Decades after America became seemingly selfaware and confronted the civil rights issues facing our country, it seems that discrimination and segregation are getting worse. The Blog, Kicking Ass, for the Democratic National Committee has posted a new report that Republicans in the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee have supported a last-minute amendment to ban women from combat support roles. Women are already banned from direct combat jobs and now they are extending the policy to include support roles.

The Army currently has a ban on women in direct combat roles — this amendment would mean women assigned to combat support roles — like maintenance, supply, or food service specialities would not be able to travel with their units if deployed to the front lines where direct combat could occur.

At a time when recruiting is at an all time low across all services, do we really need to be scaling back the pool of people who are available to meet our military committments around the world? Why can’t our government allow equal access to jobs if those who are qualified can handle the work? Let the merits and qualifications of the people doing the work be the disqualifier, not just a blanket rule to discriminate against an entire population. If a man is unable to perform the duties of his job, then he is removed from that position. He is fired or demoted and kicked out of the service. His job performance is the measure of his success and his ability. Why can’t we afford women, and gay people for that matter, the same chance to prove themselves. If they can’t cut it, then get rid of them, just like the real corporate world of adult America. We are causing an even greater shortage of people in an already overworked and overdeployed military.

The article makes reference to the move as being yet another part of the efforts of Republicans to cater to the right-wing special interests.

Where is the evidence to support these close-minded decisions?

Read the full article at DNC: Kicking Ass - Republicans vote to ban women from combat roles in the Army.
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