February 9, 2016

The Worst Argument Ever For Not Drafting Women

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I can’t say that I’ve paid a lot of attention to the question of whether women should be required to register for the draft or allowed to serve on the front lines. There are, I’m sure, some good reasons to oppose allowing women in the infantry, but this sure isn’t one of them:

Such a policy inverts natural law and the rules that have grounded our civilization for thousands of years. Men should protect women. They should not shelter behind mothers and daughters.

That’s a National Review editorial. Not a personal opinion piece or a blog post. It’s the official and carefully considered institutional view of the magazine. Did they invite Vladimir Putin to guest edit this issue, or what?

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A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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