As if we needed more proof after his experience with privileged-class draft-dodging, the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue demonstrated that he has not just all the best words, but all the best bigotry, by summarily declaring that transgender people may no longer serve in "his" military. The actual announcement displays both bigotry and substantive ignorance:
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow {break} [t]ransgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming {break} victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
Which leads to a number of interesting questions, in the order raised by a word-by-word attempt to understand this:
- Which generals? Are these only generals who you've personally selected for promotion or their positions, or all generals? And did you ask any admirals? How about judge advocate generals and surgeon generals? In short, who are "my" generals… and who are the generals who aren't?
- Who are these "military experts," and what is the source of their expertise? More to the point, how many of them have ever had command authority, or given a death notification, or even sent an individual into harm's way to achieve "decisive and overwhelming victory"?
- Speaking of which, define "victory" of any kind — let alone "decisive" and/or "overwhelming" — given that military officers swear to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," and not any particular policy or moral creed other than the Constitution itself.
- Does "in any capacity in the U.S. Military" include civilian capacities? If so, did you consult any service secretaries, or civil service leaders, or labor lawyers? And were they "yours"?
- Please be more specific on how those "tremendous medical costs" are unique compared to any other definable condition in the military — for example, the cost of protein and vitamin supplements for vegan members of the military, let alone the obvious question of, umm, softness on a clear determinant of victory. Or fluoridation, Mandrake. Well, at least I can identify one of "his" generals…
- Disruption. I think there was disruption forty-nine years (to the day) before that tweet. I just wonder what General Powell thinks of that. Or immigrants like General Shalikashvili.
I'm not a member of your targetted group for exclusion… this time. At least I was adjudged fit to serve and confirmed by the Senate. You, sirrah, are unfit to serve. Really: You said so yourself in evading the draft.