Email from Lt. Gen Rod Bishop to the USAFA Superintendent:
Rich–as a die hard Falcon football fan, I certainly share with you (and what coach and the team must be a feeling)–i.e, “disappointment” after an 8-0 start of “what could have been.” We all saw the “never give up” attitude, however, in the loss at Boise State, so I sincerely hope the team isn’t hanging their heads–they have lots to be proud of this year!
Also as a die hard supporter of a strong military, I would like to share with you (with thanks to our BOA member, Elaine Donnelly (Founder and President for the Center for Military Readiness, for alerting me to this)–the concern expressed below by the self-described liberal and former NYT editor Bari Weiss. Here is what Elaine sent to me and OSD:
“She (Bari Weiss) makes note that the three words “diversity, equity, and inclusion” usually represent “noble causes,” and continues:
“But in reality these words are now metaphors for an ideological movement bent on recategorizing every American not as an individual, but as an avatar of an identity group, his or her behavior prejudged accordingly setting all of us up in a kind of zero-sum game.” Consequences of this divisive ideology are much worse in the military, where non-discrimination and respect for meritocracy should be paramount values.”
Sound familiar? Along with our advice to you to try and distance the military from BLM (an organization we now see supporting Hamas–let alone the nearly $100M they “stole” from their supporters and their “announced” Marxist training and background) and also warning about the illegal way DOD was going about handling the covid vaccine mandate (6 Federal Courts agreed with us….finally–but not before the military had kicked 8400 patriots to the door), STARRS’ caution against DEI has been equally as strong and consistent.
Seems like Bud Light learned the divisive lesson of this Marxist ideology (trans theory is a species of the Marxist genus according to the folks who study this stuff for a living). It only took losing almost $400M in sales and $27Billion with a B in capital value–while today, Disney announced their “woke” movement was a huge mistake. It only took their stock dropping from over $220 a share just a couple of years ago to a closing of $95.17 today to make them wake up.
With recruiting hurting, and discord and divisiveness among the troops, our airmen, marines, sailors and guardians, I hope it won’t be long before our military, too, starts to do the right thing with regards to the Marxist-based DEI. Bury it.
In the sunset of your career, what do you have to lose?
R, Rod
PS. If any of the 200 folks BCC’d on this email (many at their request) can put STARRS in contact with Bari, please email me. Her voice is a powerful one for sure. I have not heard anyone describe the “ideological rot” (as she calls it) of DEI any better.
PPS. Here is what one of our black BoA members recently posted on social media–got over 100,000 views. Something similar coming from you might get as much reaction:
“The Pentagon is slated to spend nearly $270M on DEI. Based on our readiness scores, there is a greater sense of urgency needed for that $270M and it should be reallocated towards combat readiness instead of DEI indoctrination.
My father-in-law began his career in the segregated U.S. Army in 1947 and rose to the highest enlisted rank as Command Sergeant Major (E9) during his 30-years of service (Korean and Vietnam War Veteran). In addition, my father served for 25 years in the U.S. Army (two tours in Vietnam) and retired a Master Sergeant (E8) in the U.S. Army.
When I decided to leave the Army as a young Captain in 1990, they both encouraged me to stay in the Army. Having lived through the Jim Crow era in the south, they believed that the military was the only place where I would be treated fairly and advance on merit.
However, I wanted to give the post-Civil Rights America a chance as the first in my family to graduate college and work in Corporate America.
For several decades, the U.S. Armed Forces was a model of diversity done right. However, with the introduction of DEI over the past few years, our nation’s armed forces and military academies are being deliberately undermined with a cancerous political ideology.
DEI is not civil rights 2.0. It is Marxist ideology cloaked in a cheap disguise, and it is eroding our military from the inside – out.
To learn more, check out STARRS, a group of retired senior officers and noncommission officers (https://starrs.us/). I am on their Advisory Board.”
PPPS. We do have some great BOA and BOD members!!!
Another ON-TARGET article. Here is the "corporate cost" ----- recruiting. I am just one of thousands of veterans who now advises young people to NOT serve. For years I helped youngsters get ROTC scholarships, service academy appointments, and enlistments. No longer. I ran a very large high school Army JROTC and helped our Army recruiter. I have two sons who served. They finally left a Woke and PC military. i concurred with their action to leave.