The USCG National Pollution Funds Center (NPFC) issued an updated set of Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) (http://www.uscg.mil/hq/npfc/About%20Us/opa_faqs.htm)that includes a detailed explanation of the new OPA
90 limits on liability. Two items of particular interest: (1) the amended limits for tank vessels come into effect for an
oil discharge or substantial threat of a discharge that occurs on or after October 9, while the amended limits for any other
vessel came into effect on July 11; and (2) the existing certificates of financial responsibility (COFRs) will remain in
effect until the financial responsibility regulations are amended. The NPFC also published an Overview of Title I of
OPA 90 - http://www.uscg.mil/hq/npfc/Documents/PDFs/NPFC_OPA.pdf
19 July 2006
T'is a benevolent God, invented coffee
Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/17/2006 | A coffee a day?: "The point is, coffee has always been more than a beverage, and its health effects have always been controversial. After all, coffee is chock-full o' the drug 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine - better known as caffeine (even decaf has caf) - plus a wholelatte other chemicals and additives.
Recently, the buzz on brew has been good. Glug enough of it, research suggests, and you'll lower your risk of diabetes, liver cirrhosis, Parkinson's disease, gallstones and suicide. You'll also sprint better."
Recently, the buzz on brew has been good. Glug enough of it, research suggests, and you'll lower your risk of diabetes, liver cirrhosis, Parkinson's disease, gallstones and suicide. You'll also sprint better."
12 July 2006
Senator Barrios, just what are those words to the Horst Wessel Lied again?
Backstory: Is it really just a bunch of Fluff? | csmonitor.com: "A tempest in a baggie blew through the Massachusetts State House in late June, when state Sen. Jarrett Barrios (D) attempted to censor the beloved but nutritionally vapid lunchtime staple. He did so after his son came home from school eating a 'Fluffernutter' sandwich: peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff.
Mr. Barrios's amendment to a food nutrition bill would have regulated how often schools could serve Fluff to his children, and anyone else's. In retaliation, state Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein (D) sponsored a bill making Fluffernutter the state's official sandwich. Fluff, after all, is made by a Massachusetts firm - Lynn-based Durkee-Mower.
Fond of stories about oddball lawmakers, the media whipped the dispute into whitecaps, and Barrios found himself mired in a controversy that pun-happy pundits couldn't resist calling sticky.
In the end, Barrios backpedaled and never filed his amendment, and Ms. Reinstein's bill went nowhere. The result: Fluffgate - an end-of-school snit made from equal parts Cambridge liberal paternalism, local pride over a homegrown product, and garish politics - deflated like a marshmallow in the noontime sun.
The main casualty seems to have been the integrity of the Massachusetts legislature, a body some consider among the most cerebral in the nation, suddenly accused of playing nanny and not taking school nutrition seriously"
Mr. Barrios's amendment to a food nutrition bill would have regulated how often schools could serve Fluff to his children, and anyone else's. In retaliation, state Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein (D) sponsored a bill making Fluffernutter the state's official sandwich. Fluff, after all, is made by a Massachusetts firm - Lynn-based Durkee-Mower.
Fond of stories about oddball lawmakers, the media whipped the dispute into whitecaps, and Barrios found himself mired in a controversy that pun-happy pundits couldn't resist calling sticky.
In the end, Barrios backpedaled and never filed his amendment, and Ms. Reinstein's bill went nowhere. The result: Fluffgate - an end-of-school snit made from equal parts Cambridge liberal paternalism, local pride over a homegrown product, and garish politics - deflated like a marshmallow in the noontime sun.
The main casualty seems to have been the integrity of the Massachusetts legislature, a body some consider among the most cerebral in the nation, suddenly accused of playing nanny and not taking school nutrition seriously"
05 July 2006
Protecting the Ports
Eternal truth of bureaucracy: it's more important, MUCH more important to be seen doing something than it is to ensure what you're doing is effective.
Quoth the mavens (yes, the emphasis is added):
Bottom line:
The title is a link to the full article. Don't like that, use this: http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=698
Quoth the mavens (yes, the emphasis is added):
SAN FRANCISCO, California, June 27, 2006 — A new study of U.S. seaport security delivers a message that leaders and citizens may not want to hear: Because there is no foolproof way to protect America’s ports from a terrorist attack, current policies and programs need to focus much more on recovery and economic restoration. In a report released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), a team of economists and maritime security experts looks at an array of security issues to provide one of the most comprehensive examinations of port security to date.
