Monday, June 06, 2011

Uninspired ideas from uninspiring people

Now and then The Front Porch should lean back a bit in our rocking chairs, take a sip of a freshly mixed Sidecar, and realize that yes; we catch slings & arrows from bringing up "uncomfortable" topics here and elsewhere - sometimes we get our pee-pee whacked for going too far - but more often than not we just have to wait for the rest of the people to catch up. How many year have we been covering this topic? Over half-a-decade at least. Rowan Scarborough pulls no punches.
“It’s pretty dire,” said John Howland, a 1964 U.S. Naval Academy graduate who manages a web site on naval issues called USNA-At-Large.

... “The leadership of the military is pretty much politically correct kind of stuff. You like to think that we’re approaching hitting bottom, but these people are not through with us yet.”
...
“Mabus is an unequivocal disaster,” Mr. Howland said.
...
“His service was difficult, because Cesar Chavez faced a segregated Navy, but that challenge like others he faced in his life, helped forge the leader he became,” he said at the naming ceremony in San Diego May 18.

“His example blazed a path for subsequent generations. His example will live through this ship. He will continue to inspire young Americans to do what is right.”

Mr. Chavez was a champion of better working conditions for farm laborers. He enlisted in the Navy in 1946 at age 17. He later called it “the worst two years of my life,” according to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, who saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine officer, believes Mr. Mabus made a political decision.

“This decision shows the direction the Navy is heading,” said Mr. Hunter.

“Naming a ship after Cesar Chavez goes right along with other recent decisions by the Navy that appear to be more about making a political statement than upholding the Navys history and tradition.”

Last week, Mr. Hunter introduced legislation directing the Navy to name the next available ship after Marine Corps Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Sgt. Peralta was killed when he fell on a grenade during combat in Fallujah, Iraq, and was awarded the Navy Cross.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Mabus did not return a reporter’s phone messages.

The Chavez was the second Lewis-and-Clark class cargo ship that Mr. Mabus named after a civil rights leader.

In 2009, Mr. Mabus announced a ship would be named after Medgar Evers, the Mississippi civil rights activist who was shot and killed in the drive way of his home in 1963. Mr. Evers had no professional connection to the Navy. He served two years of combat in Europe in World War II and was honorably discharged an Army sergeant.

Before the Chavez and Evers namings, most of the other 12 Lewis-and-Clark ships were named after Navy pioneers. They include retired admiral and astronaut Alan Shepard and Arctic explorer Adm. Robert E. Peary. One ship is named the USS Carl Brashear, after the Navy’s first black master diver.

There are four exceptions: the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson; their guide, Sacajawea; aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart; Dr. Charles Drew, who developed a system of life-saving blood banks during World War II.
Would it be petty to state that Rowan should have CDRSalamander on his RSS feed? Yes, but I'll do it anyway.

Hat tip Mike.

29 comments:

Roger Fortier said...

If Mr Obama is re-elected, look for the army to get into the act. Ready for the Alinsky Infantry Division? 

ewok40k said...

is there a REALLY a shortage of discoverers in the USN history?
sad...

actus rhesus said...

I do love that having ties to the communist party is a bar to a security clearance, but not having a ship named after you.

Lulz.

LT B said...

I am not certain that having ties to the communist party is a bar to a security clearance any more.  Consider the people that the President has brought into his inner circle.  I'm just saying.

LT B said...

We name our Survey Ships (T-AGS) after oceanographers or cartographers.  The next one up is T-AGS 66, but I am not so secretly hoping for someone special for T-AGS 69.  O:-)

Grumpy Old Ham said...

<span>Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas</span>

WTF???

I say again -- WTF, O?

Does Oxford University really publish such drivel?

I guess so.

How the mighty have fallen...

UltimaRatioRegis said...

<span>So why doesn't Anathema, et al., write a letter to Rowan Scarbororough or post on the USNA At Large site and shriek about how the Navy leadership doesn't pander?   
 
Political toadies of the first magnitude and unfit to lead.   
 
SECNAV is trading Navy traditions for special interest votes for his party.  Eagerly assisted by "Flag Officers" who will belly up to curry political favor.  Shame on them, if they had any.  Which they don't.</span>

AW1 Tim said...

 Is it possible for a future president to use his authority as Commander in Chief to order the Navy to rename ships?  If do, that might be the only recourse left that would preserve some shred of dignity to both the Navy and the citizens that PAY for those ships.

DeltaBravo said...

I still think "The Worst Two Years of Your Life" should be the USS C. Chavez's motto.

Salty Gator said...

AR with the walk off homer!

ewok40k said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Walsh
is there ship named after the man that dived the deepest?

Salty Gator said...

B, don't know if you know this or not, but Political Appointees and Congressional Staffers don't have to go through background checks in order to achieve their security clearances.

And that is a fact.

Salty Gator said...

The WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON  "PROBING THE DEEP"

Actus Rhesus said...

true.

Always found that interesting.  DONCAF would have a field day with most of our elected officials.

ewok40k said...

hey it was JFK supposedly doing the deepest tricks with MM in the WH pool... :P

Grumpy Old Ham said...

Not sure you want to go there.  If you think the process is political now, imagine the renaming games that would ensue upon each change of Administration if such a precedent were set.  For example, imagine the kinds of names President Chelsea Clinton (shudder) would come up with...

UltimaRatioRegis said...

AR,

The elected officials can't hold a candle to the appointees of this administration.

leeesea said...

T-AGS 66 is to be named USNS Maury certainly a really significant naval person from the past.  As previous ships were named after, see Navsource.org

http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/10/10idx.htm

C-dore 14 said...

AW1, Unfortunately tradition has it that a ship will be jinxed if it is renamed after christening.

LT B said...

Yes, I knew that.  Doesn't mean that the elected officials aren't actually consorting w/ communists.  Sen Kennedy, for instance. 

LT B said...

Leesea,
   Great choice.  Our library is named after him too. 

Steel City said...

Never heard about the jinx before but it makes sense.  In that case the entire LPD-17 class must have had previous names.

Anonymous said...

This is the "breakaway song"

Or maybe when the ring the Captain aboad "Caesar Chavez, arriving."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro4yhp9L6Ok

XBradTC said...

Several CVE's during WWII were renamed, though to be honest, I don't know if that was after commissioning. <span> </span>

XBradTC said...

Oh, indeed, the St. Lo started as Midway

Scott said...

Hey, thanks for mentioning us in your Sidecar link.  We're getting a lot of great traffic from your site!  If you're ever in the area, we'd love to buy you a drink (or two or three...)

:)

Scott at Catoctin Creek

CDR Salamander said...

Thanks Scott!  You run a quality shop.  Be careful what you offer..... :)

SCOTTtheBADGER said...

In his book, Little Giants, Y'Blood says that the crew of MIDWAY were not at all amused to have thier ship's name taken away.   They wanted the big carrier to go and get her own name.

C-dore 14 said...

XBrad, I think that you made my point.  Another example is the submarine USS SQUALUS, which was renamed USS SAILFISH after being salvaged.