USS Harvey Milk?
Jeff and Daniel sent us links to an article that announces the intention of Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) to pressure Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to name a ship after the gay activist Harvey Milk. According to the Navy Times;
In his letter, Rep. Filner wrote “this action would be a fitting tribute to Mr. Milk’s support for equality, an ideal exemplified in the military’s recent repeal of its former Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy,” according to the press release.
According to the LGBT Weekly, Milk was a Navy veteran of the Korean War;
The late civil rights icon, Harvey Milk was a Navy veteran who began his service during the Korean War. In Korea, he served aboard the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake as a diving officer. Milk was also stationed at Naval Station, San Diego where he was a diving instructor. Milk, whose parents both also served in the US Navy, was honorably discharged at the rank of Lieutenant, junior grade.
I don’t know much about Milk because I have a habit of not watching any movie that has Sean Penn in it, and his isn’t a subject in which I’m interested, but I’m pretty sure that enough Navy personnel have been killed in the war against terror who deserve to have a ship named after them more than some activist who was shot by a political opponent.
According to Stuart Milk [Harvey Milk’s nephew], the christening of a ship USS Harvey Milk would boost the military’s image, while also boosting a sense of esteem among its gay, lesbian and bisexual members.
Yeah, because self-esteem is an important factor when talking about our national security.
Category: Military issues, Navy
Milk’s not unqualified to have a ship named after him, but there’s many, many more deserving on the list.
It’s got two things going for it: a) Harvey Milk is deserving, and b) it’s kinda “in your face”.
OK … follow my logic on this one …
If: According to Stuart Milk [Harvey Milk’s nephew], the christening of a ship USS Harvey Milk would boost the military’s image, while also boosting a sense of esteem among its gay, lesbian and bisexual members.
Therefore: We should name a U.S. Navy ship the USS Bob. Bob is in charge of the hardware department at a local Home Depot, he is a straight (like most people these day – does not care if you are gay, straight, or whatever), generally normal, a hard-working American, just trying to make ends meet. The christening of a ship USS Bob would boost the military’s image, while also boosting a sense of esteem among its straight members.
Gumdagnet! I am pissed!
I can think of a number of American icons more deserving than Harvey Milk, i.e. Mickey Mouse, Captain Kangaroo, Bozo, Kermit the Frog…
I think the worst part would be if it was ever sunk. Think about the headlines:
543 MEN GO DOWN ON HARVEY MILK
@ 2. You are right. Quite deserving of recognition as a leader (give him that – he was) and he was essentially killed in the performance of his duties … again quite deserving as he gave his life for a cause and a city he loved.
But a US Navy ship … for …. “boosting a sense of esteem among its gay, lesbian and bisexual members.”
Remember … we did not have a problem before DADT (Clinton’s back room half deal in payment for the Gay and Lesbian vote in 1992). Now we have a piloitical football game going on over the naming of a ship … I am still PISSED.
What about the USS Ted Nuggent? For “boosting a sense of esteem among free speaking people.”
What about USS Irish Bartenders? For “boosting a sense of esteem among people who love to drink in Irish bars.”
What about USS Urban Dog Walkers? For “boosting a sense of esteem among people who walk dogs in the city and have to pick up shit after the dog craps.”
@ 5 … Very good. Smart pithy humor!
Actually Yat Yas, Capt. Kangaroo had a pretty good military record.
Is this new ship a frigate or faggot?
Anyway get the Village People to reunite and sing In the Navy as it is launched.
And liberals will have a new reason to cheer when they hear the sailors went ‘down’ with the ship.
I can hear the whistle now, “All hands on dick. All hands on dick, uh DECK”.
Is it any wonder I’m telling my kids to stay as far away from military service as possible!?!?
And I get yelled at for making Gavy jokes???
Sniper, you made me spill my coffee!
Put his name on the list and wait a couple of years and see if it is still there.
Well Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) was a Marine, even though he joined too late to see any action in WWII; however USS Kermit the Frog has a nice ring to it. Seriously though this bullshit is coming from California, is anyone really surprised?
First Muutha, and now this? Geeze!
Hmmm, should be Murtha.
No, it’s Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurtha!!!!! Fuck that fat bastard. He was never a Marine, just in the Marines.
Every sailor on the ship will be a “rear admiral”. Now’s who’s going to swab Harvey Milk’s “poop deck”?
@14 The first way was better.
Murtha, Giffords, Cesar Chavez, now this. The Navy Times article acted like LBJ was controversial, but I must’ve missed that.
Of course, the favorite tune on board will be, “Blow the Man Down.”
Harvey Milk was a power hungry SOB who accused anyone who was against him of being a Nazi. The image that has been created by the media of this guy is a phony as Soup Sandwich.
#20 And Nancy Pelosi’s face.
Joe you stupid monkey fucker, why does the naming of a Navy ship need to be an “in your face?” Do you expect the Navy to start naming all their ships after assfuck rabble rousers who did nothing to improve this country? No doubt you do.
Why can’t the LGBT members of the Navy just be proud that they’re in the Navy? Have ships named after people who did great things regardless of their sexuality? I just don’t see why someone should be bumped to the top of the list just because he was gay. I thought it was equality that was sought.
Redacted, nothing coming from the “Peoples Republik of Kalifornia” surprises me any more. The sad thing is there are many good people, I’m personally acquainted with, that are stuck there. I’ve offer them asylum in Arizona but they can’t afford to leave.
I guess if they want to name a ship after LBJ this isn’t too far out line for the Gay Chupacabra and his merry band of thieves.
