I want to keep this discussion within the realm of military science, this a serious subject matter.
The American military has since Roosevelt, tracked the level of discrimination in American society, because there is a relationship between the level of discrimination in a society and the ability of that society to ultimately defend itself. This understanding of the relationship between discrimination and security led to the signing of Executive Order 9981.
The flight commander in Tennessee told the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America that the reason he did not press the non-Caucasian pilots to their limits, was that he did not believe that non-Caucasian pilots were as skilled as their Caucasian counterparts. The flight commander tried to refuse a request by the First Lady of the Untied States to be taken on a flight with a non-Caucasian piloting the plane. And the Commander in Chief had to remind that soldier how the unified system of command operates within the US military establishment. The First Lady stood her ground.
As a result, Roosevelt sent several non-Caucasian airmen from their normal training base in Tennessee to Texas. And, asked the flight commander in Texas to run them through the most rigorous training possible. Because the training of an attack pilot is geared to give him or her a one second advantage over an enemy pilot and that one second determines our ability to win air campaigns.
The reports from Texas did not confirm the beliefs of the flight commander from Tennessee. Roosevelt moved more of the pilots from Tennessee to Texas and as history records they distinguished themselves in the Italian and North African campaigns. But, what Roosevelt learned was that the discriminatory beliefs of the flight commander in Tennessee weakened our ability as a nation to defend ourselves. And, one cannot serve America by sending its fighters into battle not fully trained, as the flight commander in Tennessee was willing to do. And, not because of the ability of the non-Caucasian pilots, but because his prejudice was more important to him than the oath he took to defend this country. The Commander in Chief became aware of this stark and disturbing reality, and at a juncture in our history when everything was on the line.
The president was also made aware that it had become fashionable in stately homes in the area of Clifton and the University of Cincinnati, to place tiles on the floors and porches of those homes bearing the symbol of the swastika. Some of those homes still have the swastika tiles on their porches.
Roosevelt prepared Executive Order 9981, he died and it was signed by Truman.
Further, it is a customary practice when administrations change, for the incoming president and first-lady to have tea in the White House with the outgoing president and first-lady. Eisenhower refused to enter the White House until Truman and his wife had left, because Truman signed Executive Order 9981 integrating the Armed Forces of the United States. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.
Every country and group that wants to attack us studies our discriminatory patterns and exploits them, the same way our military studies the discriminatory patterns in the societies we are at odds with to give us an advantage against them. It is the nature of modern warfare, insurgency and counter insurgency.
This is the problem with the aide to Senator Portman. His discriminatory beliefs and behavior is what is exploited by the enemies of the United States. And, aiding the enemies of the United States is not to my understanding a recognized act of patriotism. One can but imagine what America he sees when he puts his hand on his heart and pledges allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands.
To add historical context, when some, actually many Americans were cheering on George Wallace, Bin Laden's mentor and the second in command of Al Qaeda were holding jihad conferences in Cairo, plotting the destruction of the United States. Bin Laden's mentor lived for several years in the state of Colorado in the mid 1950s. He left there and returns to Egypt and begins to write about the necessity of destroying the United States.
It was not until after the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 that American authorities discovered how influential Qutb's writings were among those who carried out that attack, that they began to look into Qutb's stay in Colorado, and whatever they found has never seen the light of print. He returns to Egypt, convenes the first international jihad conference with Bin Laden's second in command, they form the Muslim Brotherhood and tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the government of Egypt to rid it of American influence, and were jailed and subsequently released.
Bin Laden's mentor goes to Saudi Arabia, and his second in command joins Arafat on the West Bank, and helps found the PLO and subsequently El Fatah.
Clearly, the same people who are plotting the destruction of Israel are plotting the destruction of the United States. And, where does that place the anti-Semitic American. The proper term is fifth column, and none dare call it treason.
The first international jihad conference was held in Cairo in 1957. When one factors that reality in, the notion as expressed in the 9/11 hearings that we were not on a war footing is patently absurd.
Roosevelt, with what he had learned, considered equating discrimination in the armed forces as an act tantamount to treason.
When did it become fashionable for an US Senator from the Party of Lincoln to hire aides who assist the enemies of the Union. At a time when the American way of life is under attack, our allies are under siege and Americans are slaughtered at home and abroad.