Posted on 04/06/2006 2:28:14 PM PDT by quidnunc
Georgia Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney's recent run-in with a security official at the nation's Capitol reminded me of an earlier dust-up.
On New Year's Eve 2002, while I was a visiting professor at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, the superintendent — the distinguished three-star Vice Adm. Richard J. Naughton — tried to enter the academy without wearing the photo ID required of all military and civilian personnel.
Naturally expecting that the young Marine sentry on duty would recognize his all-important superintendent, Naughton boldly tried to pass. But instead, the Marine asked him to produce identification. Angry words and some sort of altercation ensued between the admiral and the enlisted man.
Later, Naughton claimed he couldn't "remember" whether he had "touched" the guard, but he did concede he "might" have done so.
After a lengthy, ultimately damming investigation, Naughton resigned — first from his post as academy superintendent and then subsequently from the Navy altogether. During the investigation, some skeptics at Annapolis had doubted whether Naughton would pay any price. But his exalted rank, along with his race and gender, won no exemption.
I mention the Naughton case to illustrate that such mix-ups at government checkpoints are not unusual — and that eventually public pressure catches up with aristocratic arrogance and even the powerful are held to account.
Cynthia McKinney recently had her own Naughton moment when she tried to enter the Capitol.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at tmsfeatures.com ...
Or just have a copy made from recent photos. I'll bet the design is not changed very often. Otherwise, it would be "too hard" for our reps to remember which pin to wear.
When I was a wet behind the ears midshipman, three of us went swimming on the beach on base, then walked down the beach with our uniforms in bundles. We decided there was a possible shortcut back to the base and took it.
We got throughly lost, entered a "restricted area" and came up to small bunker with two marine guards in full combat togs. I walked up to one to ask directions. His M14 snapped down with a naked bayonet an inch from my stomach accompanied by a stentorian "Halt!". I had my id card and showed it to him. When I moved again, the rifle snapped down again with the bayonet near my belly and a repeated "Halt! Sir!". Moments later a squad of marines deployed on the sand dunes around the bunker, rifles pointed at us, and a machinegun being set up to cover us wee midshipmen.
All worked out. We got a ride back to the pier in a jeep with the Segeant of the Guard who informed us that we shouldn't be there, ought be reported, would be in a great deal of trouble if we were, but wouldn't be as long as we "never did that again"
Never learned what was in the bunker.
That's odd. I had heard from others in the nuclear Navy that Rickover was a bastard and difficult to work with. Of course, with a name like "Hyman", I probably wouldn't be a very nice person, either.
That's the typical 'Rat sort of apology. "I'm sorry.... I got caught".
Haha! Our TI used that same tactic... I learned a lesson from that poor dorm guard!
Victor Davis Hanson Ping !
Let me know if you want in or out.
Links: FR Index of his articles: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson
His website: http://victorhanson.com/ NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
Have I mentioned that this wench was my congresscritter for 10 years? And that I organized a FReep of a "veterans town hall meeting" she had 4 years ago? Went to bed one night represented by Newt, in the old GA 6th, and woke up represented by this moonbat. They've adjusted the lines, and I'm back in the 6th District, thankfully.
Some good stories here in the thread.
Not only that, but the absence of the pin should cause the guard to not let that person in. At some of the places I have worked in and out of the navy, I had to show a security pass. Even though the guards knew me - no pass, no entry. Thems should be the rules!
I heard Rickover had a hardon against the Navy due to the way he was treated - as a Jew - while in the Academy. Seemed he decided to spend his career by getting even. Not to farfetched. I ran across an officer - Joe Murphy - who did the same thing. On one ship, prevented a CPO making SCPO by s**ting on his eval. All because the CPO made a joke at his expense when he was LTJG. On the ship I was on, one officer went berserk working under him. He lived to make others miserable.
Wishful thinking, I'm afraid.
A military person is very easily taken down, but as we have seen in the Hillary "900 Republican FBI Files" Clinton case, the politician is a class above the rest.
LOL. That's good. There are so many good stories from the military.
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