daughters comes up to you and says "dad, i want to try out for such and such boys team." You know she has the skill to do so, she may just be one of the special ones that can actually compete with the boys. What do you tell her?

You have a daughter who is in the Navy, who has done her time in the nuke field on a ship and is one of the very best at what she does, as shown by her performance evaluations, and she comes to you for advice about wanting to get on a sub. What do you tell her?
Not trying to answer for Pete, but here is my .02.

Two different scenarios.

In the first, find out why she isn't trying out or playing for the girls' team. Virtually all sports have teams for each gender, at least at the Div I level. Why force the boys and their coach have to make accomodations and hard decisions? I also not not want to see her get hurt. Once boys hit puberty and catch up, she is going to get pounded. Up till then, say age 13 or so, she could probably compete.

In the second, I would ask her why she wants to be on a sub. If she has been successful as a surface sailor up to this point, why change? It isn't like the job is any more rewarding in a sub. Be the best she can as a surface nuke sailor. Why get locked up with 127 men for months at the time? Why would we ask 127 males to make accomodations for one female?

My children both realize that everyone is different (especially boys and girls), people have to live with rules, and life isn't fair.

As far as your earlier question about service academies, I have no issue with it at the public service schools, as long as they do not distract. If you can have private women's school, then I do not see an issue with a private men's service school.

Back to the OT, I do not think that the few females who are qualified and able to serve aboard subs are worth the turmoil, drama, and morale issues of putting them aboard submarines. Too much to lose, little to gain.

YMMV.

TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
The Reaper is offline   Reply With Quote