Wake Up Everybody

Wake up everybody, no more sleepin' in bed,

No more backward thinkin'; time for thinkin' ahead.

The world has changed so very much,

From what it used to be so,

There is so much hatred, war, an' poverty,

The world won't get no better if we just let it be,

The world won't get no better, we gotta change it yeah, 

just you and me.

Rikki Tikki Tavi

Remember the story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi? Whether you were introduced to it by the book that Rudyard Kipling wrote, or through the Chuck Jones animated special on television, you will remember that a cobra has but one enemy, and that is the mongoose. A fierce and swift little creature that can kill a cobra in a flash. I was amazed that this little animal could be a mortal enemy to the deadliest creature known. Kipling describe Rikki-Tikki as a creature that eats and sleeps very little. He moves

An ever vigilant Rikki discovers the Cobra plot

quickly from place to place, always hurrying to investigate. The vigilance of the mongoose is what, no doubt, saved the people living in the big house, because Rikki-Tikki was always on the move, making sure he knew where his enemy was. We, no doubt, need a mongoose-type justice in our society and our military. Because the snakes are always slithering and ready to strike.

No More Sleepin' In Bed

I was reminded how much we mustn't take our rights for granted when someone tweeted to me after the last publication: "Kevin, I hate to ruin your day but you need to look at this: Clicking onto the link, I discovered that this (harump!) person was declaring that "a woman's no, means yes." The article continued pontificating the worse dreck this side of the "Date Grape Kool-Aid scandal." *

Women say “no” to me in one way or another on a regular basis, e.g. “no, you can’t have my number”, “no, I should go home”, “no, I’m not coming into your apartment”, and of course, the classic, “no, we’re not having sex”.Yet somehow, when it’s all said and done, the woman is invariably happy that I didn’t listen to a single word of protest she uttered; that I barreled through her resistance nonchalantly and drove the ball to the basket. Women RESPECT this sexual insistence even if they aren’t acutely aware of it.- When her No Means Yes. By Vincent Venturi

That's only the opening statement from this article. It get's worse--- I wonder if the dude had a mom or someone to teach him that women aren't playthings.  If you decide to read the full article, be fore-warned, it may make you crazy!  Mr. Vincent Venturi's goal, it seems, is to free his oppressed brothers from the shackles of consent, claiming that most women who enjoy the act, will later cry rape as a need for acceptance. Now, as my heart beat through my chest reading that piece of BS, I wanted to show it to the Pentagon and the top Military Brass of our Armed Forces.




Imagine "Mr. Top Military Commander," a young man who reads a blog like that one by Venturi raising his hand and taking the oath of allegiance at the induction center?  While high standards of sound mind and body are to be applauded; what about moral courage and character, on and off the battle field?  If soldier a sees a woman as his potential porn fantasy--- to be taken whenever he wants to, then don't be surprised by the DOD's next report at the end of this year. Because "Mr. Commander if your idea of maintaining good order in the ranks is to tell your men and women "Don't get raped," and to ship off a rapist, and discharge his victim, you've just given the disciples of Vincent Venturi a gold card to "Be all that they can be!"  That kind of person put into uniform, ripe with this gospel of misogyny, and he will slither his way through the ranks preying upon female and male comrades, whom he swore to aid and protect.  When a snake is a higher ranking NCO, then he preys upon soldiers easier because he can hide behind his rep of military service, good family man, etc.  After all, who is going to believe the word of a "slick sleeve boot camp female" against the word of a drill sergeant with a stellar reputation?

"And they made the determination that this Drill Sergeant wasn't smart enough to do this--- that he didn't have any reason why he would do this--- he has a family; he has a wife--- so they went with the fact that they were going to just keep it at company level, and kind of sweep it underneath the rug, and they didn't believe me at all."

