An Open Letter To Fox News About "Boobs On The Ground"

[WilliamPitt]

An Open Letter To Fox News About "Boobs On The Ground"

Dear Mr. Bolling and Mr. Gutfeld,

We are veterans of the United States armed forces, and we are writing to inform you that your remarks about United Arab Emirates Air Force Major Mariam Al Mansouri were unwarranted, offensive, and fundamentally opposed to what the military taught us to stand for.

First, foremost, and most obvious to everyone other than yourselves, your remarks were immensely inappropriate. Your co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle was so right to call attention to an inspiring story of a woman shattering glass ceilings in a society where doing so is immeasurably difficult. We never heard an answer to her question: why did you feel so compelled to “ruin her thing?”

As it turns out, women have been flying combat aircraft since before either of you were born. Over 1,000 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) flew during World War II. Seeing as U.S. Army Air Forces Commander “Hap” Arnold said “Now in 1944, it is on the record that women can fly as well as men,” we can probably guess he thought their parking was adequate. The WASP legacy reaches into the present day; on 9/11, then Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney scrambled her F-16. Completely unarmed, she was ready to lay down her own life to prevent further devastating attacks on American soil.

(snip)

We issue an apology on your behalf to Major Al Mansouri knowing that anything your producers force you to say will be contrived and insincere. Major, we’re sincerely sorry for the rudeness; clearly, these boys don’t take your service seriously, but we and the rest of the American public do.

Very Respectfully,

Michael Breen, U.S. Army

Shawn VanDiver, U.S. Navy

Kristen Rouse, U.S. National Guard

Andrea Marr, U.S. Navy

Kristen Kavanaugh, U.S. Navy

Richard Wheeler, U.S. Army

Leo Cruz, U.S. Navy

Aryanna Hunter, U.S. Army

Geoff Orazem U.S. Marine Corps

Scott Cheney-Peters, U.S. Navy

Jonathan Murray, U.S. Marine Corps

Timothy Kudo, U.S. Marine Corps

Welton Chang, U.S. Army

Michael Smith, U.S. Army

Gordon Griffin, U.S. Marine Corps

Kelsey Campbell, U.S. Air Force

Matt Runyon, U.S. Army

Richard Weir, U.S. Marine Corps

Scott Holcomb, U.S. Army

Jon Gensler, U.S. Army

Erik Brine, U.S. Air Froce

Rob Miller, U.S. Marine Corps

Josh Weinberg, U.S. Army

John Wagner, U.S. Air Force

Terron Sims II, U.S. Army

Sonia Fernandez, U.S. Marine Corps

Dan Hartnett, U.S. Army

Dan Futrell, U.S. Army

John Margolick, U.S. Marine Corps

Daniel Savage, U.S. Army

Matt Pelak, U.S. Army,

LaRue Robinson, U.S. Army

Anthony Woods, U.S Army

Margot Beausey, U.S. Navy

Dustin Cathcart, U.S. Army

Kayla Williams, U.S. Army

Dan Espinal, U.S. Army

Jonathan Hopkins, U.S. Army

Tony Johnson, U.S. Navy

Andy Moore, U.S. Army

Kevin Johnson, U.S. Army

Brett Hunt, U.S. Army

Russell Galeti, U.S. Army

Gail Harris, U.S. Navy

Katelyn Geary van Dam, U.S. Marine Corps

Mick Crnkovich, U.S. Army

Jonathan Freeman, U.S. Army

Chris Finan, U.S. Air Force

Robert Mishev, U.S. Air Force

Matt Zeller, U.S. Army

William Allen, U.S. Marine Corps

Sharmistha Mohpatra, U.S. Army

Adam Tiffen, U.S. Army

Alex Cornell du Houx, U.S. Navy

Jason Cain, U.S. Army

Rob Bracknell, U.S. Marine Corps

Karen Courington, U.S. Air Force

Lach Litwer, U.S. Army

Andrew Borene, U.S. Marine Corps

The letter in full: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/an-open-letter-to-fox-news

...and for some spicy hot sauce on the side, here is Jon Stewart addressing the issue in a truly transcendent rant:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/jon-stewart-fox-news-latte-salute_n_5886396.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

[femmocrat]

1. K & R

x 1000!!!

[Stuart G]

2. K and R

This one could really hurt Fox, fake news..if it sticks long enough

[WilliamPitt]

4. Boys being boys, right?

[Dustlawyer]

15. That sums it up! What is this person even doing here?

Eric the Red earlier had criticized Obama for saluting with a Latte in his hand earlier in that same program and spoke of disrespecting the soldiers who put their life on the line. Clear evidence that he and Fox do not really care about soldiers as Jon Stewart so elequently put it, just scoring points on Obama.

[rock]

41. A literal LOL

[hlthe2b]

8. Because women were made to be the

brunt of your childish jokes, right? Even when putting their lives on the line for your unworthy butt.

[Ilsa]

9. Really?

Reducing a fighter pilot or bomber pilot to sexual body parts is funny to you? Demeaning her piloting abilities and perpetuating a stereotype about women drivers by claiming she can't "park" her aircraft is funny?

