As the prostitute scandal continues to rock the Secret Service, one thought has been running around my brain like a mouthy schoolgirl: Why aren't there more (or any?!) female Secret Service agents? The reason there should be more is simple: Women don’t get into trouble the way men do.Well, Ms. Blakeley, as it happens, there are female Secret Service agents, and have been for decades. Considering that there were women on Reagan's detail, it's probably safe to say that there have been women guarding the president longer than you've been alive. A woman was named deputy director of the agency in 2004, during the administration of that horrible macho cowboy, George W. Bush.
But it's your assertion that screwing up on the job is somehow a uniquely male trait that leaves me agog. Did you think before you typed that? Of course you didn't. Apparently you live in such a bubble that you couldn't even imagine who'd find such a statement objectionable.
Please, stay off my side.
.
30 comments:
She asks why there aren't more.
You respond that there are more than zero.
I think you're arguing past each other.
I think you're both wrong.
To whit:
There are some women SS agents.
Female brains being, on average, wired less towards hunting, violence, and status than male brains, many fewer women WANT to be SS agents.
Our government being our government, there's probably affirmative action involved, whether explicitly or implicitly.
...thus the average quality of female SS agents is likely lower than the average quality of the male SS agents.
...but it is likely a career-ending event to ever point this out inside the SS or to fire or demote a female employee.
So, yeah, you both are women, hear you roar, and some women shoot better than 99.9% of men out there.
...but she's right that there are few female SS agents, and she's wrong that sexism is to blame for that. If anything, progressive sexism is the reason that there are as many female SS agents as there are.
Ironically, she is the author of "Can't Think Straight: A Memoir of Mixed-Up Love".
Amazon describes it as "When Kiri Blakeley realizes her ten-year relationship was built on lies, she screams. Then drinks. And spends the ensuing months in a foggy, new world of sexual encounters."
Maybe the Secret Service guys read her book.
...As well as screwing up onthe job, plain ol' screwing on the job isn't a uniquely male activity, either. ...The reaction thereunto still seems kinda gender-biased, though: the distaff version of "stud" would be "slut."
...Instead of the unisex version: "idiot."
TJIC,
"She asks why there aren't more."
That is not what she asked. She said "Why aren't there more (OR ANY?!)"
Which completely obviated the need for the rest of the MRA/PUA/pseudo-EvoBiology blablabla.
(Shorter version: I could give a f&$# what the percentages are. There are. Ergo, she is wrong.
None of which was the point of my post, of course.)
I can imagine that women in the secret service WOULD be a little less prone to bringing un-vetted hookers back to the already secured hotel...
That said, hookers are a bigger deal than some people think. When I was in the Marines, I had a clearance and worked in a secure facility where, whooo "secret stuff" happened (and no, I wasn't special forces or any of that crap, I repaired aircraft parts). At least once a year, some dumb-ass would get caught trying to get a "hooker" (or barfly, or chick-he-met-at-the-grocery-store) into the secure facility because she (usually after some kissing and groping) told him "I always wanted to see what they do there and *giggle* I'm too stupid to steal secrets anyway". The worst I recall was the time a guy was caught trying to get two (very hot) women in, both of which had thick foreign accents. Apparently, he had met them at a bar and they emediately started asking about where he worked/what he did.
Some men really can be lead around by their penis.
s
Stuart the Viking,
"Some men really can be lead around by their penis."
To troll for secrets from female employees with clearances, you'd have to bait the hook with a Russian Brad Pitt or Vin Diesel, but the principle's pretty much the same.
"To troll for secrets from female employees with clearances, you'd have to bait the hook with a Russian Brad Pitt or Vin Diesel, but the principle's pretty much the same."
Maybe... but it would have to be "Russian Brad Pitt" who can also talk about his feelings and be sweet. For a lot of men, the bait would only have to be not-ugly, and she can be a bitch (or have no personality at all) as long as she blows... and she doesn't have to be all that good at THAT either, just willing.
Seems to me, there is a big difference in the price of entry.
s
"...screwing up while on the job while on the job is somehow a uniquely male trait...."
Tam, you make it so easy. Why, just off the top of my head, I can think of Janet Reno, Jaime Gerlich, Carol Browner, Janet Napalitono, Hillary Clinton....
RE: The Cake at Atomic Nerds.
W.
T.
F.
Bubblehead Les,
"Hillary Clinton"
You leave Regina Dentata alone! :D
Regina Dentata
Thank you, Tam. At least something has now replaced 'vagina dentata' as the words I always hear in my head when 'Hakuna Matata' is playing.
"Please, stay off my side."
I would never have suspected you to have one. You certainly do not, in the traditional sense, being sort of an army of one. I expect that's why I keep coming back.
