To be competent one must often be conversant with facts, but facts are often at cross purpose to social goals. In the end the new priorities of the organization will supersede competence in the previous, passe goals (like power projection, securing the seas, yada yada yada)
It's about time that colleges and universities cut the Didn't Earn It department and started operating like a real business. If the department doesn't bring in money or provide a service that outside orgs can use, cut it like a bad slasher film.
The military should do the same thing. Nothing says success like a soldier; any soldier who has worked hard, shed blood, and received a promotion for putting in the effort. That's how wars are won.
In the civilian world, the bureaucrats and apparatchiks are paid by the federal government using tax dollars (aka forgiven loans) and they are beholden only to the administrative state.
On the military front, these institutions exist (in the eyes of said bureaucrats and apparatchiks) solely to advance Progressive ideals. Defense no longer has anything to do with it, except perhaps in the eyes of some of the young men and women who still, choose to serve.
The Administrative State is bound to the strictures of the Due Process clause of the Fifth Amendment, and the military is sworn to uphold the Constitution, and that includes the Bill of Rights, and being "subject to the civil power". DEI is a gross violation of Due Process...
I seem to recall a DoD management type who focused on chasing metrics above all. Didn’t he cause some sort of problems with a war in South East Asia? Combine two unrelated aircraft problems where a three star ended up saying it wouldn’t work?
I'm an Air Force Academy grad. The service academies have long been social engineering laboratories. We used to say that the objective of any military service was to kill people and break their stuff. Now it's DEI.
Concur. It was getting bad even in the late 80's when I attended Camp Severn. We had the female midn club, black midn club, hispanic midn club, catholic midn club... I don't recall the WASP club but I do recall that as a straight white (making due alliances for Irish and Sicilian heritage of course) male, there weren't any special clubs that didn't focus on athletic, academic, musical, or nautical interests for me.
Control who you let in and in short order, you'll control the entire organization. Typical DEI organization itself is ingenious.
It first attaches itself to the organization at the highest level as a social justice imperative: in business, higher education, and cultural entities the new Head of DEI is typically an executive position answerable, in theory, only to the organization's president (ie. not accountable to boards of directors or trustees). Then, answerable only to the head of the DEI office, staff is hired and outside "trainers" are contracted to introduce and broadcast DEI concepts to upper management. Importantly and as an organizational imperative, direct DEI reports are installed in every corporate division, university college or school, and branch office. From there DEI representatives are placed on hiring panels organization-wide and in all policy-making bodies to enforce compliance with DEI dictates. Constant employee and manager "training" serves to advertise the power and scope of the DEI regime as well as to isolate and shatter any resistance before it can coalesce and organize.
I suggest those interested in DEI generally look to the great work Christopher Rufo has done in Florida, Texas, Alabama, and other states in finally beginning to reverse the takeover of critical American institutions. Recall as well that it was Chris Rufo who sparked President Donald Trump to issue an executive order demanding DEI initiatives worming their way through the US government cease and desist immediately, one promptly revoked by President Biden on assuming office in 2021.
Also, for those who may be inclined to think the battle over DEI hegemony is turning our way, I suggest reading into just how deep the ideology has captured North Carolina's government and public schools systems. Once thus informed, enlarge your scope to other states and national bodies and you'll see just how gargantuan this monster has become in just a matter of a few years. It will take much longer than that to destroy.
This seems an awful lot like a parallel political officer organization. Hmmm; I think we've seen something like this before, but I can't put my finger on it. I'm sure it was in some entirely free society someplace.
Where's the problem? The Frunze only wants the most politically pure and ideologically motivated faculty and staff so every officer is the finest Zampolit they can be regardless of rank or duties. It's a fine aspiration that enables them to best serve their party. You can be sure the faculty who had to suffer the mere presence of the CinC six years ago approve of this.
Universities have Boards and Trustees, and come under state rules. Military Academies have to follow the dictates from the very top of our government. This DEI crap isn't going to stop until we change that government.
It's not looking very good on that front. We've only had one President in the last 35 years who even tried, and the senior military leadership completely ignored his orders with respect to DEI.
The DEI effort in the Navy has been going on for over 40 years. When I was on a recruiting staff in the early 80's we had quotas for blacks and Hispanics. The tough part was getting qualified minority applicants that could pass the ASVAB, had a high school diploma and no criminal history. Minority officer recruiting was even tougher. The Navy and other branches even had programs to BOOST applicant test scores through remedial training. Seems our public schools systems could not then, and especially today, educate our young. As Thomas Sowell, Ben Carson and others have noted, the breakdown of the black family unit due to social welfare policies is at the root of this epidemic. The efforts long ago have morphed into DEI today. I cancelled my membership in MOAA (Formerly the Retired Officer Association) when it had a series of interviews in 2020-2921 of minority flag officers complaining about personally being discriminated against including the current Chairman of the JCS. Gimme a break!
The same people who created the ineffective schools are the same people who wanted to keep recruiters out.......and now apparently can be found in the service academies.