[maddiemom]

37. Considering this woman is from th UAE, she's one very impressive woman!

She must have some story behind her. To see that Fox asshole disrespect her has made me the angriest I've ever been with that network. I haven't watched them since the earliest days, but it seems there's no avoiding their stupid remarks.

[noiretextatique]

10. sexism is not "funny"

except to sexists.

[hlthe2b]

12. "You are not funny. You are not clever. And you are not excused."

You are not funny. You are not clever. And you are not excused.

from:
An Open Letter To Fox News About 'Boobs On The Ground'

.....the skill of women as fighter pilots is well established. And before you jump to the standby excuse that you were “just making a joke” or “having a laugh,” let the men amongst our number preemptively respond: You are not funny. You are not clever. And you are not excused. Perhaps the phrase “boys will be boys”—inevitably uttered wherever misogyny is present—is relevant. Men would never insult and demean a fellow servicemember; boys think saying the word ‘boobs’ is funny.



http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/an-open-letter-to-fox-news

[seabeyond]

14. sense of humor at the expense of women always. lighten up. we are here for your entertainment. no.

the obvious would be, how difficult and how long it took a woman to merely be able to do the same job, because of her sex. being denied, until this woman broke the glass ceiling.

that would be the obvious. to the least of our thinkers.

[shraby]

5. I am thoroughly ashamed that those comments about that pilot

were allowed to be aired. They were boorish, insensitive, rude and childish.
She is a pilot in a country that just doesn't have many women who are allowed to do much of anything. Kudos to her.

[WilliamPitt]

7. ...and she's a Major.

Beat that with a stick.

[Fred Sanders]

18. Correction, Squadron Commander.

[dumbcat]

27. Correction: Both

Major is a rank.
Squadron Commander is a position.
She can be both.

[maddiemom]

38. Any liberal commentator who made a far less "insensitive" remark

(offensive only to those looking for a far-fetched issue) would be out the door in an instant. Sad what things have come to when so many Liberals worry about offending Conservatives, and Conservative commentators make downright treasonous remarks about the POTUS and any Liberal they don't like (meaning almost all Liberals).

[quakerboy]

47. Now now, be fair to the conservatives.

Give them their due. They don't just make treasonous remarks about the POTUS and poisonous remarks about liberals they don't like.. Any female, gay, minority, foreigner, perceived foreigner, person of alternate religion, person of alternate social class, less fortunate person, or anything else that anyone could ever conceivably use to try and diminish anyone else are also fair game for their unrelenting hatred.

[marym625]

6. K&R!!

A million times over!

[seabeyond]

11. ahhhh. thank you. this is perfectly excellent. this is all we need. this. thank you.

damn that is good.

the woman broke a glass ceiling. as a democrat, i am suppose to oppose and not cheer cause it is part of the military machine. i get that. on the other hand, it is the womans choice, and she should not be denied, when that is her goal, simply cause she is woman. regardless on my view of war.

[spanone]

13. K&r...

[myrna minx]

16. K&R n.t

[Fred Sanders]

17. Commander Mansouri shattering all of Fox News and their anti-woman, anti-Islam propaganda is

why they have gone even more insane.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

19. wish i could give this a million recs. n/t

[seabeyond]

20. i am thinking the same. and this is what supporting women and our voice looks like. nt

[BlancheSplanchnik]

23. yes, absolutely.

I hope that letter travels far and wide.

[marym625]

55. The Truman Project is

Tweeting it all over. Just love them!

Did I mention a friend of mine is one the people who signed the letter? And is in the video I posted a bit up the thread. So happy to be able to call him my friend.

[logosoco]

21. I would actually tune in to fox news (that I avoid like the plague) if they

had a segment with some of the women in service challenging these guys to any sort of physical skill or piloting an aircraft.

[maddiemom]

40. YES! But how often have they let anyone be challenged?

In the distant past they did allow some of their "stars" to be challenged on other networks. That never worked out so well. Every time I hear a misogynistic or blustering rant from a Fox jerk, I think of Sean Hannity and wait for his waterboarding. The late Christopher Hitchins stood up and followed through. His reason for being waterboarded was due to journalistic interest. Hannity was beating his chest and claiming it was "no big deal". Of course, he never followed through.

[Enthusiast]

22. Kicked and recommended!

Piss on Fox "News".

[Marie Marie]

58. What a waste of perfectly good piss.

Besides, they'd probably enjoy it.

[Enthusiast]

59. They probably would.

[Kablooie]

24. Those guys would have been publicly fired if they had been on MSNBC.

[SunSeeker]

25. K & R

[yardwork]

26. Love Jon Stewart's rant.

Watch the whole clip. "In their diseased minds..."

[malthaussen]

28. To say nothing of the Soviet pilots of WWII...

... who flew combat missions in both fighters and bombers. The Allies wouldn't use women as combat pilots, only as ferry pilots. Nevertheless, several of the latter died in action... and yet were not granted military honors until long after the war.

