Posted on 01/12/2011 9:44:24 AM PST by Libloather
The U.S. Navy's Name Game
Posted by Mark Thompson
Sunday January 9, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Prospective parents battling over the names of their unborn kids have nothing on the U.S. Navy, which is in the middle of a spat over the wisdom of naming a new ship for the late Pennsylvania congressman John Murtha. In fact, it has kicked off a bigger battle over just who, or what, should be honored with their names on the great gray hulls of the nation's warships. "It comes down to two points," says military historian James Caiella. "Who and what we are as Americans, and what symbols do we want to represent those ideals?"
**SNIP**
But Mabus' decision has unleashed a continuing torrent of opposition from many former sailors and Marines. They say that naming a vessel for Murtha rewards a lawmaker who called for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq in late 2005 during the war's toughest days, and one who was implicated in bribery and pork-barrel politics. On Friday, a former Murtha aide-turned-lobbyist was sentenced to 27 months in prison for evading limits on campaign donations; Murtha also was an "unindicted co-conspirator" in 1980's FBI-run Abscam sting.
And that isn't the worst of it, according to sailors and Marines: putting Murtha's name on an amphibious warship designed to carry 700 Marines is outrageous, they maintain, given Murtha's 2006 charge that Marines in the Iraqi city of Haditha "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." (One of the eight Marines charged in the case still faces trial; six have had their charges dismissed and one was acquitted.)
(Excerpt) Read more at swampland.blogs.time.com ...
Are there no blimps they can name after this gasbag?
Murtha was a CROOK! Let’s NEVER forget this and please join me in a symbolic SPIT upon the grave of this moron!
Navy family ping
USS Corruption, USS Pork-Barrel, perhaps even the USS Bribery might be good compromises.
However, Murtha, a worthless traitor, is not a name that should be on ANY of our ships, boats or anything paid for with tax dollars.
Next. maybe the USS Benedict Arnold or the USS John Wilkes Booth!!
The crew will be larger than the number of people who have ever used the Murtha Airport.
I don’t think Obama’s staff is willing to enlist.
If you want to condemn a beautiful new ship to bad fortune, name it after a scoundrel like John Murtha! I wouldn’t want my son to serve on it.
Ships all have nicknames, I think you came up with the first half, the last half will probably be “fuka”
It’s an insult to the people who serve.
But they did, and coudn't help but have one more "fling" --> Last line of the article ~
Of course, sailors and Marines, used to being ignored by the brass, are coming up with their own names for the Murtha. Right now, USS Cold Blooded Killers seems to be their top choice.
Bump! :)
How about USS Rat Bastard Murtha?
Mabus’s is doing this as a slap in the face to our Sailors and Marines. Nothing else could make sense.
What a freaking disgrace! This is akin to naming a new women’s shelter for Ted Bundy.
There is no excuse for naming a ship after that anti-military, anti-American thug. Murtha was and evil, hateful, and reckless liar who deserves to be forgotten by our military.
I don’t think that boat is gonna float ~ too much dirty laundry.
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