Just an old goat here. I seem to remember as a young sailor back in the dark ages of the early 1970's, that the navy had mandatory race relations classes for all hand. The classes had a goal of ensuring that the only color that mattered was the blue of our uniforms and not the color of our skin. This was also at a time where there were race riots on some of the carriers.
I recall that era well, Gene. The UPWARD Seminar trainers aboard our CVA had the same stated goal you mentioned but did very little to achieve it. They were, in my opinion, doctrinaire, militant and biased. The free discussions promised got micromanaged to the point that the majority in the class just STFU. That was a dreary week I can't forget.
Typically, the only way to cure a people's dalliance with communism is to give them communism.
At this point, our rational strategy might be to wall off each service academy, populate its faculty and administration with Maoists and ANTIFA leaders, and every week air drop pallets of MREs and hickory axe handles. Let them experience 200 proof, unfettered, red-in-tooth-and-claw communism.
Once they've killed each other, we dismantle the walls, fill up the faculty with active duty and retired mustangs, and put a one-star in as superintendent at each school.
DEI at the state level is a violation of the 14th Amendment:
"Amendment XIV
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv
The Fourteenth Amendment, which applies to the several states which comprise the United States, is the extension of the Fifth Amendment's Due Process clause, which sets limits on what the Federal government may do.
DEI uses immutable characteristics to set one group of people over another because it "abridge[s] the privileges and immunities" of the disfavored group, and it denies the disfavored group the equal protection of the laws. DEI doesn't even rise to the "separate but equal" standard set out in Plessy v Ferguson, it is separate *and unequal*. Here's a good law review to read on this topic: https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1787&context=lawreview DEI is thoroughly unconstitutional, and must be abolished, and any institution or entity which receives public money must follow accordingly.
To be competent one must often be conversant with facts, but facts are often at cross purpose to social goals. In the end the new priorities of the organization will supersede competence in the previous, passe goals (like power projection, securing the seas, yada yada yada)
Thanks for posting; a lot of interesting ideas in that one!
It's about time that colleges and universities cut the Didn't Earn It department and started operating like a real business. If the department doesn't bring in money or provide a service that outside orgs can use, cut it like a bad slasher film.
The military should do the same thing. Nothing says success like a soldier; any soldier who has worked hard, shed blood, and received a promotion for putting in the effort. That's how wars are won.
Joseph: Who said anything about winning wars? 😳
wishful thinking?
In the civilian world, the bureaucrats and apparatchiks are paid by the federal government using tax dollars (aka forgiven loans) and they are beholden only to the administrative state.
On the military front, these institutions exist (in the eyes of said bureaucrats and apparatchiks) solely to advance Progressive ideals. Defense no longer has anything to do with it, except perhaps in the eyes of some of the young men and women who still, choose to serve.
The Administrative State is bound to the strictures of the Due Process clause of the Fifth Amendment, and the military is sworn to uphold the Constitution, and that includes the Bill of Rights, and being "subject to the civil power". DEI is a gross violation of Due Process...
Agree 100%, but there has been no dearth of unconstitutional activity on the past of DOD in the past 30 years, and very few are resigning over it
Chasing metrics.
I seem to recall a DoD management type who focused on chasing metrics above all. Didn’t he cause some sort of problems with a war in South East Asia? Combine two unrelated aircraft problems where a three star ended up saying it wouldn’t work?
It’s bureaucratic class the whole way down.
DEI is tearing the military apart. It need to come to an end.
I'm an Air Force Academy grad. The service academies have long been social engineering laboratories. We used to say that the objective of any military service was to kill people and break their stuff. Now it's DEI.
SC Vickers: Exactly. The military academies are a government social engineer's dream. A controlled population with 100% government funding.
Concur. It was getting bad even in the late 80's when I attended Camp Severn. We had the female midn club, black midn club, hispanic midn club, catholic midn club... I don't recall the WASP club but I do recall that as a straight white (making due alliances for Irish and Sicilian heritage of course) male, there weren't any special clubs that didn't focus on athletic, academic, musical, or nautical interests for me.
USCGA alum here. Can confirm.
If these two comments are true, then the fifth column has truly and fully won the battle, before the first shots are fired. Sigh.
Antonio Gramsci's grave in Rome still need watering.
“…bringing equal opportunity to all citizens…” 😐
those qualified to serve. physically. mentally. legally.
not for those unqualified to serve. physically. mentally. legally.
Control who you let in and in short order, you'll control the entire organization. Typical DEI organization itself is ingenious.
It first attaches itself to the organization at the highest level as a social justice imperative: in business, higher education, and cultural entities the new Head of DEI is typically an executive position answerable, in theory, only to the organization's president (ie. not accountable to boards of directors or trustees). Then, answerable only to the head of the DEI office, staff is hired and outside "trainers" are contracted to introduce and broadcast DEI concepts to upper management. Importantly and as an organizational imperative, direct DEI reports are installed in every corporate division, university college or school, and branch office. From there DEI representatives are placed on hiring panels organization-wide and in all policy-making bodies to enforce compliance with DEI dictates. Constant employee and manager "training" serves to advertise the power and scope of the DEI regime as well as to isolate and shatter any resistance before it can coalesce and organize.