-- Mal

[marble falls]

29. Wonderful post. The boob at Fox is the real concern.....

By boob, I mean its original meaning:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/boob

1boob
noun \ˈbüb\
Definition of BOOB
1
: a stupid awkward person : simpleton
2
: boor, philistine
— boob·ish adjective

[1dogleft]

35. don't be afraid

everyone knows what kind of boob you were referring to

[oldandhappy]

30. Thank you for the post and for all involved in the letter and signatures.

Respect. Yes, respect. Even my RW neighbor has stopped watching FN.

[tblue37]

31. KnR to the absolute max! nt

[alp227]

32. Thank you for this! Even veterans who watch fox regularly

got to wake up after seeing this segment to realize what kind of toxic sludge fox has been pumping in their brains!

[marym625]

33. I am proud to say one of signers is a friend of mine.

I love the Truman Project

[sarge43]

34. Bedouin saying: The dogs bark; my caravan moves on.

CAVU Major Mansouri

[Major Nikon]

36. Why isn't the first "joke" regarded as more offensive than the 2nd?

The first Faux dipshit to sound off said, "Problem is, after she bombed it, she couldn’t park it."

So he's basically furthering the stereotype that women can't drive and as an extension can't fly. The 2nd Faux dipshit makes a "joke" about boobs, which is certainly offensive, but doesn't further the bullshit sexism that women are less capable pilots.

[marym625]

39. Some of the people who signed this

Are the same people that appeared in this award winning commercial from 2012

Commander in Chief:

[EEO]

42. Pretty powerful commercial.

[marym625]

43. They won a couple awards for it

I love the Truman Project!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

60. omg, that was too damn good!

Too. Damn. GOOD!!!!!


Thanks for the heads up; I wouldn't have seen this otherwise.


And some of them are friends of yours?
That's pretty cool! Pretty. Damn. COOL!!!!!

[marym625]

61. Just one of them

The best one

Thanks. I am proud to know him.

I wonder what they will put out for the midterms. I am sure whatever it is will be good.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

63. :)

Hard to know who's best!

If you think of it, can you give me a heads up for that too? I dont watch tv, so I'd probably miss it.

[marym625]

64. No problem! I will for sure post it and let you know

If you are on twitter they're @trumanproject. They have been tweeting the letter the last couple days

[BlancheSplanchnik]

65. thanks!

I don't twitter. Too much social media! I can't deal.

[marym625]

66. Twitter and here.

That's more than enough for me

[BlancheSplanchnik]

69. Facebook and here.

[WillyT]

44. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[awoke_in_2003]

45. I am glad to see...

so many men signing onto this. It gives a little hope.

[leftyladyfrommo]

46. I'm going to get killed

and I am about as strong a feminist as you can get but I thought it was kind of funny.

Have you ever tried crawling flat on the ground with boobs? They do really get in the way. And it hurts.

It's not like he was saying that women are awful soldiers. They are good soldiers. Not all women are as physically strong as the men are but boy do they make up for it in guts and intelligence.

[hlthe2b]

48. Uggh.. just uggh.

DId you even, for one moment pause and think about who they were referring to? The accomplishment this WOMAN pilot has made in UAE--that's UNITED ARAB EMIRATES just to be serving, much less the pilot of this critical mission--an Arab woman pilot in an Arab country?!!!!

Yet, you just think she should be the butt of a joke. Just uggh.

[nolabear]

49. Loved "boys" at the end. Certainly not men.

I hope they were appropriately humiliated. To ask that they be humbled is expecting too much.

[KoKo]

50. Recommend.....

[Thespian2]

51. Thank you, WilliamPitt

The reprehensible ass-hole (men) at Fux News are such cowards that they can only disparage a truly courageous woman. They should be hung by the balls from a sour-apple tree!

[New Orleans Strong]

52. I couldn't even wrap my head around this...

...until I read it thusly. Bravi to the signers of this letter. And bravo to Mr. Pitt. Again-

[DinahMoeHum]

53. I'm surprised Bolling & Gutfeld didn't joke about flying carpets. . .

. . .or "camel jockeys". . .given their juvenile attitude.

[rhett o rick]

54. Faux News appeals to the juvenile, ignorant and arrogant assholes.

I wonder how the women that work for Faux News live with themselves.

[riverwalker]

56. eric boller

Tweeted that he really IS a patriot and "supports the troops" because he has a large American flag on his property and named his dog Liberty. Then he posted photos of both. Like, "end of controversy".

Seriously. This guy is delusional. I bet he had a yellow ribbon bumper sticker on car too after he beat war drums for Bush to invade Iraq.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

62. sticker probably made in China.

I had a yellow ribbon thing on the car I had back then.

It said, "I support cheap, jingoistic cliches."

[CaptainTruth]

57. Well said.

Their comments were incredibly disrespectful. Their stupidity does not reflect my stupidity.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

67. You think the women bashing is raw now? Wait till Hillary wins.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

68. Believe I counted 59 signatures

So here goes: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

[calimary]

70. NICE!

Give 'em HELL, Will! It'll help them get used to what's ahead...

[Liberal_in_LA]

71. wonderful letter

[redruddyred]

72. fox news is sexist and racist?

you don't say!
(70 mocks can't be wrong)