Bottom line:
Measures would include continuing a “layered” defense whereby there are several tracking, screening, and inspection points for shipping containers as they flow from the foreign country’s factory gate, through the maritime domain, to U.S. shores; using multiple technologies such as radiation detectors and container tracking devices; steering government development of new technologies toward areas that the private sector has no incentive to pursue; strengthening emergency response at the nation’s ports; strengthening terrorism insurance markets; and reevaluating the level of overall port security funding and staffing for public entities that focus on port security, such as the U.S. Coast Guard.
The title is a link to the full article. Don't like that, use this: http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=698
18 May 2006
The penalty for bread and circuses
Starting today, states and localities have to recognize promised benefits as a cost. The result is a one t-as-in-tango trillion dollar liability. Here's how USA Today put it:
"Taxpayers will soon get a surprise bill that could exceed $1 trillion for the cost of paying future medical benefits for state and local workers who retire.
"Retiree medical costs are the biggest long-term challenge that state and local governments face."
This will, from the economically dunderheaded crowd, lead to calls for nationalized health care. Except the federal gov't's not in any better shape.
"The federal government also has a $2.3 trillion unfunded liability for medical and disability benefits promised to civil servants and military personnel who retire. The costs are not the nation's biggest financial problem. Medicare has a $33.4 trillion unfunded liability. Social Security has a $4.6 trillion shortfall."
That adds up to a 41.3 Trillion dollar unfunded requirement.
Well, no problems sayeth the dunderheads. The difference: the federal government can run a deficit. It sure can. Right up to the level of Argentina, which might be part of our future. Return with me now to one year ago today, when the Washington Post ran a column on the approaching bankruptcy of the USA
IN OTHER WORDS, for those of you who aren't dunderheads, forcing an additional few trillion bucks into the federal deficit only speeds the day of reckoning which a republican, a democrat, and the Comptroller warn about.
Observe this doesn't include any cost overruns from the 43rd President's drug plan.
Final note: Social Securty, which gets most of the attention, is actually a small problem compared unfunded medical problems.
Hat tip: Jane Galt
So, what does this have to do with Maritime Policy. Well, the US has some hard choices to make. When the cuts get made, will the maritime world emerge unscathed? Should it?
"Taxpayers will soon get a surprise bill that could exceed $1 trillion for the cost of paying future medical benefits for state and local workers who retire.
"Retiree medical costs are the biggest long-term challenge that state and local governments face."
This will, from the economically dunderheaded crowd, lead to calls for nationalized health care. Except the federal gov't's not in any better shape.
"The federal government also has a $2.3 trillion unfunded liability for medical and disability benefits promised to civil servants and military personnel who retire. The costs are not the nation's biggest financial problem. Medicare has a $33.4 trillion unfunded liability. Social Security has a $4.6 trillion shortfall."
That adds up to a 41.3 Trillion dollar unfunded requirement.
Well, no problems sayeth the dunderheads. The difference: the federal government can run a deficit. It sure can. Right up to the level of Argentina, which might be part of our future. Return with me now to one year ago today, when the Washington Post ran a column on the approaching bankruptcy of the USA
IN OTHER WORDS, for those of you who aren't dunderheads, forcing an additional few trillion bucks into the federal deficit only speeds the day of reckoning which a republican, a democrat, and the Comptroller warn about.
Observe this doesn't include any cost overruns from the 43rd President's drug plan.
Final note: Social Securty, which gets most of the attention, is actually a small problem compared unfunded medical problems.
Hat tip: Jane Galt
So, what does this have to do with Maritime Policy. Well, the US has some hard choices to make. When the cuts get made, will the maritime world emerge unscathed? Should it?
11 May 2006
ColRegs Rule!
Yep, emphasis added.
APPEALS COURT THROWS OUT LOWER COURT “COLREGS SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES RULING”, CASE REMANDED
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that agreed maneuvers between two ships do not constitute a special circumstance excusing violation of the nternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), as previously determined by a lower court.
Crowley Marine Services, Inc. Owned and operated a tug boat hired to accompany an oil tanker operated by Maritrans Operating Company to an oil platform in the Puget Sound. During the crossing the two vessels collided, causing more than $2 million in damages.
In the inevitable suit that followed, each side identified numerous violations of the COLREGS as the alleged cause of the collision. The district court apportioned fault for the accident as 75% to Crowley and 25% to Maritrans.