I'm pretty sure Hillary's close protection detail is exclusively female.
"is exclusively female"
Fairly butch, too.
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f54/hillary-clinton-secret-service-detail-1964629/
I was tickled to read the NY Times piece on an interview with the lady that the SS agent tried to cheat in Colombia. The dude should be charged with fraud and theft, promising $800 the night before, and claiming he was drunk and offering $30 the next morning. That money crap should be worth his job for lack of character and ethics. It almost sounds like Obama's campaign for President. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/world/americas/colombian-escort-speaks-about-secret-service-scandal.htm)
There ought to be a lesson, there, about the tone being set by the ethics and character at the top. Which makes a Romney vs. Obama campaign a real poser.
Prostitution is a legal profession in Colombia, though as suspect here as I imagine our inspectors that assure rat droppings in hamburger meet don't exceed federal standards are to the Colombians. Cheating the merchant is illegal everywhere, or should be.
@ Brad ... Source Material : NYT & Prostitute ...
Negotiated rate 25 x the believed price?
Bullshit
So, you guys know how to make a hormone, right?
Don't pay her.
Ha ha, I slay myself...
Be sure to tip your waitress - I'll be here all week
Another point one could make here:
"...more (or any?!)..."
pretty indisputably equals
"couldn't be bothered to do the research."
Research is a tool of oppression.
(See what I did with the double entendre there?)
I love how when men screw up (literally and figuratively) in these matters, they are blamed, but women always seem to be teflon.
As if they weren't willing participants, half of the equation...
Like women who kill their children are 'sick', and need help.
But men are all venal monsters.
Just venting... :-)
I was pinned a couple times for 3 different guys with SS details and I do not recall seeing any women.
Surprisingly, (or not) one of those times it was for Slick Willy.
Given that the SS and the Armed forces are implicated, but not the Obama host, who don't have the requirements and standards, it may just be that the SS is getting the tail pinned on their donkey to cover for another group.
Normally money paid up front is considered a tip, money payed afterward is what is taxed and forwarded on to the pimp.
Someone may have paid up front, and thought that was enough. The SS often gets to clean up such minor details for the president's entourage.
Am I the only person who gets confused/twitchy seeing the Secret Service referred to as 'SS'?
Oh, yeah. 'Course, ours predates those other guys by quite a few years. About 70, in fact.
One would hope they would stay away from the shit that gave the other group such a lasting reputation, but considering who they work for, I'm not holding my breath.
...Man, I know I shouldn't poke a stick under the bridge, but the longer I look at TJIC's rant the more it doesn't even make internal sense. I mean, leaving aside that its entire logical structure is "female secret service agents suck because I have decided that they do based on wiring and the notion that there are a bunch of sucky female secret service agents who were promoted above their level and can't be fired because that fits my other notions, QED there is no sexism here you crazy feminist".
...Taking as given that male brains are "more wired" for "hunting, violence, and status", how on earth does that translate to being better suited to doing a job that requires high tolerance for boredom, lots of self-control, a large degree of cooperation between rivals for status, all to protect some higher-status individual who's going to stay higher status at the end of the day because of your hard work? There's a reason people with groups of working animals usually castrate most of the males- cuts down on time and energy lost to intra-group fighting.
"I'm oriented to going out and tracking large animals, which makes me the ideal person to stand here for hours of boredom in case I need to quickly react to a human threat. Also I'm more mentally primed to pick violent fights over challenges or perceived slights to my status, which is why I'm prepared to risk my own life to protect someone above me in status who I may not even like."
Alternatively humans are capable of forming state-level civilizations and chimps can barely cope with larger bands because we don't act like that.
I've been refreshing this comment thread all day waiting on you, LabRat. :)
The funniest moment (so far) was watching Bob Beckel try to dismiss the whole incident because to his mind it just wasn't that big a deal.
In case no one remembers, this is the same man whose career was almost destroyed because a prostitute tried to blackmail him.
Yup. I would hate to argue against LabRat, except on matters of taste and esthetics. Those are inarguable to start with, so why bother.
A Russian Brad Pitt for Hitlery, maybe. A Russian Vin Diesel, not so much, he would want to guard Jim Carney or one of the male lackies.
Read a story the other day re' SS detachments, and affirmative action is alive and well. Apparently there is a supervisor (sorry, no pictures or link, I went Hmmmm when I read the story and tossed it) who is - shall we say - so zahftig that they have to park the presidential limo on a slant whenever she is in the car so as to help her swing the big, heavy armored door open. Seems she can't quite get the job done on her own from the inside.
All I can say is I am sorely disappointed. The one .gov agency - the ONLY SINGLE AGENCY - I thought was still immune from that crap is awash in sex, potential risk to security, and political interference seemingly to its core.
"ef 'em all at this point.
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