Eric Bolling and Greg Gutfeld of Fox News made some disparaging remarks about United Arab Emirates Air Force Major Mariam Al Mansouri, questioning if her participation in air strikes against ISIS would be considered "boobs on the ground."
Reaction from the Truman Project community has been swift and decisive.
"You are not funny. You are not clever. And you are not excused." #boobsontheground http://t.co/b41nlCrrvB
— Truman Project (@TrumanProject) September 27, 2014
We believe that sexism has no place in the public discourse; we are a community centered on common values that include equality and respect. Given the track record of casual but pervasive sexism at Fox News, it seemed that Mr. Bolling and Mr. Gutfeld needed to be told that their remarks were both classless and harmful. Many of the veterans in our community wrote an open letter to let Major Al Mansouri know that even if these commentators didn’t take her service seriously, we appreciate anyone willing to put their life on the line to counter the transnational security threat that is ISIS.
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...Read more
60 veteran leaders from across the country signed onto the letter.
I signed it MT @TPM: Open letter to Fox News about 'Boobs on the ground,' from men and women of U.S. Armed Forces: http://t.co/qF0d7pQOvB — Scott Holcomb (@RepScottHolcomb) September 27, 2014
Proud to join 50+ other @TrumanProject veterans' open letter to Fox News about their "Boobs on the Ground" immaturity http://t.co/Ng93xV3Z8k — Leo Cruz (@LeoCruz1787) September 27, 2014
The public reaction to the letter has been overwhelming positive thus far.
Veterans Condemn Fox Host Eric Bolling's "Boobs On The Ground" Remark http://t.co/3uFP6DZSCy. — Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) September 29, 2014
Veterans take Fox News to task for "boobs on the ground" comment http://t.co/V2A8Dnr3qS — Jezebel (@Jezebel) September 27, 2014
In total, Talking Points Memo (the original publisher), Business Insider, and Jezebel have seen 1,000,000+ individual page views; many other outlets have also reposted or done write-ups of the letter.
A huge thanks to the veterans who stood up and made their voice heard and to all those supporters who shared the letter. Together we are taking a strong stance against sexism—not just because men and women are equal partners in national security, but because to sit quietly in the face of the public mockery of a hero goes against what America stands for.
Photo credit [The National UAE]