The district court found that the two vessels were operating in concert according to agreed maneuvers, and therefore determined that several substantive provisions of the COLREGS at issue were inapplicable. Specifically, the court ruled that this situation presented “special circumstances” that provide an exception to the COLREGS. The Appeals Court held that the plain language of the COLREGS precludes such a broad exception, and remanded for the district court to reconsider the relative liability of the parties consistent with this opinion.
Text of the Appeals Court opinion may be obtained by emailing request to: cibpubs@earthlink.net.
APPEALS COURT THROWS OUT LOWER COURT “COLREGS SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES RULING”, CASE REMANDED
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that agreed maneuvers between two ships do not constitute a special circumstance excusing violation of the nternational Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), as previously determined by a lower court.
Crowley Marine Services, Inc. Owned and operated a tug boat hired to accompany an oil tanker operated by Maritrans Operating Company to an oil platform in the Puget Sound. During the crossing the two vessels collided, causing more than $2 million in damages.
In the inevitable suit that followed, each side identified numerous violations of the COLREGS as the alleged cause of the collision. The district court apportioned fault for the accident as 75% to Crowley and 25% to Maritrans.
The district court found that the two vessels were operating in concert according to agreed maneuvers, and therefore determined that several substantive provisions of the COLREGS at issue were inapplicable. Specifically, the court ruled that this situation presented “special circumstances” that provide an exception to the COLREGS. The Appeals Court held that the plain language of the COLREGS precludes such a broad exception, and remanded for the district court to reconsider the relative liability of the parties consistent with this opinion.
Text of the Appeals Court opinion may be obtained by emailing request to: cibpubs@earthlink.net.
28 April 2006
Joint Malacca Patrols
From ONI: http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/onit/onit_j_main.html
STRAIT OF MALACCA: Joint sea and air patrols of the Strait of Malacca by Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia have been brought under a single umbrella. On 21 Apr, defense chiefs of the three countries signed an agreement to form a Joint Coordinating
Committee. The agreement sets out standard procedures for the joint sea and air patrols of the busy shipping lane which were launched last year (LL, LM).
Which is a polite way of saying the bad guys can't get away by crossing boundaries between nations and between national/international waters. 'S good news.
STRAIT OF MALACCA: Joint sea and air patrols of the Strait of Malacca by Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia have been brought under a single umbrella. On 21 Apr, defense chiefs of the three countries signed an agreement to form a Joint Coordinating
Committee. The agreement sets out standard procedures for the joint sea and air patrols of the busy shipping lane which were launched last year (LL, LM).
Which is a polite way of saying the bad guys can't get away by crossing boundaries between nations and between national/international waters. 'S good news.
22 June 2005
Paving the road to hell: USCG revising licensing certification legislation
Quoth the Admiral: "We did not intend to remove any rights, benefits or duties of credentialed merchant mariners. The Coast Guard will not make any immediate changes to the existing credentials or regulations solely because of this proposal. Instead, we plan to work with mariners, industry and the public through the rulemaking process."
Ze problem, you zee, iss thisss: the Ghost Kard neffer plans to putt der skrews to der mariner unless itz a crisis. Zo, ve vait for a crisis, no?
Read it all
Ze problem, you zee, iss thisss: the Ghost Kard neffer plans to putt der skrews to der mariner unless itz a crisis. Zo, ve vait for a crisis, no?
Read it all
17 June 2005
A day of import, or yet another reason why I don't like this branch of the Republican party!
Quoth one of the 21st Century's noblest men: "Only a few economic historians are likely to notice June 17 marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Hawley-Smoot tariff bill, and even economic historians are unlikely to be nostalgic about that disastrous legislation.
snip
Who was opposed? Most of the leading economists. A Page One headline in the New York Times of May 5, 1930, read: '1,028 economists ask Hoover to veto pending tariff bill.' Those signing this public appeal against the new tariffs included many top economists -- 25 professors of economics at Harvard, 26 at the University of Chicago, and 28 at Columbia.
snip
The economists' appeal spelled it out: "The proponents of higher tariffs claim that the increase in rates will give work to the idle. This is not true. We cannot increase employment by restricting trade."
Yes, the emphasis is mine.
Read it all
snip
Who was opposed? Most of the leading economists. A Page One headline in the New York Times of May 5, 1930, read: '1,028 economists ask Hoover to veto pending tariff bill.' Those signing this public appeal against the new tariffs included many top economists -- 25 professors of economics at Harvard, 26 at the University of Chicago, and 28 at Columbia.
snip
The economists' appeal spelled it out: "The proponents of higher tariffs claim that the increase in rates will give work to the idle. This is not true. We cannot increase employment by restricting trade."
