[Oxymandias]

Why can't we just get rid of gender and be done with it? Persian as a language doesn't have gender pronouns so this means that it doesn't matter what gender you identify as since there's no gender by default.

[SolarCross]

Why can't we just get rid of gender and be done with it? Persian as a language doesn't have gender pronouns so this means that it doesn't matter what gender you identify as since there's no gender by default.

There is a bit more to it than pronouns though. There are, and probably ought to be, big legal distinctions between women and men. One random example: A lot of nation states conscript males for military duty (including Iran) but exempt females so if one can just "change" one's gender on a whim, then that will be the way out of national service, just put on a wig, some makeup and presto instant womanly get out of conscription free card.

There is no getting rid of gender and there is no rational reason for doing so anyway. Why should the sane majority capitulate to a crazy minority?

[47 Knucklehead]

He is a traitor. One of the many things that pissed me off about Obama ... commuting his sentence.

[Oxymandias]

@SolarCross

I was talking about identity politics.

[Pants-of-dog]

His state of mind does not alter the fact that he committed a felony. A serious one. He was a soldier. He violated his oath of enlistment. No country can operate with a system that glorifies the breaking of its laws because they are on one side or the other of some political ideology.

Any country that is actually a liberal democracy (as the US claims to be) should have laws protecting government employees when these employees point out that the government is violating basic tenets of liberal democracy. The US should therefore have laws like this to protect Manning.

--------------

I am not particularly interested in Manning's twisted gender fixation, but he, she, it, made certain commitments when volunteering for the military. Divulging secret information when in the military of any nation, is treason. But that is not really what is going on here. This is typical of the liberal agenda, which is to denounce the military as fascist, even though they would not get to hold any opinion publicly if the military were not protecting that right. Because some of Manning's secrets are not all that pretty, does not change the fact that he broke the law. But liberals want to override the military on what can and cannot be kept secret. I am glad they have not succeeded in that plan yet, but they probably will.

Where I come from, the military (with US help!) killed the democratically elected government and imposed a military dictatorship. Are you seriously going to claim that the mlitary protected the rights of the citizenry?

In fact, the military does little to nothing in terms of protecting your civil rights. You should thank activists and progressives for doing that for you.

[Drlee]

In fact, the military does little to nothing in terms of protecting your civil rights. You should thank activists and progressives for doing that for you.

This is partly true. The military (at least in the US) protects the nations sovereignty, protects its trade and maintains the government in power. I would point out though, that it is the ultimate tool available to the central government to defend the constitution. It has been used for that time and again. From freeing the slaves to protecting our liberal values from radical Islam, the military does ensure that our way of life is maintained.

Please note that the US military has been used by everyone from right leaning presidents like Reagan and Kennedy to center right presidents like Obama to left of center presidents like FDR, alike.

[Pants-of-dog]

This is partly true. The military (at least in the US) protects the nations sovereignty, protects its trade and maintains the government in power. I would point out though, that it is the ultimate tool available to the central government to defend the constitution. It has been used for that time and again. From freeing the slaves to protecting our liberal values from radical Islam, the military does ensure that our way of life is maintained.

I have no idea how you can interpret any action by the military as protecting your civil rights. In fact, by constantly attacking Muslim countries, the US military has been instrumental in increasing the risk of radical Islam.

And even if we buy into the myth of US exceptionalism and pretend that the US military somehow does what no other military does, it makes no sense to assume that this is true anywhere else.

Please note that the US military has been used by everyone from right leaning presidents like Reagan and Kennedy to center right presidents like Obama to left of center presidents like FDR, alike.

Okay, but this does not seem to be relevant.

[Drlee]

I have no idea how you can interpret any action by the military as protecting your civil rights. In fact, by constantly attacking Muslim countries, the US military has been instrumental in increasing the risk of radical Islam.

Our civil rights rely on a stable central government. That is protected by the military. The US military has been used to protect our civil right many times. I mentioned the civil war. Black folks in the US owe their emancipation to the sacrifice of the US Army. The military forced schools to integrate in the south.

I do not accept your assertion that the US military is responsible for radical Islam. That is just silly.

[Pants-of-dog]

Our civil rights rely on a stable central government. That is protected by the military.

The central government also requires clean water. Thus, water treatment plants are also responsible for protecting civil rights, according to your logic.

The US military has been used to protect our civil right many times. I mentioned the civil war. Black folks in the US owe their emancipation to the sacrifice of the US Army. The military forced schools to integrate in the south.

No, the military did not magically solve racism against blacks. Please note that even a century after the military "won freedom for blacks", black people still had to fight for their rights with no help from the military.

I do not accept your assertion that the US military is responsible for radical Islam. That is just silly.

Sure. Ignore Pape's study, and the simple logic that Muslims (like anyone else) will fight to defend themsleves from military aggression. It does not change the fact that Muslims are conducting terrorist attacks as a way of retaliation against US military aggression.

Also, the US has often supported radical Islamic groups in the past decades. Including military support.