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Kash Patel, Pearl Harbor, and the Politics of Selective Outrage
pjm ^ | May 14, 2026 | David Manney

Posted on 05/14/2026 5:01:03 PM PDT by chief lee runamok

FBI Director Kash Patel took part in a VIP snorkel outing near the USS Arizona Memorial on his return from official visits to Australia and New Zealand last summer. As you can imagine, Washington's outrage factory fired up like somebody found a second Watergate in a dive bag.

(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Unclassified
KEYWORDS: kash; outrage; patel; ussarizona
That would be a spooky snorkel outing.

Several years ago the ship I was moored across from the memorial.

A drunken shipmate thought it was a good idea to dive from the memorial, thinking shortcut to the ship.

He made it across to the ship but his misadventure ended up in front of a captains mast.

1 posted on 05/14/2026 5:01:03 PM PDT by chief lee runamok
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To: chief lee runamok

Oh my. They’re working g pretty hard to gin it up on this one. My affiliation with an Arizona survivor, who wasn’t even there, got me on a private harbor tour conducted by the Navy, and a tour of a nuclear submarine conducted be the captain. Now I realize I should be publicly pilloried for this


2 posted on 05/14/2026 5:07:08 PM PDT by j.havenfarm (25 years on Free Republic, 12/10/25! More than 12,750 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: chief lee runamok
FWIW:

Yes, the USS Arizona Memorial is located within the active Joint Base Pearl Harbor-
Hickam in Hawaii. While it is a National Park Service site, it is operated in
collaboration with the U.S. Navy and accessible only by Navy-operated boats,
situated directly over the sunken battleship in the middle of the naval base.

3 posted on 05/14/2026 5:07:57 PM PDT by chief lee runamok (Technical Graduate, Excellence Early Learing Center)
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To: j.havenfarm

I’m guessing that you didn’t try swimming on a war grave. What is Patel doing there?


4 posted on 05/14/2026 5:32:08 PM PDT by Coronal
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To: chief lee runamok

I was also in the Navy, but back in the ‘70’s.\
I was never a good swimmer, so maybe that’s why I’m confused on what your drunken shipmate did that was wrong.

At least, he was a strong enough swimmer to get from the memorial to his ship, this while drunk. Was he late? Was there a rule against any diving near the memorial? Career-wise, Captain’s Mast can be serious business.


5 posted on 05/14/2026 5:57:18 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: chief lee runamok

Can you do anything more patriotic than diving through Pearl Harbor?


6 posted on 05/14/2026 6:30:00 PM PDT by bray (Thank God for Israel)
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To: chief lee runamok

Someone really has it out for Patel - to me, that indicates he’s doing exactly what he should be doing. We had an FBI director that the media loved in James Comey, who belongs behind bars.


7 posted on 05/14/2026 6:34:46 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Coronal

Is that how you read that article? That he entered the wreckage? I don’t see that in there


8 posted on 05/14/2026 7:32:13 PM PDT by j.havenfarm (25 years on Free Republic, 12/10/25! More than 12,750 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: j.havenfarm

I never said that. But my understanding is that people are supposed to keep out of the water at the wreck site. I know that the Park Service is quite strict about that.


9 posted on 05/14/2026 8:21:45 PM PDT by Coronal
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To: Coronal

The park service DOES have divers at/around the site. Suppose he got permission. Now what are ya gonna whine about?

Want some cheese with that whine?


10 posted on 05/14/2026 8:52:40 PM PDT by BereanBrain
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To: BereanBrain

The Park Service divers that may go there have a job to do. I doubt that Patel was there for anything job related. I don’t see how it makes it any less disrespectful to the men entombed in there. Would you want people playing football in Arlington National Cemetery?


11 posted on 05/14/2026 9:16:07 PM PDT by Coronal
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To: chief lee runamok

Patel’s diving on the Arizona was a narcissistic nepotistic abuse of position.

It speaks a lot to his character.

FBI Director is our servant, not a prince or count......nothing should be available to anybody “with connections” that is not available to the highest rank in our Republic.....the Citizen.


12 posted on 05/15/2026 4:38:26 AM PDT by Lowell1775
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To: Lowell1775
FBI Director is our servant, not a prince or count......nothing should be available to anybody “with connections” that is not available to the highest rank in our Republic.....the Citizen.

In theory. On a practical level, every job has perks. Most citizens cannot even imagine, much less discharge, the stressful requirements of high office, including the lack of privacy and threats of vandalism, attempted humiliation, assault or assassination when mixing with ordinary citizens.

If he had been the only individual diving there and had demanded the privilege, that would be an issue. But it was already an organized opportunity utilized by others, and yet one in which he could feel reasonably secure. I fail to see a problem.

13 posted on 05/15/2026 8:05:33 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. --DJT)
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To: Coronal
What is Patel doing there?

Deliberately trying to piss you and the idiots in the MSM off........

14 posted on 05/15/2026 9:41:18 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco (She's got freckles on her, but she is nice.)
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To: Albion Wilde

“I fail to see a problem.”

If he had a dozen Brennan and Hillary level scalps on his belt dripping blood.....I’d let him expense $2k whores and $500 whisky........but he has no scalps, just the start with Comey.

Right now......he has lost support of Old Guard “Ever Trumpers” like me and it looks like he is playing rich boy instead of sleeping in the office working 7x24’s in defense of the Republic.

You have to be a rock star to act like one.
Right now?
He is a basement band.


15 posted on 05/15/2026 10:22:59 AM PDT by Lowell1775
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To: Lowell1775
If he had a dozen Brennan and Hillary level scalps on his belt dripping blood.....

The FBI investigates, but does not prosecute, and cannot by law. Direct your anger at the DOJ and its former leaderette, Pam Bondi.

16 posted on 05/15/2026 12:42:20 PM PDT by Albion Wilde (The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. --DJT)
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To: Hot Tabasco

Wouldn’t he have more important thigs to do with his time, like, you know, run the FBI?


17 posted on 05/15/2026 7:54:09 PM PDT by Coronal
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To: lee martell
"Was there a rule against any diving near the memorial?"

Yes, as I mentioned, resulting in a captains mast.

18 posted on 05/20/2026 5:57:57 AM PDT by chief lee runamok (Technical Graduate, Excellence Early Learing Center)
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To: Lowell1775
"Patel’s diving on the Arizona was a narcissistic nepotistic abuse of position."

Patel was diving with a group, led by a designated guide.

You must have a bad case of TDS.

19 posted on 05/20/2026 6:00:30 AM PDT by chief lee runamok (Technical Graduate, Excellence Early Learing Center)
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