AP photo
Kimberly Munley is being honored as the hero she is, having risked her life, doing the job she was trained to do, and saving countless lives in the process. But its worth remembering as conservatives oppose the health care bill, that 20 years ago they opposed someone like Kimberly Munley being able to do the job she is now being honored for.
As the congress gets closer to passing health care reform and as Republicans and conservatives ramp up their opposition and predictions of doom and gloom in their opposition, its a good idea to remind ourselves of how wrong Republicans have proved to be about everything over the past 25 years. And Kimberly Munley is only the latest shinning example.
The incident at Ft. Hood and the heroism of Kimberly Munley reminds us that 20 years ago conservatives were telling us that women couldn't do the same jobs men could. And they shouldnt even be allowed to try.
As Munley is being honored for her heroism, returning fire after being shot herself, and taking down Nadal Hasan, putting an end to his killing spree, we should remind ourselves that conservatives opposed women becoming police officers, they opposed women in combat roles in the military, they opposed the removing of any institutionalized barriers that separated men and women in terms of opportunity, authority, and ability. And they did it because they said women just werent equipped to do the job. They told us where a woman's place was. Which is not to say a woman shouldnt have her place in the home and raising children or combining it with a career if thats what she wants to do. No one ever said flying to the moon was a bigger accomplishment than raising a child. And it isnt.
But conservatives didnt want women to even have the choice. They didnt want them to waste their time trying to be a Kimberly Munley because they said women couldnt. And let us not forget that one of the biggest arguments they made to try and prevent the removing of barriers between men and women, the great fear they tried to spread throughout the country was that if barriers between men and women in the workplace were removed, it would lead to unisex public bathrooms. No kidding. You can look it up. Thats what they were afraid of. Mandate equality for women in the workplace and it will be the end of separate public bathrooms for men and women.
Somehow, America has remained the land of the free and separate public bathrooms in spite of these Republican fears. More importantly it has become the land where a Kimberly Munley can be at the right place at the right time and exhibit the kind of bravery and heroism and rising to the occasion at the risk of her own life which resulted in her saving lives, by doing the job conservatives said women could never do.
As the congress prepares to pass health care reform which will also save lives, its worth keeping in mind, especially after the events at Fort Hood and the bravery of Kimberly Munley, how wrong conservatives have been in the past and how hard they try have tried to prevent progress. And how much poorer the country would be had they succeeded.
It's worth keeping in mind because conservatives and Republicans have been just as wrong about health care reform as they were about Kimberly Munley and women like her. And, as they were 20 years ago, they will be on the wrong side of history when it comes to health care too.
Comments
Way to exploit a tragedy to promote your agenda.
Wow...you're incredibly stupid, not to mention a terrible writer.
I hope they don't pay you to write this nonsense.
Wow. What in the world is your though process? Thirteen people died in a horrific shooting on a military base, and this author believes its a good opportunity to through dirt at Republicans and exploit it to promote health care reform.
As a Democrat, it makes me sick to read this filth coming who probably has similar views.
Shame on you.
you are an idiot.
As both a college student and a liberal, this article is humiliating. I do hope you realize that articles like these are exactly what is feeding the opposition's flames. These kinds of baseless accusations have no place in today's politics. You should be ashamed.
Wow!!!! This guy is sick and it is sickening to read his political dribble exploiting the occasion of a very sad, horrific event. How hateful.
Means justify the ends, huh? This is repugnant garbage.
ONLY A LIBERAL, would use a horrible tragedy like this to push a completley unrelated fascist agenda in the guise of being a dogooder! HOW FREAKING ORWELLIAN IS THAT!
I APOLOGIZE FOR MY REMARK... after reading your article carefully, I realize you must be a very very sick individual, and i will keep you in my prayers that you get the help you need.
Let's break this down:
1. Twenty years ago was 1989. The question of women in all phases of the workforce was long settled by 1989. Are you thinking, perhaps, of 30 years ago, when Title IX took effect?
2. The only time I heard conservatives say anything even remotely like you've described was when they spoke out against the Equal Rights Amendment, which failed, with no apparent effect on anyone's career.
3. And even if you had your facts straight, do you really think anyone's buying logic that says "Group X was wrong about Question A 20 years ago, so they must be wrong about completely-unrelated Question B now."