Yes, the emphasis is mine.
Read it all
16 June 2005
Court ruling expected to change Canada's health care system - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - World - News
Court ruling expected to change Canada's health care system - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - World - News: "Canada's Supreme Court dealt a powerful blow to the state monopoly on health care yesterday, striking down a Quebec ban on private health insurance for services provided under the country's system of universal coverage."
Yee-hah! Of all the pernicious assertions during HillaryCare-of-unfond-memory's run through the public square, "We have a fine example right next door in Canada", is easily the silliest.
A bit more background. I'm a [US] Navy vet. The USN has major bases near the Canadian Border: Bremerton, WA and the soon-to-be closed Shipyard in Portsmouth, NH (actually, it's in Kittery, ME, but let that go). This means that Navy people are more likely than most to have been exposed to the Canadians traipsing across the border to receive treatment which the Canadian "fine example" often wouldn't provide, um, pre-mortem.
Note that the Canadian Supreme Court found that too: Socialized Medicine Kills.
The World Health Organization ranks Canada's health system 30th in the world and the United States 37th. France, which allows private services to complement its universal system, is ranked first.
Before, my fellow Liberals, you get too enthused about quoting this factoid, please check the premises of the WHO. Hint: they shot the arrow, then drew the target.
Yee-hah! Of all the pernicious assertions during HillaryCare-of-unfond-memory's run through the public square, "We have a fine example right next door in Canada", is easily the silliest.
A bit more background. I'm a [US] Navy vet. The USN has major bases near the Canadian Border: Bremerton, WA and the soon-to-be closed Shipyard in Portsmouth, NH (actually, it's in Kittery, ME, but let that go). This means that Navy people are more likely than most to have been exposed to the Canadians traipsing across the border to receive treatment which the Canadian "fine example" often wouldn't provide, um, pre-mortem.
Note that the Canadian Supreme Court found that too: Socialized Medicine Kills.
The World Health Organization ranks Canada's health system 30th in the world and the United States 37th. France, which allows private services to complement its universal system, is ranked first.
Before, my fellow Liberals, you get too enthused about quoting this factoid, please check the premises of the WHO. Hint: they shot the arrow, then drew the target.
Official: Maritime NORAD Is 'Defense In Depth'
aviation week, aerospace, airline industry, space technology, defense, aircraft, homeland security, articles, magazines, FAA, regulations, news: "06/14/2005 09:24:13 AM
By Michael Bruno
Maritime defense - including the creation of a maritime equivalent of the North American Aerospace Defense Command - presents the greatest single opportunity to beef up domestic security, according to the Defense Department's top official for homeland defense. "
By Michael Bruno
Maritime defense - including the creation of a maritime equivalent of the North American Aerospace Defense Command - presents the greatest single opportunity to beef up domestic security, according to the Defense Department's top official for homeland defense. "
11 June 2005
The right to self-defense trumps the right of an employer to fire an at-will employee
The Volokh Conspiracy - -
I don't usually approve of lawyers interfering with private contracts; however, unless this guys agreement with 7-11 specifically said "thou shalt not interfere with a store robbery, even if failure to act will get you killed" and the employee knowledgeably signed the agreement, I think the courts got it right.
I don't usually approve of lawyers interfering with private contracts; however, unless this guys agreement with 7-11 specifically said "thou shalt not interfere with a store robbery, even if failure to act will get you killed" and the employee knowledgeably signed the agreement, I think the courts got it right.
10 June 2005
BP's fleet moves aimed at reducing risk of spills
From the Houston Chronicle:"BP is urging shipowners to meet tougher health and safety standards for their tankers, seeking to minimize the risk of an oil spill."Read it all
Presumably, BP will be somewhat more level headed than some regulatory agencies which I won't bother to name. Let's think analysis, risk-management, effectiveness...
Presumably, BP will be somewhat more level headed than some regulatory agencies which I won't bother to name. Let's think analysis, risk-management, effectiveness...
Semester at sea operators sue University of Pittsburgh
UNIVERSITY AND SHIP OPERATORS CLASH ON ROGUE WAVE INCIDENT
A legal clash between the University of Pittsburgh and the operators of the Semester-at-Sea educational program over a rouge wave rolled into a Pennsylvania courtroom earlier this week. The Semester at Sea operators had launched a lawsuit against the university over the school's removal of its 24-year sponsorship. In defending its decision to abandon the cruise-based educational experience, the university cited substantial damage sustained to the EXPLORER in January when a rouge wave hit the ship during a storm off the US Pacific Northwest.
