Letters to the Editor: A Republican takes the military hostage over abortion. What a disgrace

To the editor: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is wreaking havoc on our military and their families. He has no business stalling senior military promotions, including putting a hold on the Senate confirmation of the Marine Corps commandant.

His rationale is his opposition to the current Defense Department policy of paying for service members to travel for needed reproductive care, including abortion, if it is not available where they are stationed.

It is shameful that someone who could not even name the three branches of government after being elected in 2020 is a sitting senator. That lack of basic knowledge would cause him to grandly fail the civics test given to prospective U.S. citizens.

He has also made it quite obvious that he does not want to criticize white nationalists. We would all be better served if he left the Senate and returned to coaching football.

(Full disclosure: My daughter-in-law is a career Air Force officer. And we are all football fans.)

Barbara Assadi, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Tuberville has held up more than 250 routine top-level military promotions because of his opposition to the Pentagon’s abortion policies. As a result, the Marine Corps is currently without a confirmed leader for the first time in a century, and many other promotions, transfers and reassignments in all branches are in limbo.

Since he never served in the military, perhaps Tuberville doesn’t understand that military morale and readiness are based on a rigid command structure where every soldier from the bottom to the top has no reason to question the qualifications, legitimacy or authority of those above them in the command hierarchy.

Tuberville’s refusal to let these normal and necessary promotions go forward for purely religious reasons weakens our national security.

Gary Vogt, Menifee

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To the editor: Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has the power to end the military promotions blockade.

Simply keep the Senate in session and halt all business until it’s done. Force a vote every single day, even if it takes 18 hours.

Frankly, Schumer’s “whaddya gonna do� act has passed its sell-by date.

Rusty Austin, Rancho Mirage

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To the editor: So Tuberville considers the state of a woman’s reproductive organs more important than national security. How very typical of today’s Republicans.

Sandra Stubban, Stanton