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Letter writer believes female soldiers out to 'seduce and degrade the military'
At a time of memorializing the sacrifices of our armed forces, President Barack Obama’s speeches about sexual harassment are grossly insulting to our military personnel. Who put the women there? What do you expect to happen when women are put among men trained to be fighters? The military is not a college liberal club. It is not intended to promote sociability.
And let’s not imagine the women are innocent. They know why they are there - why they were put there - to seduce and degrade the military. The problem is not harassment - it’s too much consensual sex intended to weaken the forces. The liberals are fixated on 1930s Spain and imagine the military is plotting a coup, so they want to mislead and disarm it. Someone said, “If you’re not paranoic, you’re really crazy. And naive.”
Peter Cortland
Wallingford
And let’s not imagine the women are innocent. They know why they are there - why they were put there - to seduce and degrade the military. The problem is not harassment - it’s too much consensual sex intended to weaken the forces. The liberals are fixated on 1930s Spain and imagine the military is plotting a coup, so they want to mislead and disarm it. Someone said, “If you’re not paranoic, you’re really crazy. And naive.”
Peter Cortland
Wallingford
posted by Matt DeRienzo at
12:12 AM
14 Comments:
This is the most ridiculous idea that I have ever heard. I am a 22 year veteran of the military and this letter is an insult to the brave men and women whom serve or have served our country. I do not know if you have served in the military, but I rather doubt it. I suggest that you check out the Israeli Defense Force. They use woman in combat roles. Your thinking is out of line, and behind the times.
Dear Mr. Rosen,
I would bet $$ that this letter writer will not see your response, unless it appears in the printed Register. I would recommend sending it in for publication.
"What do you expect to happen when women are put among men trained to be fighters? "
So these women are asking to be sexually harassed?
"The liberals are fixated on 1930s Spain...."
I cannot even begin to understand this. I don't identify myself as a liberal or conservative, but when I read articles like this, I realize why people think conservatives are stupid and out of touch. The author of this letter is both paranoic and crazy (but probably just completely uneducated as are most other NH Register commentators).
Good Lord! Is the writer suggesting that women are asking to be raped because they join the military? I thought that our society had progressed beyond the kind of barbaric thinking that blames the victim for the crime. Military men need to know that women are in the military for the same reasons they are. We absolutely must teach men that rape and sexual assault are NEVER ok.
This man is an academic. He is an Associate Professor of English at Quinnipiac University. Pretty scary.
Some wise people said that allowing women into the military mingling with men would cause problems. How wise they were. Now some people say allowing openly homosexuals in the military will cause problems. They are also wise.
My question is this, How in the world did this letter get published? Certainly it doesn't represent even a minority view, unless "minority" means one person. The modern journalistic practice of asking a single person on the street for an opinion - however outrageous - and treating it as the voice of many is naive. What is more, it gives the false impression, that this one voice speaks for many. Perhaps, a Hyde Park Corner would suit this kind of rant. Then, when no one stopped to listen, it would be absolutely clear that such a voice speaks for no one else.
We published the letter because, unfortunately, the view expressed here is far too prevalent, and it's an attitude we have to call out as you've done in these comments, and confront.
Here's a related piece that I wrote for Connecticut Magazine about a Connecticut sexual assault case:
http://www.connecticutmag.com/Connecticut-Magazine/May-2013/Rape-Culture/
Articles like Matt DeRienzo's on the practice of blaming the victim in rape are needed to remind us that such practices are alive and well in our back yard. However, the thoughts expressed in the letter did not just represent a despicable point of view. The reasoning expressed in the letter is so bizarre, so outrageous, that it is hard to imagine it being shared by anyone else. On that basis, I object to its publication.
I am shocked and outraged. I thought we had long ago moved beyond blaming the victim for the crime. Women do not ask to be raped, they do not provoke it, are not responsible for it. Sick, twisted individuals are to blame and are responsible. If we go back to this kind of thinking, none of the women, men, or children in this country are safe from being sexually assaulted. This is a fine way to thank the brave women who sacrifice to serve our country.
I emailed both the school and the Quinnipiac professor to see if it is in indeed the same individual. I want to make sure before we go blaming the wrong person. However, as a female veteran who proudly served in Iraq, I take great offense to this! If Peter is a professor at Quinnipiac, it is terrifying to me that he could be teaching female veterans. This needs to become an issue on a much larger scale if we can confirm he is a professor. Forget writing comments on here regarding his ignorance. People like this will never learn unless it becomes a larger issue.
Rape is a despicable crime, wherever it occurs. The Pentagon estimates there were 26,000 cases of sexual assault last year. Most went unreported, and less than one percent resulted in court-martial. The main reason for the lack of prosecution of this crime is because it is too easy for senior officers to ignore or block investigations. A Bill currently before the US Senate proposes to give military prosecutors and judges more independent power to investigate and prosecute. I support this proposal -- but even if you do not support it, this is a public policy issue that affects the lives of thousands of members of the armed services and their families. It thus deserves serious and constructive thinking by liberals and conservatives alike. Nothing constructive is achieved by blaming the victims with the kind of crackpot rantings displayed in Peter Cortland's letter.
Scott McLean
Quinnipiac University
Department of Philosophy and Political Science
I am a proud Female Veteran.Rape is Rape,this man-Im sure was not even in the military.He never signed his LIFE over to support this country,never went through Basic Training-Boot Camp,went to school to learn what there job was going to be, also never had to move far a way from family and start a new one with other soldiers that your stationed with that u HAVE to trust with your Life which makes military sexual assault so EVIL,and the reason so many unreported sexual assaults are not reported Fear it will be swept under the rug.Im sure the trust factor in the military is gone,It scares me that this man is allowed to teach Female Veterans anything about sexual assault in the military.I know Im going to check out the Sexual Predators list to see if He is on it.SCARY
This is very scary, for this man to be defending rape, makes me wonder if he has raped someone and just not been caught. Because how can anyone in their right mind, think someone asks to be raped. I'm a female veteran as well and no I did not go in with of the sick thoughts that this psycho states. I went in to defend my country because I knew our military needed more people. Because there weren't enough brave men to stand on the line of battle, so our country had to ask for brave women. And Peter, I ask you, how many years have you given to our country.
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