Posted on 02/10/2012 12:18:59 PM PST by ColdOne
The Secretary of the Navy announced on Friday that a new littoral combat ship will be named after former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
The announcement comes the same day that President Obama signed the last piece of legislation sponsored by Giffords, a bill aimed at reducing drug trafficking along the American borders with Canada and Mexico.
Giffords, who recently stepped down from office, was the target of a shooting rampage in early January 2011.
The name this ship bears and the story represented by that name will inspire all those who come in contact with her, said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus at a naming ceremony at the Pentagon Friday.
Giffords appeared at the ceremony with her husband, former Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Roxanna Green, the mother of Christina Taylor-Green, the 9-year-old girl who was killed at the Giffords shooting last year.
Mabus said that Green would be the sponsor of the USS Gabrielle Giffords.
The ship named after Giffords is a littoral combat ship, a smaller ship designed for operations close to the shore. The USS Gabrielle Giffords is the Navys 10th LCS ship.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
“I’m bettting Gingrich will be the first Republican Candidate to speak out against this Obamanation.
Has he made a statement yet?”
I seriously doubt that any of them will speak out against this at all. If they do the left will go full throttle with attack ads about it.
What’s taking them so long to name a navy ship after Gov. George Wallace, another Dem politician that was shot.
Oh, wait. The DNC can gain no political yardage with that move. Never mind.
Yep. See NoMurthaShip.com for the opposition effort.
Reagan was the only POTUS namesake of modern POTUS who was worthy of the namesake while living. It can also be reasonably said he would not have been in a condition too really have appreciate the honor. Reagan achieved a lot as POTUS defense wise. He turned not just the Navy but the entire military around and restored morale & pride back too the services. Under Reagan the Navy was at a height of readiness unseen since the end of WW2. He came within a couple of ships of the 600 ship Navy and they were combat fit ships & crew. Reagan walked the walk of his talk in support of all services. We had not had such a POTUS since WW2 nor have we had one since.
As for the former living presidents named too follow? None earned it. Poppy nor Ford were good military supporting presidents while in office. Actually Ford's term began the Carter decline. Poppy along with the DEMs began dismantling the Reagan Navy even as the Gulf War as underway. By early 1994 things were coming apart literally on some ships.
FORD got the new CVN class namesake simply because of Senator John Warner {Ford's SECNAV} and some dirty politics. In spite of several Carrier Veterans Groups of previous carriers trying to obtain that namesake Warner went behind their backs to Sec of Navy for the naming.
We were both in at the same time, so I know exactly what you are talking about. I had the misfortune of joining the Navy in the last days of the Ford Administration, and had just reported aboard Connie when Carter took office.
Dog days indeed...
But after Reagan was elected? Like the sun after a storm, life in the Navy just got so much better. It was indeed, “Morning in America”.
Carter got a sub named after him because he was a submariner. Oh well, bubbleheads are strange anyhow. I didn’t agree with the name for Bush or Ford and felt that neither of them deserved that level of recognition.
As for Obama getting a carrier named after HIM? Fat chance. The sailors would revolt. Clinton didn’t get a ship named after him, Obama won’t either.
He might get a sewage treatment plant as a namesake, but even that is unlikely.
This Ubama regime is over the top with the knee-jerk pandering.
Pathetic.
Oh my gosh that’s freakin’ true.
More hilarious material ping.
This is the work of a bunch of Obama PR pukes.
Giffords is maimed for life by Loughner, who the Obmoids say was infected by Palin ( Its Palin’s Fault), and then they waxed anti gun only to NOW
roll out the unfortunate, doddering Giffords to have a war ship named after her that will likely see incredible violence in littoral sea battles and landings?
The USS Cranial Hole. Great name for a ship and REALLY inspiring. Only a tripped out leftist fascist would think so.
She could conceivably outlive the ship given her name. Her party complained about her being "targeted" for political defeat in 2010 and now her name is affixed to a warship.
How does this "symbolism" make any sense?
I think they should not be named after living people, or very recently deceased people, in general.
Not unless it is equipped with a full bar available 24-7.
Touché.
They probably didn’t even consider naming it after Judge John Roll, a Republican, who actually performed a heroic deed, caught on video (this is the first I’ve heard of his actions). From http://abovethelaw.com/2011/01/judge-john-roll-died-a-hero/ :
“The judge guides Mr. Barber to the ground, shields him with his body, and then tries to push himself and Mr. Barber away from the gunman, who was no more than three to four feet away as he fired, Mr. Kastigar said.
He pushes Mr. Barber with his right hand and guides him with his left hand. The judge was on top of him and is covering up Mr. Barber, literally lying on top of him, and his back was exposed, Mr. Kastigar said.
The judge was shot in the back. Ms. Giffords remains in the hospital in serious condition, and doctors said Tuesday that she continued to improve.
He was there that day to see his friend, Ms. Giffords. Yes, she is showing a type of heroism in her fight to get back to being as normal as possible, but his level of heroism is far more worthy and appropriate as a name for a naval vessel.
If she had any class she would ask not to have this honor. Or ask that it be a Hospital ship instead of a warship.
But, since she is a democrat, she will go along to massage her ego.
This is CRAP...
If they are going to name ships after people for getting shot, I can think of thousands of veterans who have made a bigger contribution to the Navy than Gabby Giffords.
Those Republicans had ships named after them for something they had done, not for something that was done to them.
The Navy has really screwed the pooch on this, including naming capital ships after presidents including USS Ronald Reagan. It opens the door to USS Barack Hussein Obama, USS Waxman (pity the seamen) and Lord knows what else.
We were joking around yesterday about Moochelle being a guest judge on "Top Chef"
I commented how Leon Panneta was on Top Chef when he was CIA Director and I said "He was pretending to be a food expert just as he is pretending to know what he is doing as Secretary of Defense".
These people are gung ho on destroying the military piece by piece. DADT was just the first of these psychos plot to level our military...
Like others have said, I am sorry get got hurt and I am glad she is getting better. But other people were killed, including a federal judge. This deification of Giffords is an attempt to perpetuate the myth the her assailant was a Tea Partier.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.