Neither Enid Lyons nor Edith Cowan were in the military or the police from what I can see.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cowan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enid_Lyons

As ttbn said "Both sexes are good at the things they were 'designed' for."

There is a reason that there are two sexes- it seems that rarely does nature create redundant things.

But I admire the women of this era- they whinged less and produced and supported production more- whether these two satisfy this criteria I'd have to read more.

Henry David Thoreau quote "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation"

But perhaps Thoreau might have done better to solve the butter problem than attack Harvard University. A great writer but perhaps not a great doer. Did he leave the world less desperate?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_rebellion

None of the Thoreau children married- their line ended with them.

Edith Cowan was childless from the account- sounds like a proto-communist- but she deserves some more research- communists do seem to target the vulnerable- and she seems certainly vulnerable- reminds me of the beautiful entourage of the Aum sect.

The wife of Joseph Lyons- Enid Lyons had children Brendan and Kevin- at least she helped pass on the greatness of the Lyons to her and Joseph's descendants.

Soldiers talk of the unknown soldier.

ttbn- Sorry to hear about your police mate.

It is worthwhile reading the link I gave about Australian
women in the military. It puts things into a proper
perspective. Also looking up Simone Wilkie might also help.

There are many that talk about the military but few have seen combat even in the military. If your position is overrun the responsibility reverts to the craftsmen to step up as reinforcements. To lead combat there is a view that one should have been successful in combat- in the past commanders tended to be promoted from combat units. This is not just about being men but being the best of men- the wedge of the bell curve. I don't think there would be many women that I'd be comfortable watching my back. Interesting that Simone Wilkie admits that she isn't particularly technical.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kajaki%20(film)

Politics is a brutal profession and prone to factional battles on both sides. Not everyone is suited to that sort of environment amd there have been casualties on all sides.

Two I can immediately recall are the attempted suicide of Labor Senator Nick Sherry after being humiliated by Peter Costello and the media.
There was also the attempted suicide of John Brogden after likewise public and media humiliation after making racist comments about Premier Carr's Asian wife.
No doubt there have been many others who couldn't work under the thumb of their handlers.

Meanwhile those who are tough enough to survive include those who violated the desk of a female MP or the chair-sniffing Western Australian opposition leader (who later resigned due to a mental breakdown).
So does the Liberal Party really want to start throwing such stones with their history of the "big swinging dicks" that control the Liberal pack?
That group (as named by Julie Bishop) included Christopher Pyne, Steven Ciobo, Greg Hunt, Peter Dutton, Jamie Briggs, Mathias Cormann, Michael Keenan and Morrison himself.

When it comes to defending womens' matters inside Parliament House and in society generally the government history has not been good.
I suppose Albanese could follow the Morrison strategy of holding a specifically limited inquiry that takes several months in the hope it all goes away.
It should also be noted Pauline Hanson as named above has voted consistently against the best interests of women - a pretty mean girl herself in that regard.

Overall, would this story have been the same if Kitching had been male?

From Paul: " so don't try thinking for me."

I wasn't thinking for you...I'd need to consult my 7 yr old grandson for that. I was just highlighting the hypocrisy of those who went after Porter based on far worse evidence than that levelled at the mean girls.

Rache thinks its just the Libs and the media who are pushing this....but all the evidence is coming from ALP circles. (As the movie said, the phone call is coming from inside the house).

Foxy, as is her wont, desperately tries to change the subject (after all we can't bad-mouth women of the left, can we?). She digs up some article which, she thinks, puts women in the military into, what she laughingly calls. perspective.

Here's some military perspective...41 Australians died in the Afghan war. How many of them were women? (hint - the answer is less than 1). There's some perspective.

mhaze- According to Foxy's logic perhaps this means that women are better soldiers than men- none of the women died- if we fill the Army with women we'll win every battle. Perhaps not.