Kipling's admiration for the military contrasts with his poem “Tommy” highlighting public perception. This is mirrored in the selection of the first woman and LGBTQ+ fire chief in Los Angeles, whose vague statements about operational effectiveness lack substance. The realities of nature and dangerous situations expose vulnerabilities, much like the personal experiences of the author's friends who faced a harsh lesson in their fighting abilities. Similarly, the devastating fires in Los Angeles may challenge the effectiveness of the current diversity-oriented policies.
DEI Death by Fire The thin red line that becomes visible during a big fire. Sat, 11 Jan 2025 00:46:17 GMT https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/dei-death-by-fire When extolling the virtues of the military, Kipling tended to lay it on a bit thick, but I still love his poem ‘Tommy,’ especially the memorable couplet:
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll
I was reminded of the poem this morning when I researched the question: Who is the Los Angeles Fire Chief? I wasn’t surprised to learn that she is frequently touted as “the first woman and first openly LGBTQ+ person to hold her post.”
Are being a woman and an openly LGBTQ+ person qualifications for being the Los Angeles fire chief? According to Newsweek:
Crowley accepted the nomination, saying: "As the fire chief, if confirmed, I vow to take a strategic and balanced approach to ensure we meet the needs of the community we serve. We will focus our efforts on increasing our operational effectiveness, enhancing firefighter safety and well-being, and fully commit to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture within the LAFD.”
Note that none of the above statement makes any sense. Even “We will focus our efforts on increasing our operational effectiveness” is mealy-mouthed and abstract.
How about, “As fire chief, I will tirelessly work to prevent fires and to fight them if one should occasionally flare up .”
There are moments when the hostile elements of nature—including dangerous men—remind us in a brutal way that we are still vulnerable, in spite of all the security arrangements that generations of competent people—most of them unsung—have erected.
When I was in high school I had three friends who enjoyed brawling and had a bad habit of picking random fights. During our freshman year of college, they hosted a Christmas Party. Their printed invitation was titled “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” illustrated with a photograph of all three with one or two of their front teeth knocked out.
Inquiry revealed that they’d picked a fight with a middle-aged man in a bar who’d apparently had extensive hand-to-hand combat experience, and he deftly knocked teeth out of the heads of all three in less than two minutes. It was a violent confrontation with reality, and it instantly exploded their fantasies of being skilled brawlers.
I suspect that for many Los Angelenos, the fire that burned down their houses will have a similar, sobering effect. The entire ridiculous DEI enterprise—which was already showing signs of ill health—may have just died by fire in Los Angeles.
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