How a nation treats its handicapped tells us a lot about them.
To take one example, one of the most inspiring things about DOGE and its small team of engineers, attorneys and forensic examiners is the number of people who have handicaps in its stellar efforts to end waste and fraud and remake the government into a system that works for the American people.
This isn't the result of DEI policies, which seek to fill bureaucratic cogs with certain numerical quotas. It's just utilizing excellence. Elon Musk, who himself has Asperger's Syndrome, has many talented engineers with some kind of autism, as there are many autistic people whose abilities with numbers are brilliant.
And as the New York Times went around doxxing DOGE workers this past week, we learned there is at least one deaf person, too, who overcame tremendous obstacles to become the data scientist of excellence that she is:
I have been doxxed. Rather than let others control the narrative, I am addressing this directly.
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) February 26, 2025
My name is Jennica Pounds. I recently resigned from my job to pursue DOGE-adjacent efforts full-time. While my background check is still in progress, my ultimate goal is to work with…
The story described is awful. But a first-time reader can't but be struck by how many obstacles this person has overcome to become the brilliant data scientist she is, one whose talents were recognized by Musk himself.
It's interesting. They don't at DOGE advertise themselves as a hirer of handicapped people. But they manage to find so much talent in this group, talent that is rarely utilized in many other lines of work. They are the best. And all one can say is 'this is America.'
Compare and contrast to this ugly picture ... unfortunately, in Ukraine.
Ukraine military ???????? conscript, anyone they see fit into the army, Volodmyr Zelensky is forcing Down Syndrome men to fight on the battlefield
— ✝️Bob✝️Ohio✝️ (@Bob_Bob_2222) February 25, 2025
And the army is dragging anyone they see ???? off the streets and into their unmarked military vans
Team @KremlinRussia_E We support you???????? pic.twitter.com/rJdQjgJcam
Yes, they have to have a draft -- they are at war, and don't have enough people, and worse yet, young people are fleeing.
But there's a reason for that -- combat duty in Ukraine is called "a meat grinder" and thousands of young men and women have already been killed. Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, wants more, and he wants both European and American troops to fight this no-win mission. But for now, the handicapped will do.
Maybe there is more to this story beyond this video, but it seems obvious they are taking helpless people and putting them to their worst uses -- combat veteran positions, which require, speed, reflexes and strength, all of which people with Down Syndrome, who may have other talents, do not have.
They are only there because they could not resist not being dragged away for this duty and their casualty rate will undoubtedly be high.
What a cruel way to treat handicapped people.
How different from the picture at DOGE, where the differently abled are able to shine in their best possible way.
Image: X video screen shot