As I keep a watch on Washington, I continue to be amazed. It must be in the air or water, since lunacy seems to be the order of the day. The latest example is Senator Tuberville’s blockade of military promotions. I could never imagine a United States Senator kicking the legs out from under the military. I could never envision it, especially from a Republican. Yet here we sit. Here we sit with a Republican blockade of the United States military. Leading this blockage is a man who has never served a day in uniform. He is the Honorable Senator from Alabama, Tommy Tuberville.
Senator Tuberville’s promotion blockade has nothing to do with national security or the quality of the nominees. His blockade is about abortion. Thus, they are personal and religious. It seems the senator Tuberville wishes to impose his religious views on the entire military. Personally, I find this behavior improper. However, it is time to give in. It’s time to give the Senator what he wants. The military needs its leadership in place. Therefore, it is time to meet Senator Tuberville’s demands. Therefore, the U.S. military will no longer provide leave and travel for abortion access. However, military personnel still deserve to have their rights preserved. So other new rules will go into effect.
To accommodate this new position, the U.S. military will give members more say in their duty assignments. Personnel who are pregnant, have a pregnant spouse, or fear losing their reproductive rights can request immediate transfers. Personnel will also have the right to have their records flagged for any future transfers.
If this compromise is unacceptable, there is, of course, one final option. All personnel who fit the above categories can request an honorable discharge. If requested, the military will have thirty days to grant such a discharge.
I admit these changes are extreme. So is the fact that one senator’s religious beliefs can blockade military promotions. That type of legislative act belongs in a theocracy, not a representative democracy. It is also absurd that one lone senator can block any legislation under this arcane rule. How is it possible that the entire military, and thus the nation, can be held hostage by 1% of the Senate? It makes no logical sense.
I don’t offer these recommendations based on my religious or personal beliefs. I am not pro-abortion, but I am pro-choice. I, like many normal people, wish there were fewer abortions, a lot fewer. Yet I am not God. Nor is Senator Tuberville. Yet his blockade to force his religious views on the military would suggest he thinks otherwise.
However, what I am is pro-military. Our military should be as strong as possible. We should support our military in any reasonable way. We should in all ways make their mission easier. Our military needs and deserves the best leaders that this country can provide. Therefore, I find it abhorrent that any one senator may thwart the simple process of confirming our military leadership. Therefore, my last suggestion is that the Senate suspend this arcane and ridiculous rule and move into the real world. It’s time the Senate remembers that this is a representative democracy. The Senate should also remember that a representative democracy should not be a hostage of 1% of any group, even if it is the U.S. Senate.