SAN FRANCISCO: Navy scuttles plan to commission warship here, citing local politics

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12-02-06 | Carl Nolte

[jazusamo]

Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter vetoed plans to commission the Makin Island, the Navy's newest and most powerful warship, in San Francisco in 2008 because of a perception that the city is anti-military.

Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. J. Michael Myatt, chairman of a high-powered committee that was to support a commissioning ceremony for the Makin Island, said he has been informed that the ship would not be commissioned in San Francisco, as scheduled, but in San Diego.

Myatt said he had been told that the Navy was concerned about San Francisco's refusal to provide a homeport for the retired battleship Iowa, which would be turned into a museum, and for the city school board's decision to abolish junior ROTC training in San Francisco high schools.

One of the factors that turned the Pentagon against San Francisco, he said, was widely quoted anti-military remarks made by various city politicians. Some of the remarks got considerable attention, especially ones made by Gerardo Sandoval, a member of the Board of Supervisors, who was quoted on national television as saying national defense should be left to "the cops and the Coast Guard.''

[RedRover]

U.S. military out of San Francisco now!

[Thumper1960]

Liberals are very happy to place troops upon a shelf and only take them down when it suits their needs. Very selfish, narrowminded, egotistical, selfrighteous, grasping, greedy and selfcentered. Incapable of understanding it is those willing to take up arms who guarantee the Constitution survives to enable American rights to survive.

Next earthquake, let SF burn and SF'ers perish.

IOW, let them rot in Hell.

[aculeus]

Good. What goes around comes around.







Sometimes.

[jazusamo]

You're correct on all counts but I'll bet all three will have plenty to say about it.

[pabianice]

Why would the Navy want to hold a commissioning ceremony while just outside the gates Marxist *ssholes would be protesting and throwing fake blood at sailors?

[Lancey Howard]

Myatt said the Navy had mistaken the views of some political leaders for the views of the majority of citizens in the Bay Area."

I don't think so, General. The "citizens in the Bay Area" elect the scum that sit in office in San Fransicko. Screw 'em all.
This is a very encouraging move by the Navy.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

wonder what the cops are going to use when china invades?

[Bender2]

Re: It'll be interesting to see what Pelosi, Feinstein and Boxer have to say about this.

I'd rather wait until North Korea or Osama bin Laden's boys nuke San Fran...

Then, I'd like to hear their story!

Whom am I kidding... Then they and the MSM will still say "It is W's fault!"

[jazusamo]

You're right, I believe the good General was trying to play a little politics with his statement.

[Repeal The 17th]

"...a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship designed to transport and land a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a force of almost 2,000 Marines, ashore by helicopter, landing craft and amphibious assault vehicle. LHD 8 will also have secondary missions of sea control and power projection by helicopter and fixed-wing vertical short take-off and landing (VSTOL) aircraft; command and control, and mission support, including a hospital with six operating rooms..."

[JoeGar]

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

[BW2221]

Why not take the Iowa to a city where residents will appreciate it?

[jazusamo]

I believe there was talk of taking it to Stockton, CA but don't know if anythings been decided.

[shorty_harris]

That's really sad. This attitude only developed in the last 20-30 years or so (dang carpetbaggers!). San Francisco and the whole Bay Area used to have an enormous military presence (especially Navy):

--NAS Moffett Field
--Hunters Point Naval Shipyard
--Mare Island
--Treasure Island
--NAS Alameda
--NAS Oakland
--Port Chicago Naval Magazine
--Oakland Naval Hospital
--Oakland Naval Supply Center
--Marine Corps Pacific Headquarters

All are gone now...

[bybybill]

Bring back a Battleship to sail with her plus a carrier battle group and you`d have what they used to call "a presence" and a hell`va lot of hurt for the bad guys.

[em2vn]

I was on a DDG when she was commissioned at Hunter's Point in 68. Now Hunter's Point is only a good place for a sailor guy to get mugged and killed.

[gaijin]

The effort now is to move the USS Iowa to Mare Island, near Vallejo.

[gaijin]

There's a funny story about the Iowa; they wanted to dock it just off of Fisherman's Warf, OK? And the homos wouldn't have it. So the USN cooked up all this homoerotic stuff they'd throw into the mix to get the butt-pirates to shut up:

All kinds of on-board exhibits about "Don't ask, don't tell" and how those dudes got homo-smeared when that turret on the USS New Jersey suddenly blew up.

Good enough, you think? Did they homo's shut up and play nice?

OF COURSE NOT...!

I guess that's tolerance...!

[traditional1]

[baa39]

(Rudyard Kipling)