No More Backward Thinkin'

Some men in uniform don't see a soldier, they see a woman, or a weak male, to humiliate. We need a mongoose-type military justice that is always alert and ready to strike hard. If you go back to the old system of telling soldiers "don't get raped, here's a pamphlet, a video and a battle buddy app for your cell phone---" then you've done nothing proactive. Justice is not damage control and rhetoric; it's catching the people who are committing these crimes and making sure that they feel the the full extent of the the law, and send a real message that soldiers don't rape! Soldiers defend their comrades and this nation, and that poisonous thinking from people like Mr. Venturi's is not the military way. I want to point out there are some very good things being done to speak out against sexual assault, but when a perp receives a get out of jail free card, then all then the path to good intentions still lead to the same cliff!

Mongoose-type justice has to be planned and then swiftly executed. PFC Schuette was transferred to a new platoon and endured ridicule from other Drill Sergeants and well as some of her own peers. Finally she made her move to strike back at the head of the cobra.

The intestinal fortitude of this young soldier is to be commended. She was left with no other choice but to jump the military chain of command shark and go to someone that she hoped would listen to her. As it turned out her Sargent Major listened and responded appropriately, and thereby uncovering other crimes committed by this Cobra with the stellar reputation. 

"From the outside this drill sergeant was stellar. He was fast-tracking on his way to first sergeant--- he really was."

When a perpetrator singles out his prey, his behavior is lost on others, such as in this case. He's a tough bad-ass type who is admired for his abilities as a drill instructor, he only shows his military professional style to most of his trainees. A smart perpetrator influences other recruits below him by not acting out in front of them. And so most recruits or enlisted types don't see his behavior, only that he is this great person.  A slick snake-like crafty perp will choose his time and place to make his move. Many times it's hard to connect the dots in his behavior because many are afraid to speak out, but in PFC Schuette case, it was the combined efforts of leadership plus some brave recruits that proved to be his undoing.

Time For Thinking Ahead

Thomas Jefferson

Perhaps the best way to look to the future is to look to a voice from the past. Thomas Jefferson was quoted to say "The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance" As we are experiencing reversal in voting rights, women's reproductive rights, and other issues, it should be apparent to us all, that we need to wake up and always watch out for the snakes that look for a chance to strike at the heel of justice.  Perhaps Jefferson knew--- that to have liberty for his generation was one thing, but liberty dies if it is not taught, exercised, and protected by us all.  We must be ever watching and learning, ready to sound the alarm.  The shelf life of what we have will expire as soon we believe that civil rights and freedoms are on automatic pilot. A very upset woman tweeted me asking what has happen to the very freedoms that civil right's leaders fought for?  Do we need to fight for them again?  I would say yes!  We must speak out, not just when injustice attacks US, but for others as well.  The recruits in that platoon learned that its better to speak out in fear, than to suffer in silence. 

Martin Niemöller was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.  He is perhaps best remembered for the quotation:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak for me

The World Won't Get No Better

The snakes are still slithering through the ranks of the military.  It's a big job to get them out of our systems and into prisons, but it would be easier if the commanders and military leaders would put their men and women before tradition.  The Military Justice Improvement Act is a bill that will help our military men and women to have their rights protected against sexual assault and murder. Until there is more cooperation and decency within the Chain of Command, and perpetrators are no longer protected, then we must encourage our elected officials in Washington DC to put in place this law that will strike swiftly and eradicate the snake of sexual assault from our military. Again, if you haven't done so, its time to wake up, and alert your State Representative or Congress Person to vote yes for the MJIA.

*Update! The owner of the Daquiri Factory has changed the name of their drink from "Date Grape Kool-Aid" to "Q-LAID"  What do you think? Still feel a little Misogynistic to you? Leave a comment.

Thank you bonimaroni ‏@eyorker1 for sharing the Return of The Kings Blog! You didn't ruin my day.

Thanks GeeeBeee for giving me the update on The Daiquiri Factory. In my own opinion, it's a creative spin but that's all it is. 

Sources

When her No Means Yes. By Vincent Venturi - Check it out but take your BP meds first!

The Story of PFC Schuette- DVDS 

Date Grape Kool-Aid Update KREM.com

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