Steve Benson for January 27, 2013

Actually women have been in combat roles in the Canadian forces since 1989 and before you make any more ignorant comments, they fought in Afghanistan. Learn a little something about the rest of the world, many countries have women in combat roles

As reported; Panetta said the women may volunteer for combat roles. Remember that we have had many females killed in combat already because there is no “front line” in todays combat. If you are in Afghanistan, you are in danger wherever you are.

First you have to assume that there IS a decline in American morality. Got any proof of that? Because a number of measures indicate precisely the opposite.

No…you can’t.

A baby in a woman’s womb is not part of her body, The Trusted Mechanic! It is a SEPARATE life that her & her lover have created, and it is totally dependent on her for the 1st 9 months of it’s life.

Wrong again! I said “a BABY in a woman’s womb is not part of her body”! Get it straight next time!

Simon: I’m sure you’re aware Paul was the last in the world to grant women equal status, and were being sarcastic, but it holds for not only the “Evangelicals”, but also most of the radical right today. Also, of course infantry isn’t the only “combat arms” women will now be able to join, mostly for promotion potential that has been denied. Also of course, some of the best snipers in the world have been women, not men, so I wouldn’t discount their ability to “deal with it”.

I never cease to be amazed at how a discussion starts about something like women in combat and digresses to abortion. It’s the law of the land! It’s incredible to me after so many years how we are still bashing each other around over this issue.

Emotionally I’m queasy about abortion. Intellectually I’m a Libertarian and don’t subscribe to a lot of the prohibitions in our society, particularly when it only affects the individual. I hate war and the military spending we maintain in this country and would love to be able to snap my fingers and have the military money and people applied to private industry and for the betterment of America (shameless plug). Thus far nobody has called me for my instructions… Lighten up people!!!

Change a few words (obviously) and I’m sure it will ring as an echo in many a man’s ears… I’m still chuckling…

Oh, so the BABY belongs to the State. Got it.The baby must be protected until it’s born. After that, he/she is his/her parent’s problem and just another statistic for the “Culture of Life” to complain about being a drag on society.

The only movie in the “Alien” series I liked was Alien 2 when Marines are sent under the command of an inept officer and a corrupt corporate tool. It was almost a ‘war movie’, rather than a horror movie. There’s a great scene where the Marines are coming out of stasis and working out to loosen muscles. One man looks at a female member of the unit and says, “Hey, anyone ever confuse you for a guy?”, The woman looks at him & says, “Nope, how about you?” Spoiler alert – She’s one of the last marines to die and dies well.No woman is going to be ordered to the front. They have to request frontline duty, qualify for it, and even then, the first two years will be medical, support, and in the second year, mobile howitzers and cannons. I don’t understand the commentators who decry this action as further evidence of the decay of our military and/or society. My eldest daughter is an Army Major who has done 3 tours in support of Iraq and Afghanistan. She has driven trucks into the North of Iraq into the Kurdish proviinces. If a woman WANTS to be on the frontlines, and even in forward outposts in high risk areas…if she can pass the physical and mental training to do so…why not? Besides, as I heard a man say on the radio yesterday…think what an embarrassment it will be to the Taliban. Not only have you been shot, but you were shot by a GIRL!!!Justice. :)Respectfully,C.

Actually, this move does nothing but give women the additional pay and honor they should already be receiving because, lets face it folks, if they are in Iraq or Afghanistan they really are already in a combat zone.

I guess these liberal cartoons make it true.

Conservatives are not “scared” of women serving in the military, not at all! But in a combat situation, there are many more factors than all soldiers being “equal” to consider. Such as, does a female soldier have the upper body strength to keep up with the men? How does her presence affect unit cohesion, with the sexual tension that is created? Will the unit commander treat her differently, if he & she are lovers? No, independent women are no threat at all,. unless their presence endangers a combat mission! The Israeli Army tried women in combat; it did not work!

You forget, that so-called ‘parasite’ was created by the mommy & daddy by their own free will! Once that life has been created, it is the mother’s obligation to PROTECT it, not DESTROY it!

Also, reverence & respect for human life, is not just a religious issue, it is a human-rights issue, as well! Legal abortion in the USA has produced a culture in which human life is valued less and less, and things like euthanasia are contemplated as being ‘compassionate.’

Now have all 18 year old women sign up for Selective Service by law same as all men.Hey, I’m all for some 19 year old girl being able to to be drafted before my 21 year old son should we get into a war that requires a general draft.Obama claimed the Right had a “War on Women” but we can see that he prefers “Women in War”. Have Fun girls.

“And here’s a question that I don’t expect you or any of your kind will honestly answer, but why is it that “conservatives” are so scared of women serving in the military?”.As someone with libertarian leanings don’t know if I qualify but I’ll give it a shot..The few women that have been captured during our modern conflicts have been treated very carefully. Our enemies know that if the females were mistreated an enraged America is something that they would not want to face. Had our female POWs been raped, killed and dragged on the street what they are facing now would be a walk in the park compared to an enraged country with the world’s most powerful military..My personal fear is that female POWs become commonplace to where their mistreatment becomes hardly news.

So women are already in combat roles, and still don’t have to sign up for selective service as young men do (and there are no front lines anymore as in WWII). This is nothing more than another feel good legislation/smokescreen from this administration while they go after our individual rights and push for amnesty.*Funny how President Obama doesn’t feel the same way about women serving in his administration.

Hmmmmm, women in combat, I wonder what we were doing over there all that time….

You had better tell that to the U.S. Dept. Of Defense! THEY are the ones who do not require women to meet the very SAME physical fitness requirements as MEN! Hmmmm, maybe they know something about women’s upper body strength that you do not!

Your words, not mine: "The women I run triathlons with have no trouble keeping up with, and beating, most of the men. “Upper body strength” has nothing to do with it.