Diversity Thursday

Today is President Lincoln's birthday. Time Magazine got together with the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72) to make this video of crew members reciting the Gettysburg Address. There is no way to embed the video, so click the link above - and then come back.

Nice, isn't it? What a great opportunity for the Navy, her Sailors, and a fitting tribute to the man that made the nation we have today possible.

How could the Navy possibly ruin such an opportunity? How could something as inclusive, uniting, and purely American as the Gettysburg Address be used as a tool to divide Sailors?

Simple; let the Diversity Bullies get involved.

There is some background here that will sound all too familiar to many of us, and it demonstrates well why when you tell Sailors that "Diversity" has nothing to do with quotas or picking people just by their DNA --- they look at you like you just lied to their face.

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From: (redacted)
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 10:20 PM
To: CVN-72 Dept LCPO's
Subject: TIME MAGAZINE

LCPOs,

Here is the skinny on Time:

Need a DIVERSE (gender, race, age) group of 15 Sailors in "NEW
LOOKING" uniforms (whether Jerseys or Utilities/Wash Khakis, coveralls not desired) to meet with Time in the following locations:

ONE Sailor on the Flight Deck with XO and two CVW2 officers

THREE Sailors on the Bridge with the CO

THREE Sailors at the Lincoln Bust (outside Deckhouse 3) with the Admiral

THREE Sailors in the Hangar Bay with one officer

THREE Sailors in the Foc'sle with one officer

TWO Sailors in CDC with two Strike Group officers

I have some names provided, and was going with a first-come, first-served roster. Can't do it. Need to screen for diversity.

Please canvas your divisions and provide names to me by COB 1 FEB. They will be on board 3 and 4 FEB. Time TBD.

**Each Sailor/officer is expected to recite one line of the Gettysburgh(sic) Address for a Web-based video.

V/R
(redacted)

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Diversity - it makes bigots of us all - and orders good, solid Sailors to be bigots despite their natural tendency to be fair to their Shipmates. Note the second bold section - that Sailor wanted to be fair to all, but found out later that he "...can't...".

Why? Who ordered him to discriminate on the basis of "...gender, race, age..." How, after so much blood and treasure and time has been expended in this great Republic to make all men free and equal - that it as become a legal order to discriminate on the basis of something so completely out of control of the individual in question as "...gender, race, age..."

Does it make you feel dirty? It does me.

Hat tip JOPA Spy.