The university asserts that the school is concerned for student safety. On the other hand, the Semester-at-Sea operators counter that the program's vessels are as safe as any afloat and have been made even safer since the big wave hit the ship. That incident left the EXPLORER adrift for awhile in heavy seas. Preparing to begin this summer's voyage on June 17 from Halifax in Nova Scotia, the ship will have students from over 200 campuses aboard. It will boast reinforced bridge windows and an improved control system, and will avoid the area of the Pacific where the incident occurred. =
End of the day: would I permit my kids to sail on this ship? Answer: yes.
A legal clash between the University of Pittsburgh and the operators of the Semester-at-Sea educational program over a rouge wave rolled into a Pennsylvania courtroom earlier this week. The Semester at Sea operators had launched a lawsuit against the university over the school's removal of its 24-year sponsorship. In defending its decision to abandon the cruise-based educational experience, the university cited substantial damage sustained to the EXPLORER in January when a rouge wave hit the ship during a storm off the US Pacific Northwest.
The university asserts that the school is concerned for student safety. On the other hand, the Semester-at-Sea operators counter that the program's vessels are as safe as any afloat and have been made even safer since the big wave hit the ship. That incident left the EXPLORER adrift for awhile in heavy seas. Preparing to begin this summer's voyage on June 17 from Halifax in Nova Scotia, the ship will have students from over 200 campuses aboard. It will boast reinforced bridge windows and an improved control system, and will avoid the area of the Pacific where the incident occurred. =
End of the day: would I permit my kids to sail on this ship? Answer: yes.
09 June 2005
Something I didn't know from the LA Times: Who's Really Abusing the Koran?
Who's Really Abusing the Koran?: "All the headlines about 'Abuse of the Koran at Gitmo' are absolutely accurate. Brig. Gen. Jay Hood's internal investigation has uncovered some shocking incidents. On at least six occasions, Korans were ripped up. They were urinated on three times, and attempts were made to flush them down the toilet at least three other times.
Why aren't millions of Muslims rioting in response to these defilements? Because the perpetrators were prisoners, not guards. As John Hinderaker notes on weeklystandard.com, the most serious desecrations of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility were committed by the Muslim inmates themselves."
Why aren't millions of Muslims rioting in response to these defilements? Because the perpetrators were prisoners, not guards. As John Hinderaker notes on weeklystandard.com, the most serious desecrations of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility were committed by the Muslim inmates themselves."
SHIPPING COORDINATING COMMITTEE TO MEET IN PREPARATION OF IMO MEETING
The Shipping Coordinating Committee (SHC) will conduct an open meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2005, in Room 1303 of the United States Coast Guard Headquarters building, 2100 Second Street SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001. The primary purpose of the meeting is to prepare for the thirty-second session of the Facilitation Committee (FAL 32) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to be held from July 4 to 8, 2005, at IMO Headquarters in London, England.
The primary matters for discussion for FAL 32 will include the following:
* Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic.
* Consideration and adoption of proposed amendments to the Annex to the Convention.
* Electronic means for the clearance of ships.
* Application of the Committee's Guidelines.
* General review of the Convention including harmonization with other international instruments.
* Prevention and suppression of unlawful acts at sea or in port--Facilitation aspects.
* Prevention and control of illicit drug trafficking--Facilitation aspects.
* Measure to enhance maritime security--Facilitation aspects.
* Measures and procedures for the treatment of people rescued at sea--Facilitation aspects.
* Ship/port interface.
* Formalities connected with the arrival, stay and departure of ships.
* Formalities connected with the arrival, stay and departure of persons--Stowaways.
* Facilitation aspects of other IMO forms and certificates.
* Technical cooperation sub-program for facilitation.
Copies of documents associated with FAL 32 will not be available at this meeting. Documents will be available in Adobe Acrobat format on CD-ROM. To request documents, please contact David Du Pont via e-mail at DDuPont@comdt.uscg.mil or write to the address provided below.
Members of the public may attend this meeting up to the seating capacity of the room. Interested persons may seek information by writing to David Du Pont, Commandant (G-MSR), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW., Room 1400, Washington, DC 20593-0001 or by calling (202) 267-0971.
The IMO, from whence mischief comes.
The primary matters for discussion for FAL 32 will include the following:
* Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic.
* Consideration and adoption of proposed amendments to the Annex to the Convention.