4. What everybody else says: It is grossly inappropriate was to link a tragedy like the Fort Hood massacre to a farce like health care politics. And it's almost sinful to do it so badly.
conservatives want to live in the 19th century. Without liberalism there can be no progress and improvement.
This article NEEDS no breakdown. It is painfully obvious in its absurdity. A big slap in the face to all those who suffered from this horrible tragedy. Disgusting, that you would even ATTEMPT to use such an event to further your own sick, partisan agenda.
Yes he has an agenda, but who doesn't ? All people who write columns and articles have agendas.
Anyway, while the timing might make the article tasteless, my opinion is that he is correct. Too many US conservatives seems to regard change as evil on general principles in the same manner that e.g. ultra-leftists tended to regard revolution as good on general principles. There is not much room for rational reasoning in either of these groups.
But the point is, the US spends a higher percentage of its GDP on the health sector than most other industrial nations, while providing a smaller proportion of its people with a functioning safety net, and this implies that the current system isn't working. Whether Obama's package will be an improvement is unclear, but the need for change is obvious. And the US can more or less copy ANY other industrial nation here because in this particular respect they are all better. Even of the US is the only nation to have places men on the moon.
/Mag
Marc - you are truely an idiot. Wrong place and wrong time for your political views. If I were still a regular subscriber of the Examiner, your article would be the reason I would spend my money elsewhere. Is there no supervision at your place of employment? Is it any wonder that newspapers are on their way out? I agree with you but I think your poorly written article is simple disgusting. You are a little person with the intellect to match.
Total crap! Way to go! And thanks to Google this article came up first in my search. What's up with that? Does everyone have an agenda?
Marc your a moron.
Idiot is too kind for this total Douche Bag!!
Kimberly Munley did her job and trying to put the spin on conservatives not wanting women in positions of authority and management is a bunch of hog wash. All the conservatives that I know support women in all positions of the workplace as well as motherhood something you will never experience. Mark the gender gap has been torn down for many years and my wife is one of those conservative women that who is Business Manager for a large company for over 25 years.
God Bless you Kimberly for your service to your community and our country. Hope that you get well soon and our prayers are with you in every manner of your life.
Dave & Sheryl
Portland, Oregon
I am disgusted that you are using this tragedy and a soldier's bravery to advance your agenda. If the Republicans and conservatives were so awful and hated women, why would they choose Sarah Palin as a VP candidate? You're pathetic. I do not recall conservatives ever saying that women should stay home, and I am proud to be a young woman who embraces the freedoms I have. It was not liberals or conservatives that paved the way for me to reach for my dreams, but brave women just like Kimberly Munley who stood up for their convictions in the times of adversity. You should be ashamed of yourself. Now, go ahead and support Obama's health plan that will allow certain people to live and die at his socialist administration's discernment. So much for the land of the free with agendas like yours...
Wow dude, you're a real jerk.
Leaving aside all the factual errors that riddle this, how the hell do you think it's appropriate to use this tragedy and this woman's heroism as a chance to score political points with a total non sequitor? Jeez. This is on par with that awful Mark Whicker column in the Orange County Register.
Does this guy not have an editor? You just use this as your personal blog?
Rubin- You should do some research on the Munley family right here out of Pa. You are such an imbecile it is hysterical. These are gun loving great Americans not the communists you dream of. Idiot.
Marc you are pathetic, think of those who died and their families, idiot.
I agree with you- but you lose clout with your reader when you misspell "shining"!
What a joke. You are unbelievable. To try to hijack the heroism performed by Officer Munley in order to push a political agenda is simply appalling.
Politicizing the heroism of Sgt Munley is simply beyond the pale. The above article is nothing more than journalistic pulcritude authored by an Oxygen User of the nth degree .
You're an idiot.
BTW: There were female cops 20 years ago.
Totally heartless and partisan.
I don't suppose you'll be bringing up how the Democratic party wouldn't have wanted a black cop to do the job, since they were historically the party of slavery, now will you?
