Jesus' General

Service Privileges

I see that the librul media is maligning our military once again. A recent Denver Post series makes the claim that rape is a problem in the military. One article goes as far as to claim that it is more common in our armed forces than in general society and that it isn't prosecuted.

Rape is widespread in the armed forces, where more than 200,000 women serve. Sketchy military record-keeping makes it impossible to quantify. ...Department of Veterans Affairs surveys in the past decade found 21 percent and 30 percent of women reported a rape or attempted rape. The comparable civilian figure is nearly 18 percent, according to a federal survey in 2000. During congressional hearings in 1991, witnesses estimated that up to 200,000 women had been sexually assaulted by servicemen.

Leniency toward sexual-assault crimes is routine. Over the past 10 years, twice as many accused Army sex offenders were given administrative punishment as were court-martialed. In the civilian world, four of five people arrested for rape are prosecuted. Nearly 5,000 accused sex offenders in the military, including rapists, have avoided prosecution, and the possibility of prison time, since 1992, according to Army records. The Air Force released only limited data, and the Navy and Marines gave out none. But civilian victim advocates say the trends are similar.

I've spent most of my life in uniform and I can tell you that after a day practicing the manly art of war, the sight of a woman does nothing for me. Real warriors crave the companionship of other warriors--in a heterosexual kind of way of course. Sure, we may have team building exercises that involve a lot of cucumbers, bananas, and vaseline, but it improves morale. There's nothing wrong with that, and it certainly isn't rape.

Greg Easterbrook had it right when he wrote: "'No' does not always mean no." Often it means "please," no matter what the object of your affection may continue to claim. Real, manly, conservative men know that. It's why we're men.