Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

Thread: International Women's Day 2022, US, & Ukraine.

Far right fascists (aka today's GQP) like chiming in to say female privilege is alive and well in the law requiring (almost) all men aged 18-25 to be registered for the draft, should one be needed.

sss.gov

Current US admin policy is to do all it can to avoid needing to have boots on the ground in Europe and elsewhere.

Since 1/24/22 the global security situation has worsened. If things get to a certain point, the US may need to bring back the draft.

It's mistake to exclusively think of the wars the US has been involved in since 1945, especially Vietnam. I see far greater parallels between our current crisis and 1939-45.

In both cases, none of the allied countries were sufficiently ready to defend ourselves and win the war.

It took precious years to build up the military strength needed for the Normandy offensive to succeed. How many lives could have been saved if the US, the UK, & all our countries (none escapes the blame) were ready with personnel, planes, ships, vehicles, & all that we needed.

The draft would be one of the last steps needing to be taken, if that ever comes to pass. Right now, our countries should focus on voluntary enlistment, the manufacturing and positioning of materiel, and all other kinds of things we may need sooner rather than later.

Number crunchers in the Pentagon are far better placed to weigh all this than I am. The US and allies might need military strength for defense, especially in Europe, but if there is a long wait before that day, the parts of the military that can help in a pandemic will be handy.

The military has been utilized by many governments to support the pandemic response effort. There is as much chance of a new pandemic in the coming years as there was in 2019.

Pandemics decimate the healthcare workforce. We must ramp up more quickly next time.

I was struck by the fact that all Ukrainian men aged 18-60 were required to stay in the country and serve.

The are certain biological facts that mean full gender equality might never be possible. (Hear me out.)

I'm talking about the fact that during wartime, women and girls are far more likely than men and boys to be raped or sexually assaulted. We've seen how barbaric Russia is in Ukraine so far. Targeting civilians (while fleeing!) and large nuclear power plants, for example.

Then there's the fact that, where young children have to stand on a crowded train for hours to escape the war, almost always they want their mother. Especially the youngest ones, if they are breastfed.

I was raised in the time of 2nd wave feminism & used to balk at all this.

I couldn't see why traditional gender roles should be allowed to dictate who gets to live or die. But I had never lived in a literal war zone, or seen the evacuation process in such detail as we are seeing now.

The needs of children should be high on the list of considerations.

Most countries that have compulsory military service require young men & women to serve.

I don't think that should change. But when it comes to actual wartime, I think the risk of rape, and the needs of children, should be taken into account when deciding who must stay, or not.

New Zealand ended compulsory military service in 1959. I'd wager that not many Kiwis today realize there are still strict draft registration requirements in the US.

If the US started moving toward using the system again, there would be fierce gender debate. That's democracy.

IMO, the Ukrainian decisions made about the men staying and women being able to leave were totally appropriate for the unique and immediate situation they are in. They are unable to defend civilians to the extent that is required. And food is getting scarce in some places.

Until now, I viewed as a remote possibility the idea of a hot war in Europe, and/or literal WWIII. At this point, all bets are off.

We should all be using this time to plan ahead for a potential security deterioration, whether we are running a household or a country.

As a female, I have directly benefited from the gender equality achievements of those who went before me. All people benefit from having greater equality in our communities.

This International Women's Day I'm thinking about girls and women in war.

I think it's prudent to discuss these issues now, before the global situation potentially gets worse. It's part of being as ready as we reasonably can be, and it's part of democracy.

"Use it or lose it."

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