The fact that you have managed to turn the story of this brave woman into liberal propaganda is completely disgusting. Who cares if any of the victims were male, female, liberal, Conservative, etc?! I am a staunch Conservative (female, aged 22) and I thoroughly believe in women being able to serve as they'd like and are able in the military and police forces. I applaud Kimberly for her braver and honor, and I denounce you for your politicizing. Your journalistic integrity here in completely non-existent.
The guy that wrote this article is such a tool. Get a life and stop trying to gain for you agenda from something so tragic
As a very even moderate, who voted for President Obama, Clinton, Clinton , Bush... Your Way off politicizing this tragedy. Great job to the Hero, she did a remarkable job, and I will forever be greatful!
Kimberly Munley would be ashamed to read this, Marc.
Your article makes a great case for free public MENTAL HEALTH CARE. You should step to the front of that line. Stop wasting your time in front of a computer and go and find a VETERAN to thank for your freedom to publish trash.
Marc Rubin is a stupid idiot. Good heavens, where the heck have you been hiding your head in the sand all these years? Iran? You are an idiot.
Rubin = Vermin
Wow, I am sorry Mr. Rubin that you are so mentally incapacitated that you had the audacity to consider this worth wasting people's time with reading. You are truly the epitome of unintelligence and the reason why liberals like you should be shunned and admonished.
This makes me sick to read, I honestly almost vomited. You are almost as rude as president Obama. You chose to take the story of a true American hero and turn it into smear politics. This is why liberals SUCK!
I don't think Kimberly Munley had any thoughts about left-wing fanatics when she was doing her job that day. Yeah, maybe in the 1920's, women stayed home to support their family by being a housewife, but that was then, this is NOW! The times have changed for women in the workplace. What does the health care bill trying to get passed have anything to do with the heroic acts of this said Kimberly Munley. It's people like you that didn't vote for a female vice president, so who's the sexist now? If you want to talk about Kimberly Munley, talk about Kimberly Munley. Same goes with the health care bill. This article, if you call it that combines three totally different topics in one. Don't be lazy, I'll entitle you to your opinion, but don't pass this off as news if you have no facts to back them up.
You all come on here and fight with each other like a microcosm of what's on TV with the left pounding on the right and vice versa. You have so much more in common with each other than you ever will with the people in power. They don't care about you. They care about their corporate sponsors. And why shouldn't they? Since it's the most advertised product that wins the cash of the consumers. You consumers are the true power in society. But by dividing you all into factions along black/white left/right penis/vagina issues and constantly entertaining and outraging you they have stolen your power. Consumers of all lands unite! You have given away your identity to the soulless institutions selling you toxic plastic trinkets made in China. Turn off the TV and stop participating in the system which so cleverly built this prison without walls. Money as Debt google it. Stop playing the game. Learn something every day and find the points of union between enemies; we are all one.
Your column is full of grammatical errors, i.e. congress, its, howi, shinning, werent, shouldnt, thats, isnt, etc.
Ever heard of proof-reading your work before you submit it?
"Totally heartless and partisan"
Have you listened to the right wing hate-mongers on the radio. Gust Windbag, Glen Shreik, Fred Thompstone, Allen Worts, Monaster Crowley, etc. All of these people pray that our country fails, how sick is that? They have alot too be proud of. Our country has never seen the likes of the GOP locking themselves in their and throwing a fix. waaan! You lost the election. Get over it!
cry baby neo-cons! You can't stand that you lost in 08. Get over it. cry cry babys
I'm sorry that there are people who so desperate to push their agenda that they have to take advantage of a tragedy as horrific as this to share such worthless drivel. Mr. Rubin, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Dude, are you serious?! You should click delete now.
Leftest drivel. Conservatives aren't against women in traditional male roles.
Does this guy actually get paid to write this stupid crap? Sorry thing is there are probably liberals out there that believe this crap.
Conservatives=Satan
Way to go Munley and Rubin
How many more would have been killed without her there?
Very appropriate and not disrespectful-just as Munley.
apostrophies are optional online annal right guy.
Wow do conservatives hate being told they were wrong.
What a load of crap! Marc Rubin gives all journalists a bad name. Get rid of him!.
umm governmental barriers is a liberal idea.
and do you proofread before you post this crap?
Shame on you for politicizing this incident. Or maybe it's better said to say shame on you for using this incident to attempt to further your political agenda. How looooooooowwwwww can you go.
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