Retired admiral repeats warning; (global) warming, oil thirst called security threats

The Post & Courier, Charleston, SC ^ | 2010-01-30 | David Slade

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Retired Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn returned to Charleston on Friday to repeat his message that climate change and U.S. dependence on foreign oil are national security threats that must be addressed together.

"If you don't believe in climate change, great, let's focus on energy security," he said at a small private luncheon at High Cotton. "There is no excuse for inaction."

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McGinn commanded the U.S. Third Fleet in the 1990s, was deputy chief of Naval Operations, Warfare Requirements and Programs and is a member of the Center for Naval Analysis' Military Advisory Board.

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McGinn was among a bipartisan panel of retired four-star and three-star admirals and generals who in 2007 issued a report on the national security implications of climate change. He is among a number of retired military leaders who are touring the country, trying to drum up support for climate change legislation.

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In Charleston, McGinn said he is not promoting any one political party or person, but he lavished praise on U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the only Senate Republican who has spoken favorably about a proposed plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

"Senator Graham is a leader," said McGinn, who praised Graham for his military background and "good intellect."

Graham has taken criticism from liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans over the plan, which liberals describe as corporate welfare, and conservatives deride as a tax on energy.

Graham has been censured by GOP leaders in Charleston and Lexington counties, partially for his support of the climate change legislation.

McGinn said he considers himself an advocate of free-market principles but also believes that "you need government help to push the economy in new directions."

[Steely Tom]

There's a South Dakota class battleship, the Massachusetts, moored on permanent display at Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA. I've visited her several times; she's a wonder of technology and history.

In her engine room they've put up a little table that lists her fuel usage as a function of the speed she's making. It's posted either on, or right next to, the big control panel (well, it's really not that big, because there's not very much room down there) for the engines, which are steam turbines.

If I recall correctly, at top speed she used more than 200,000 gallons of oil per day.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Dennis McGinn

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In Charleston, McGinn said he is not promoting any one political party or person, but he lavished praise on U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the only Senate Republican who has spoken favorably about a proposed plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Wrong. McCain supports crap-and-trade, but not Obama's crap-and-trade.

"I am a supporter of a strong cap-and-trade system, but I will not and cannot align myself with a giant government slush fund that will further burden our businesses and consumers," McCain said at a Reform Institute Forum on energy reform.