I suggest those interested in DEI generally look to the great work Christopher Rufo has done in Florida, Texas, Alabama, and other states in finally beginning to reverse the takeover of critical American institutions. Recall as well that it was Chris Rufo who sparked President Donald Trump to issue an executive order demanding DEI initiatives worming their way through the US government cease and desist immediately, one promptly revoked by President Biden on assuming office in 2021.
Also, for those who may be inclined to think the battle over DEI hegemony is turning our way, I suggest reading into just how deep the ideology has captured North Carolina's government and public schools systems. Once thus informed, enlarge your scope to other states and national bodies and you'll see just how gargantuan this monster has become in just a matter of a few years. It will take much longer than that to destroy.
This seems an awful lot like a parallel political officer organization. Hmmm; I think we've seen something like this before, but I can't put my finger on it. I'm sure it was in some entirely free society someplace.
You are describing a metastasizing cancer, Richard.
This is a great article to share with your friends. And the comments are certainly on target. I especially appreciated the Richard Bicker note.
Where's the problem? The Frunze only wants the most politically pure and ideologically motivated faculty and staff so every officer is the finest Zampolit they can be regardless of rank or duties. It's a fine aspiration that enables them to best serve their party. You can be sure the faculty who had to suffer the mere presence of the CinC six years ago approve of this.
Concur
Universities have Boards and Trustees, and come under state rules. Military Academies have to follow the dictates from the very top of our government. This DEI crap isn't going to stop until we change that government.
It's not looking very good on that front. We've only had one President in the last 35 years who even tried, and the senior military leadership completely ignored his orders with respect to DEI.
Perhaps. This eternal optimist sees he tide turning against wokism.
We need an optimist, especially when I am around sometimes!
The DEI effort in the Navy has been going on for over 40 years. When I was on a recruiting staff in the early 80's we had quotas for blacks and Hispanics. The tough part was getting qualified minority applicants that could pass the ASVAB, had a high school diploma and no criminal history. Minority officer recruiting was even tougher. The Navy and other branches even had programs to BOOST applicant test scores through remedial training. Seems our public schools systems could not then, and especially today, educate our young. As Thomas Sowell, Ben Carson and others have noted, the breakdown of the black family unit due to social welfare policies is at the root of this epidemic. The efforts long ago have morphed into DEI today. I cancelled my membership in MOAA (Formerly the Retired Officer Association) when it had a series of interviews in 2020-2921 of minority flag officers complaining about personally being discriminated against including the current Chairman of the JCS. Gimme a break!
The same people who created the ineffective schools are the same people who wanted to keep recruiters out.......and now apparently can be found in the service academies.
DEI = Didn’t Earn It
I'd love to see the videos in these two USNA SA training sessions. The second one gives the game away on admissions: "short cuts"
Just an old goat here. I seem to remember as a young sailor back in the dark ages of the early 1970's, that the navy had mandatory race relations classes for all hand. The classes had a goal of ensuring that the only color that mattered was the blue of our uniforms and not the color of our skin. This was also at a time where there were race riots on some of the carriers.
I recall that era well, Gene. The UPWARD Seminar trainers aboard our CVA had the same stated goal you mentioned but did very little to achieve it. They were, in my opinion, doctrinaire, militant and biased. The free discussions promised got micromanaged to the point that the majority in the class just STFU. That was a dreary week I can't forget.
Typically, the only way to cure a people's dalliance with communism is to give them communism.
At this point, our rational strategy might be to wall off each service academy, populate its faculty and administration with Maoists and ANTIFA leaders, and every week air drop pallets of MREs and hickory axe handles. Let them experience 200 proof, unfettered, red-in-tooth-and-claw communism.
Once they've killed each other, we dismantle the walls, fill up the faculty with active duty and retired mustangs, and put a one-star in as superintendent at each school.
Fresh start.
Can we do this will all of DC?
Put a GySGT with an ass rash in as superintendent.
DEI at the state level is a violation of the 14th Amendment:
"Amendment XIV
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv
The Fourteenth Amendment, which applies to the several states which comprise the United States, is the extension of the Fifth Amendment's Due Process clause, which sets limits on what the Federal government may do.
DEI uses immutable characteristics to set one group of people over another because it "abridge[s] the privileges and immunities" of the disfavored group, and it denies the disfavored group the equal protection of the laws. DEI doesn't even rise to the "separate but equal" standard set out in Plessy v Ferguson, it is separate *and unequal*. Here's a good law review to read on this topic: https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1787&context=lawreview DEI is thoroughly unconstitutional, and must be abolished, and any institution or entity which receives public money must follow accordingly.