Joe’s all about that, “In your face” shit when it comes to teh ghey.
Ran this by the Navy friend, he said the guy wasn’t undeserving, but there were better names. He also added that while it ‘might’ raise morale of gay and lesbian crew, it would probably lower the morale of the straight crew. Considering how often we hummed In the Navy to him while he was in..
Wow!!!! I know high school freshmen that have more maturity than some of these so-called “grown men” and their juvenile remarks on this post. Did you guys actually make it through the Ninth Grade? As pointed out, Harvey Milk was a Navy Veteran of the Korean War. Some Navy Ships are named after people who have seen no military service like the USS Roosevelt. He was a bonafide elected offcial who was shot and killed out of bigotry. The sponsor of this, US Representative Bob Filner(D)-CA, is not gay, and is a Former Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. He has done plenty for our nation’s veterans. I do agree that there may be people more deserving of having a Navy Ship named after them, but to all those who have left these sophmoric comments how about growing up and getting a life while you’re at it.
THAT didn’t take long…
@23: You and I both know that it was never about equality. So does anyone in the GLBT or far lefty community (like Joe) who wanted the repeal of DADT. As usual, it was a lie and they know it.
Oh, and Dino; fuck off.
THIS is a man who deserves to have his name on a ship:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/uss-michael-murphy-navy-seal-honored-with-warship-bearing-his-name/
And this:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/12/Navy-commissions-ship-honor-Marine/
And a multitude of others, point being they did more to deserve a ship named after them in their honor than Harvey Milk ever did.
I personally think that if Milk gets a ship, (s)tray-dawg martin should get one. It would make all the former gangbangers and fledgling hiphop artists in the navy proud too.
While we’re at it, how about giving Jerry Garcia one as well. It’s number could be LSD 420.
@Dino-from the depths of my old mind I seem to recall both Roosevelts have a connection to the military. Teddy led the 1st US Volunteers (Rough Riders{insert snarky 9th grade Harvey Milk reference}) and Franklin was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. So both would be considered for naming a Navy ship, Franklin (that socialist SOB) more so than Teddy.
Dino S,
Teddy Roosevelt served in the military. Maybe you forgot about the Rough Riders? In fact, TR was posthumously award the Medal of Honor for his military service.
@28- Bob Filner is a fucking scumbag socialist, and the most recent thing he has done for our veterans is be smug and condescending towards Nick Popaditch’s service in the marines.
Dino, just knowing that our “sophmoric” comments bother you so much is only going to inspire us to come up with more.
TR was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, thus its nickname “The Big Stick”.
Dino, please enlighten us further.
Dino S., note that the USS ROOSEVELT (DDG80) was named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. If you are talking the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN71), well that was another president.
Given that the USS GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (LCS10) has already been named by this SECNAV, and that the USNS CESAR CHAVEZ (T-AKE 14) has also been named, I could certainly see another LCS bearing Mr. Milk’s name in the not too distant future.
While the late Mr. Milk served in the Navy and apparently did some things for gay rights (I am not familiar with his history), it seems to me that WARSHIPS should have some link to WAR. Naval heroes (MOH, NC), battles, famous ships of the past, etc., help instill a sense of tradition and a link to those who have gone before us when the ships are so named. My boats were named after cities, so there was not inherent link to the past, the link to the boats and warriors who got us here.
This would just be another sad example of how our Naval leadership has lost its way, especially with respect to ship naming.
They both have ships named after them. But to compare gutter slime like milk to former Presidents of the United States(TR especially)?! INSANITY!
Dino–TR also served as Assistant Navy Secretary, and since you’ve obviously forgotten your American History, why don’t you Google, “Great White Fleet” while you’re at it?
Oh, and smack the back of your head to knock that extra dick out of your mouth.
Yeah, as a Navy veteran, I’d say there are far more deserving people to have a ship named after them than Harvey Milk.
“…in the military’s recent repeal of its former Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.” I wonder if the author knows it was not the military that repealed the DADT but the President? Because we all know that the military sets its own policies.
As for the USS Milk… No thank you. While it wouldn’t be as bad as some names I could think of, I can think of far more that would be more appropriate.
As for the 9th grade insults… Well, some of us here are veterans, so we must have dropped out of high school to join the Army because we didn’t want to start real life… Oh, wait. No. We graduated high school (or got our GED) and joined the military because we wanted to better the country. While most people were concerned with what college they were going to apply for, we were sucking muck in some of the worse hell-holes in the world. For us, real life got real very quickly.
So, Dino, perhaps you should think before you post. Or, rather than that, since you obviously don’t have the mental fortitude to pass gas without crapping yourself, look at entrance requirements for the military. I’m sure even you can figure out how to type in the proper words to find them.
And while you’re at it, Dino–unlike your fucking hero Obumbles, Teddy Roosevelt actually DID something that warranted his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (Russo-Japanese War.)
You may go now.
It really is sad to see how political our military has become. We’re getting as bad as the Soviets were, given how many sensitivity-training hoops the troops have to jump through these days. Stalin would be proud.
Seriously need a like button in the comment section.
I kinda wonder if the Flintstone’s dogasaurus who posted comment #28 above is our old friend Joe trying out an alias . . . .
Yo Dino … what are your MIL Creds?
Why not name a ship the USS Dicklicker or USS Carpetmuncher? Then the self esteem of the whole LGBT crowd can be boosted.
I got nuthin…why don’t they just pick names out of a hat.
Doesn’t the Navy already have the gay reputation? This is just going to exascerbate that image…
Bah Bodenkurk; I think they’re trying to lap the Air Force.