Breeding crises to cure

We are manufacturing problems for ourselves. Then politicians are careful not to "waste a good crisis."

We pretend that humans are immune from powerful sexual desires. Worse than merely sticking our heads in the sand, we actively fan the flames of such desires with all sorts of images, music, movies and even public policy pronouncements. While fanning such flames on one hand, we simultaneously ridicule timeless principles of sexual restraint and the beauty of committed monogamy.

Those who claim to have won the culture war are doing everything they can to encourage unrestrained sexual activity. In most areas of the law, solicitation to commit a crime is itself a crime. So how can tempting people to behave as animals with regard to sexuality be considered good public policy?

Why is this on my mind? Senator Kirk brought it up. He wrote the following:

Dear Mr. Ferguson,

Studies show the prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among sexual assault survivors in the military is higher than that for those who saw combat. Thousands of servicemen and women have been unfairly discharged from the military based on questionable mental health conditions or minor misconduct related to the assault.   

In this year’s annual defense authorization bill, which passed the Senate earlier this month, I cosponsored an amendment with Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) that would expand protections against wrongful discharges for those with PTSD. This includes service men and women who were sexually assaulted as well as those who saw combat. The provision ensures that if a medical professional diagnoses PTSD based on combat service or sexual assault, that the military member cannot be discharged for non-disability mental health conditions.     

The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates there are over 20,000 sexual assaults annually and nearly 8 out of 10 of those attacked do not report the incident. Despite recent Congressional reforms, more should be done to take care of servicemen and women who have been assaulted and to ensure the Department is doing everything to prosecute their offenders. 

Sincerely,
Senator Mark Kirk

Is it just possible that the centuries-old wisdom of not mixing men and women in far away places under strenuous conditions was and is still good policy? Likewise, to exclude from such circumstances people who assert they are sexually drawn to those of the same sex?

Senator Kirk and the rest of the liberals who are using our military for social experimentation should step back and consider: when on a wrong road, you don't get to a good place by increasing speed or determination. The wise person (as C.S. Lewis said, the most "progressive" person) turns back toward the right route.

Sadly, these politicians aren't on a road they even consider wrong, because their agenda isn't to get to a good place. It is to make a majority of voters animal-like, to justify controlling us all by force.