No, I’m not referring to the Dems allowing the father of the Orlando Islamic terrorist to sit behind Hillary Clinton at a recent Florida rally.
Not since the U. S. Navy named a dry cargo vessel after the slain black civil rights activist Medgar Evers in 2009, has there been a serious controversy over ship-naming, but two new criticisms have been in the news
(Graphic courtesy balconyshirts.co.uk)
I am reminded of the 2003 political correctness appeal by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) to the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center to add common black names to the storm list. She complained that the names of hurricanes all have Caucasian-sounding names.
Two ship-naming controversies have surfaced recently. The USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) will be named for the Arizona Democrat who was seriously wounded by a gunman during a campaign stop in Tucson. Critics say she had done little to support the Navy, and that it would be more suitable to name the vessel after one of the thousands of Marines and Sailors who have died defending our country.
There have been other ships named for legislators, but primarily those who played a major role in building a strong Navy, like Senators John Stennis and Carl Vinson.
On Sunday, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus dipped into his sea bag of political correctness to announce that a ship would be named to honor gay rights liberal activist Harvey Milk.
Since 1925, the naming of ships has been the role of the Secretary of the Navy, however, recommendations often come from Congress and the president. Over the years, the traditional naming conventions – cruisers named for battles, attack submarines after U.S. cities and destroyers named for Navy and Marine heroes – have been all but ignored.
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