You May Ask Yourself, Well, How Did I Get Here?
Letting the days go by, let the water hold me down?
When all along you had some whacky, hi-falutin’, idealistic idea that your Navy uniform made everyone in it…BLUE.
Kinda hurts to find out how wrong you were.
The Navy wants to judge sailors by the color of their skin, not the content of their seamanship.
The latest national security leak is a shocking e-mail from a Navy admiral on “Diversity Accountability.” The message, sent to a list of other flag officers, notes that “a change in focus of this year’s diversity brief is the desire to identify our key performers (by name) and provide insight on each of them.” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, who apparently originated this order, “is interested in who are the diverse officers with high potential and what is the plan for their career progression. He may ask what is being done within to ensure they are considered for key follow on billets within the Navy.”
The message specifies, “This list must be held very closely but will provide ready reference to ensure we are carefully monitoring and supporting the careers of the best and the brightest the Navy has to offer.” That is, the best and the brightest provided a sailor is one of the euphemistically “diverse.” If you are a white male, it might be time to set sail and seek opportunities elsewhere.
In practice, the Navy will be creating a list of privileged “diverse” officers who will enjoy special benefits and career mentoring not available to people of the wrong race, as well as a virtual guarantee of fast-track access to the highest reaches of command. Fifty-six years after the Supreme Court struck down the concept of “separate but equal” treatment of races, the U.S. Navy is erecting a wall of segregation between what will amount to two parallel promotion systems: one for the “diverse” and another for the monotone. If this isn’t illegal, it should be.
…In the contemporary naval bureaucracy, this type of politically correct nonsense has run out of control like a loose cannon on deck. The Naval Academy lists racial diversity as the “highest personnel priority,” apparently even over the mission of educating future Navy leaders for warfare on the high seas.
There isn’t a hue specification to “best and brightest” (or am I missing something), but they are sure as hell are intensity measurements and isn’t THAT what we want instead?
And if I were a minority officer, wouldn’t I be FURIOUS that I’d worked my ass off to legitimately get where I was and now, all of a sudden, find myself slathered with the “short bus” brush thanks to this group of master manipulators? How helpful both in relations with my peers and in respect to subordinates.
AND, if you were a Marine Corps, Army or Air Force officer reading this, wouldn’t you be the teensiest bit…well…curious what’s going on in the esoteric levels swirling overhead?
Despicable.
Military Thingies, Nanny State, People, Politics, Public Service Announcement | tree hugging sister | 
August 5, 2010 8:38 am
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The upper levels of the Navy in general might want to reflect upon the activities of the senior women in their service, especially when viewing such a piece as Tine printed about Capt. Holly Graf, and also perhaps review another website which holds the purview of men who are perhaps a little closer to the source of concern than Washington D.C.
I knew that the Navy was more politically correct than the other services, but this is several steps backwards….and a serious detriment to the Navy as well. How are you going to select the best and brightest if “diversity” is your first priority?
Mike’s example of Graf is exactly what the Navy will be getting for senior leadership if they continue down this path.
Sounds like Holly should be the next Mrs. Mel Gibson.
Bingley,
You must really, really be against poor Mel!
Mike I’m just imagining how entertaining the phone calls would be 🙂
Navy, a Global Force for race and gender initiatives.
Navy, Life, Liberty and the relentless pursuit of all those who threaten our race and gender equity provisions.
82 Airborne, the All Diverse Division.
*racialism*
Er,82nd-sorry, No, I really don’t know what I was thinking, but you knew that already.
One would think that the Naval Academy would foremost be striving to produce the best Naval Officers vice worrying about diversity and that the regular Navy would want to promote the best regardless of color. Alas, I’ll bet the Navy leadership may be following orders if you get my drift.
I do, major dad. I have a buddy who just finished a tour where he worked for the Navy (he’s National Guard), and he has NOTHING positive to say about that particular part of the service.