Dear Fred,
OH, THE IRONY OF SOMEONE CALLING PETE HEGSETH A "WEAK SMALL MAN" FOR IMPLEMENTING THE EXACT POLICY THAT WILL IDENTIFY AND REMOVE WEAK MEN FROM COMBAT ROLES. THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING.
Let me walk you through what you apparently missed while crafting your outrage tweet about "removing women from roles they have fought to gain."
Hegseth's directive establishes ONE GENDER-NEUTRAL STANDARD for combat positions. Not "male only positions." Not "excluding women." ONE OBJECTIVE PHYSICAL STANDARD THAT APPLIES TO EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF GENDER.
You know what that means, Fred? It means CAPABLE WOMEN WHO MEET THE STANDARD WILL SERVE IN COMBAT ROLES. And INCAPABLE MEN WHO DON'T MEET THE STANDARD WILL BE REMOVED.
The policy LITERALLY states: "If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result. So be it. IT WILL ALSO MEAN THAT WEAK MEN WON'T QUALIFY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT PLAYING GAMES."
So your claim that this is about "removing women" is FACTUALLY INCORRECT. This is about removing INCAPABLE PEOPLE - male or female. Some women will excel where men fail. Some men will excel where women fail. THE STANDARD DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE BASED ON GENDER. IT DISCRIMINATES BASED ON CAPABILITY.
Here's what you're actually upset about: For years, standards were LOWERED to meet diversity quotas. Different physical requirements existed for men and women, and we pretended they were equivalent when they objectively weren't. Women were meeting a FEMALE standard while men were meeting a MALE standard, and then both were placed in the same combat roles where CAPABILITY determines survival.
Hegseth is saying: NO MORE SEPARATE STANDARDS. One high standard. Gender-neutral. If you meet it, you're in - male or female. If you don't meet it, you're out - male or female.
And you're calling this "removing women from roles they fought to gain"? WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SAYING IS THAT WOMEN CAN'T COMPETE ON EQUAL TERMS. You're arguing that women NEED lowered standards to qualify. THAT'S THE SEXIST POSITION, FRED.
Let me tell you something about those women who "fought to gain" combat roles: The truly capable ones WANT this policy. They want to know that everyone around them met the SAME STANDARD. They want to serve alongside warriors who are OBJECTIVELY QUALIFIED, not people who squeaked through on quotas.
You know what undermines women's accomplishments? When standards are lowered to let them pass. When people whisper, "She only made it because they changed the requirements." When male soldiers question whether their female teammates are truly capable because they met a different standard.
THIS POLICY ELIMINATES THAT DOUBT. Women who meet the standard will have EARNED it on exactly the same terms as men. No asterisks. No qualifications. No "well, she met the female standard." Just: "SHE MET THE STANDARD."
But here's where your tweet gets particularly rich. You claim "Pete isn't a Ranger because dozens of women are." WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT? Hegseth served 20 years including combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Are you suggesting that women becoming Rangers somehow DISQUALIFIES his service? By what twisted logic does that work?
And then you call him a "weak small man" for... implementing a policy that will remove WEAK MEN from combat positions? Do you not see the contradiction? He's literally ensuring that weak men WON'T serve in combat roles, and you're attacking him for being weak? THE IRONY IS MAGNIFICENT.
Let me be crystal clear about something: I spent 23 years as an Army medic serving alongside men and women in combat zones. I've seen women who could outperform men physically and mentally. I've seen men who couldn't hack it. The CAPABILITY matters. The GENDER doesn't.
What Hegseth is doing is establishing TRUE EQUALITY: one objective standard that applies to everyone. Women who meet it will serve with distinction. Men who don't meet it will be removed. THIS IS WHAT EQUAL TREATMENT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE.
You want to know what "tearing down accomplishments" actually means? It's when standards are lowered to meet diversity quotas, and then everyone questions whether accomplishments were EARNED or GIVEN. It's when capable women are lumped in with less capable ones who only qualified because requirements were reduced.
THIS POLICY VALIDATES CAPABLE WOMEN. It says: "If you can meet the highest standard, you BELONG in combat roles - not because of your gender, but because of your CAPABILITY."
The women who will qualify under these standards won't need anyone defending them or making excuses for them. They'll be OBJECTIVELY QUALIFIED warriors who met the same requirements as their male counterparts. Their accomplishments will be UNQUESTIONABLE.
But apparently, Fred, you don't think women can compete on equal terms. You think they NEED separate, lower standards to succeed. You're arguing that holding women to the same standard as men is "removing" them from combat roles.
THAT'S THE SEXIST POSITION. Not Hegseth's policy of one objective standard for all.
Here's what this really comes down to: The military's PRIMARY FUNCTION is not social engineering or equal representation. It's WINNING WARS with minimal American casualties. That requires THE MOST CAPABLE WARRIORS regardless of gender.
If capable women can meet the standard, OUTSTANDING. They should serve. If incapable men can't meet the standard, they should be removed. If some combat roles end up with no women because none currently meet the standard, that's not discrimination - THAT'S OBJECTIVE QUALIFICATION.
And here's the beautiful part: As women become STRONGER and more CAPABLE through training, more will meet the standard. The path forward isn't LOWERING the bar - it's RAISING women up to meet it. That's ACTUAL empowerment, not the participation trophy feminism you're advocating for.
So before you call someone a "weak small man" for implementing policy you clearly don't understand, maybe consider that TRUE EQUALITY means ONE STANDARD FOR ALL. Not different standards that we pretend are the same. Not quotas. Not preferences.
CAPABILITY. PERIOD.
OH, AND FRED - SINCE YOU'RE SO CONFIDENT CALLING HEGSETH "WEAK" AND "SMALL," HERE'S A PUBLIC CHALLENGE:
LET'S SETTLE THIS WITH AN ARMY COMBAT FITNESS TEST (ACFT) COMPETITION. YOU VERSUS HEGSETH. TELEVISED. PUBLIC. THE FULL SIX EVENTS: DEADLIFT, STANDING POWER THROW, HAND-RELEASE PUSH-UPS, SPRINT-DRAG-CARRY, LEG TUCK, AND TWO-MILE RUN.
We'll see who the "weak small man" really is when you're both held to THE SAME OBJECTIVE STANDARD. Put your physical capability where your Twitter fingers are, Fred. If he's so weak, this should be easy for you, right?
NAME THE TIME AND PLACE. I'LL MAKE SURE IT'S BROADCAST SO EVERYONE CAN WATCH YOU BACK UP YOUR WORDS. Or will you suddenly discover that calling someone names on social media is easier than actually demonstrating superior physical capability?
WAITING FOR YOUR RESPONSE, FRED. THE CHALLENGE IS PUBLIC. THE WORLD IS WATCHING.
The women who meet this standard won't need your defense, Fred. They'll be too busy EXCELLING in combat roles they EARNED on exactly the same terms as everyone else.
#OneStandardForAll #CapabilityNotGender #TrueEquality #MilitaryExcellence #StrengthKnowsNoGender #MeritMatters #CombatReadiness #EarnedNotGiven #ObjectiveStandards #DefendTheCapable