Assassination Attempt - Secret Service - DEI

[Res Ipsa]

I am stuck with a thought that I am not happy with. It might not be completely meaningless however.

I watched with some puzzlement the Megan Kelly presentation. I wondered if she was being unfair about the women looking like they did not know what they were doing.I was unsure that that was what I was seeing. It seemed important that the hair swung back and forth distractingly. Yes they were too small to cover Mr Trump or carry him to the vehicle. They were looking out for any further danger in the crowd but the hair did not look like that.

In a grinchy mood I thought Megan was just doing a mean sorority girl attack on women whose hair style was not up to grade. Megan can look very together on camera. In a crowd in a violent event it is not so easy to look composed.

My unpleasant thought was seeing my own reactions to our vice president. Intellectually I can respect her yet when I see her speaking I do not have an automatic trust response. Without thinking I feel she does not present as a leader. Her hair swings about like those ponytails. ... I also suspect her voice patterns are formed a bit like a prosecutor , not an invitation to follow but a confrontational sound in there.

I'm convinced that we all have implicit biases that it is very difficult for us to spot. I think it's good to watch out for it and acknowledge it when we catch it.

[ceeboo]

I'm sad to hear that.

Don't be sad, Res.

I think it's a perfect illustration of how corrosive grievance politics is to our country.

My limited understanding of grievance politics would be the opposite of politics solving. I didn't think I was being political in the thread, I honestly wanted to consider what, if any, consequences DEI might have on SS agents. While I knew that the current administration was promoting DEI, I never really gave it much thought as it relates to positions like SS until the assassination attempt and the video I linked in the OP.

Given the role of the SS agents that protect the life of past Presidents and the current President (and other public officials) I would think that every American would want to know more and get some answers.

The more I read and learn about this entire thing, the more concerned I am getting over what seems to be quite the cluster-fuk. That's why I am not really interested in having a discussion with you about your concerns relating to how corrosive grievance politics are. I am much more focused and interested in a discussion about WTF happened concerning the attempted assassination. I guess I consider that topic much more important at the moment.

[Morley]

It’s hilarious that Megan Kelly Megyn Kelley is critiquing women in the Secret Service because they may not possess the inherent biological qualities needed for the job. It wasn’t too many decades ago that women were trying to break through cultural barriers to be taken seriously as interviewers. It was considered that women were too nurturing to ask hard-hitting questions, and that they might not have the intellectual and/or emotional capacity to even understand what those questions were. She owes her position to the folks who pushed for women like Barbara Walters to pioneer the way.

Today, we accept that the abilities of women TV hosts are equal to those of men. Too bad we can’t yet grant the same to those women who are in law enforcement. Being an effective police officer—or Secret Service agent—is less about brawn than it is about training.

If you want more effective Secret Service agents, then improve the training.



edit: Fixed the spelling of Megyn Kelley's name.

[ceeboo]

Too bad we can’t yet grant the same to those women in law enforcement. Being an effective police officer—or Secret Service agent—is less about brawn than it is about training.

You sure about that?

Strength and size strike me as significant factors for SS agents.

[Morley]

Too bad we can’t yet grant the same to those women in law enforcement. Being an effective police officer—or Secret Service agent—is less about brawn than it is about training.

You sure about that?

Strength and size strike me as significant factors for SS agents.

If you see the agents primarily as meat shields, then sure.

The snipers who took out Crooks didn't need strength and size. Neither do the officers who make decisions about deployment or tactics. The agents mingling with the crowd probably shouldn't look like professional wrestlers, either. Size and power don't aid in counterfeit detection, surveillance, investigating cyber crime, bank fraud detection, nor the host of other duties the Secret Service is tasked with. Even when tactical operations are called for, skill and expertise will always Trump (yes, I know) big and strong.

In a face-off, an average-sized person with formidable weapons training is the absolute equal of a large and strong man with the same weapons training. Two armed people are rarely going to get to the point that they're trying to put each other in choke holds.

The only reason for big and strong is to stop bullets. If you let it get that far, you're already screwed.

[Gadianton]

Strength and size strike me as significant factors for SS agents.

A lot of things strike you, Ceeboo, mainly whatever the current talking points of right-wing media are.

Do you pay attention to your own sources?

I've worked with females my entire career and the females that I've worked with were fantastic. They were as trained as I was, as capable as I was, both physically and with a firearm, and there was great comfort and trust when you were serving on protection details together.

Apparently, females regularly meet the strength and size requirements to be SS agents, according to an ss agent Megyn Kelley trusted to speak on the matter on her show, and who has an issue with the director's woke policies.

[Binger]

The snipers who took out Crooks didn't need strength and size.

Absolutely not true. This is a disgraceful statement. Unbelievable.

[Jersey Girl]

Apparently, females regularly meet the strength and size requirements to be SS agents, according to an ss agent Megyn Kelley trusted to speak on the matter on her show, and who has an issue with the director's woke policies.

There aren't any height requirements for SS agents.

[Res Ipsa]

I'm sad to hear that.

Don't be sad, Res.

I think it's a perfect illustration of how corrosive grievance politics is to our country.

My limited understanding of grievance politics would be the opposite of politics solving. I didn't think I was being political in the thread, I honestly wanted to consider what, if any, consequences DEI might have on SS agents. While I knew that the current administration was promoting DEI, I never really gave it much thought as it relates to positions like SS until the assassination attempt and the video I linked in the OP.

Given the role of the SS agents that protect the life of past Presidents and the current President (and other public officials) I would think that every American would want to know more and get some answers.

The more I read and learn about this entire thing, the more concerned I am getting over what seems to be quite the cluster-fuk. That's why I am not really interested in having a discussion with you about your concerns relating to how corrosive grievance politics are. I am much more focused and interested in a discussion about WTF happened concerning the attempted assassination. I guess I consider that topic much more important at the moment.

OK, how did the two female agents play any causal role in the shooting?

[ceeboo]

Strength and size strike me as significant factors for SS agents.

A lot of things strike you, Ceeboo, mainly whatever the current talking points of right-wing media are.

Do you pay attention to your own sources?

I've worked with females my entire career and the females that I've worked with were fantastic. They were as trained as I was, as capable as I was, both physically and with a firearm, and there was great comfort and trust when you were serving on protection details together.

Apparently, females regularly meet the strength and size requirements to be SS agents, according to an ss agent Megyn Kelley trusted to speak on the matter on her show, and who has an issue with the director's woke policies.

As far as I am aware, there are no strength and size requirements to be a SS agent. Either I am wrong about this, or you are making things up.

I have some issues with these woke policies too, that's why I said this in my OP:

In this thread, I wanted to consider what effects, if any, the Secret Service's DEI program has had on the organization. The Secret Service has a "30 4 30" in play - meaning they want to achieve having 30% of SS agents to be female by the year 2030.

I don't know what the answers are, but I think it's worth looking into to find out if the DEI policy has had an impact. Federal agency positions like a SS agent ought to be based on merit and merit alone (male or female) and what should play no relevance are things like the pigmentation in your skin, what your sexual orientation happens to be, what gender one happens to be, or what color your hair is.

You need not agree with me, that's fine, but I am concerned that woke politics might have negative consequences and I am interested to find out more.