* Electronic means for the clearance of ships.
* Application of the Committee's Guidelines.
* General review of the Convention including harmonization with other international instruments.
* Prevention and suppression of unlawful acts at sea or in port--Facilitation aspects.
* Prevention and control of illicit drug trafficking--Facilitation aspects.
* Measure to enhance maritime security--Facilitation aspects.
* Measures and procedures for the treatment of people rescued at sea--Facilitation aspects.
* Ship/port interface.
* Formalities connected with the arrival, stay and departure of ships.
* Formalities connected with the arrival, stay and departure of persons--Stowaways.
* Facilitation aspects of other IMO forms and certificates.
* Technical cooperation sub-program for facilitation.
Copies of documents associated with FAL 32 will not be available at this meeting. Documents will be available in Adobe Acrobat format on CD-ROM. To request documents, please contact David Du Pont via e-mail at DDuPont@comdt.uscg.mil or write to the address provided below.
Members of the public may attend this meeting up to the seating capacity of the room. Interested persons may seek information by writing to David Du Pont, Commandant (G-MSR), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW., Room 1400, Washington, DC 20593-0001 or by calling (202) 267-0971.
The IMO, from whence mischief comes.
27 May 2005
A WWII Merchant Marine (or, if you prefer, Merchant Navy) Vet on Maritime day
"Even though it's not formally celebrated until Monday, Sunday is National Maritime Day.
It has become the most ignored national day, memorializing the country's most forgotten historical event and honoring the most ignored element of its military structure, the U.S. merchant marine.
Congress adopted the resolution creating the day on May 20, 1933, taking note of May 22, 1819, the day the steamer Savannah sailed from its home port on the first successful transoceanic voyage by steamship. President Franklin Roosevelt issued the proclamation.
Every succeeding president proclaimed it, and every succeeding generation ignored it.
It was easy to remember winning World War II but easy to forget the merchant marine, the logistical miracle that enabled the victory.
The merchant marine story is all about lessons learned on the cruel seas, of scandalous political treatment of its sailors after the war, of long-fought battles for recognition as veterans, and of a commitment as deep, and a risk at least as high, as any soldier's on any battlefield.
But the merchant marine was invisible."
Despite Mr. Felknor's ignorance of six of the seven maritime academies, you should read it all:Chicago Tribune | THE MERCHANT MARINE:
It has become the most ignored national day, memorializing the country's most forgotten historical event and honoring the most ignored element of its military structure, the U.S. merchant marine.
Congress adopted the resolution creating the day on May 20, 1933, taking note of May 22, 1819, the day the steamer Savannah sailed from its home port on the first successful transoceanic voyage by steamship. President Franklin Roosevelt issued the proclamation.
Every succeeding president proclaimed it, and every succeeding generation ignored it.
It was easy to remember winning World War II but easy to forget the merchant marine, the logistical miracle that enabled the victory.
The merchant marine story is all about lessons learned on the cruel seas, of scandalous political treatment of its sailors after the war, of long-fought battles for recognition as veterans, and of a commitment as deep, and a risk at least as high, as any soldier's on any battlefield.
But the merchant marine was invisible."
Despite Mr. Felknor's ignorance of six of the seven maritime academies, you should read it all:Chicago Tribune | THE MERCHANT MARINE:
16 May 2005
Base Realignment and Closure 2005 - BRAC (a/k/a BRAAAAKKKKKK)
Me auld stomping grounds in N'awlinz are on the chopping block. Back in the mists of time the Naval Air Reserve and Naval Surface Reserve were combined into a single HQ and moved to the congressional district of -- SURPRISE! -- Hale Boggs, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. BRAC will move Naval Reserve Forces Command (a/k/a Naval Reserve HQ) to Norfolk -- which is were the Fleet Forces Command hangs out.
Read it all:
Base Realignment and Closure 2005 - U.S. Department of Defense
Read it all:
Base Realignment and Closure 2005 - U.S. Department of Defense
15 May 2005
WORLDWIDE THREAT TO SHIPPING (WWTTS)
OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE
CIVIL MARITIME ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT
WORLDWIDE THREAT TO SHIPPING
MARINER WARNING INFORMATION
--SNIP--
This Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report is ... also posted at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency site
http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/onit/onit_j_main.html.
CIVIL MARITIME ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT
WORLDWIDE THREAT TO SHIPPING
MARINER WARNING INFORMATION
--SNIP--
This Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report is ... also posted at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency site
http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/onit/onit_j_main.html.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)