All opinions posted. None too pathetic or contrived. Everyone gets their say.

"...even the wicked get worse than they deserve." - Willa Cather, One of Ours

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Naval submarine Jimmy Carter christened

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Former President Jimmy Carter was filled with emotion Saturday as the most advanced nuclear submarine in the U.S. Navy was named after him at a Connecticut shipyard.

"This is a very wonderful day for me, to see my wife break the champagne on undoubtedly the finest and most formidable ship in the world," said Carter, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the only submariner to be elected president.

Carter's wife, Rosalynn, blessed the Seawolf-class nuclear submarine and its crew, then hesitated for a moment before cracking the bottle of champagne against the sail of the USS Jimmy Carter.

Amid much fanfare and cheers, a crowd of 4,500 Navy personnel, submarine workers and their families gathered at the Electric Boat shipyard for Saturday's christening ceremony. The Carters' daughter, Amy, also attended the ceremony.

Only nine people have had ships named after them while they are still alive in modern times, said Gordon England, Secretary of the Navy.

"President Jimmy Carter has surely earned his place in this elite group of citizens," England said.

Another was former President Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday. The christening ceremony had ended before Reagan's death was announced.

The $3.2 billion Jimmy Carter is the third and last of the Seawolf-class submarine. It has been nearly nine years in the making and still has about a year of finishing on its interior before it can be tested and commissioned...
More important than being a great President, Carter has proven himself to be a great man.

Carter was not only President of the United States of America and a Nobel Peace Prize winner - but he was also an officer in the US Navy, a submarine commander, and reputedly a damn fine one. He graduated from the Naval Academy, and he was one of the few officers chosen by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover to help develop the Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Program.

My father worked for Rickover as a nuclear engineer designing nuclear power plants that would operate efficiently in the restricted environment of a submarine. Rickover isn't much remembered these days outside the navy, but without his insatiable drive for perfection, the dream of nuclear powered naval vessels would never have become reality. Therefore it should be noted that Rickover was fanatically picky about whom he chose to work on this project. In his eyes, Carter measured up to the expected standard. The bestowal of this responsibility on young officer like Carter was a tremendous honor that is nearly unmatched in the annals of naval history. Carter was one of a few very special leaders in the US Navy.

During his time as a nuke bubblehead, Carter was attached to one of the first nuclear submarines, the USS Seawolf. The last of the new Seawolf class of nuclear attack submarines is now being christened with his name some 50 years later, the USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23).

This is only fitting. And considering that Carter is the only President who ever qualified to command a submarine, it is doubly fitting.

No honest man can have anything but the highest respect for Carter. He served his country to a degree that few men can claim the equal of, and any Sailor attached to the USS Jimmy Carter can serve aboard her with the greatest of pride and honor.
Posted by: Zayphar / 6/17/2004 10:37:00 AM 1 comments

America's diminishing Resolve

Boots on the Ground (US Army soldier soon returning to Iraq)
To me, it seems alot of the resolve the American people have is starting to run out. After 9-11, everyone was willing to sacrifice almost anything to ensure their safety. Now, people are in like complete denial that Al-Qaeda even remains a threat. Just like Former Mayor Giuliani said the enemy is not each other, the enemy are the terrorists. We Americans need to understand that there is a very serious threat that Al-Qaeda poses and we can not just call it even and quit. How can we live with ourselves if we allow the terrorists to come here and bring down buildings full of men, woman and children who have COMPLETELY NOTHING to do with what is going on politically. It disgusts me to think these terrorists could somehow justify killing completely innocent people. Men and Woman going to their office so they can feed their families. This just makes me sick.

Iraq finally has a President, this is a nice step forward in Iraq, and being away from Iraq, it is a breath of fresh air instead of hearing about all the car bombs. I must admit, I've been becoming victim of the media, and I of all the people should know better than to believe everything the news says. So, I'm trying hard not to do get pessimistic when I read or watch the news.
I believe that Kevin underestimates the hysteria of the reaction just after the attack. While understandable, it was a bit excessive.

But, chastened by their previous overreaction, the media now seems to be filled with knee-jerk anti-anti-terrorism. This type of skepticism by the media, when applied to the budget or national moral or religious policies is not only appropriate it is essential to accurately informing the public.

Unfortunately, the media's reflexive anti-anti-terrorism has taken to poo-pooing any serious discussion of security issues, and portraying everyone who has concerns in this area as a "unilateral imperialist warmonger". This caricature is just as inappropriate as the one portraying the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent terrorist threat.

I will say it again. Sometimes a policy is correct, even if George Bush agrees with it.
Posted by: Zayphar / 6/17/2004 10:19:00 AM 0 comments

Emirate of El-Falluja

Hammorabi
There is news from Falluja talking about a special meeting recently took place in one area in the centre of Falluja in which the (Mujaheeden) has pledged allegiance to appoint Al-Zarqawi as the Ameer (Prince or Governor) of the City of Falluja! Zarqawi was in the meeting which was attended by top leader of Mujaheeden including Arabs from Jordan, Saudis, Syrian and Palestinians.

They divided the city into various areas and called it Emarat El-Falluja (Emirate) with Zarqawi as the Ameer (Prince). They appointed a leader for each one of these areas among the Mujaheeden with one group under his leadership. They gave Zarqawi an Oath to set out the Islamic state of Caliphate in Falluja and from there they will spread it into the rest of Iraq and the region. They now try desperately to gather lot of youths and young people enthusiastic for that to join them. They also tried to get themselves extended well beyond that area to Baghdad and other regions.

Among them are many Saudi Wahabis and Syrian with other Arabs. Recently a body of a Palestinian has been left unburied after killed in Najaf city after the fighting finished!...
This should be considered a first report, and therefore likely to be wrong, at least in some respects.
Posted by: Zayphar / 6/17/2004 10:05:00 AM 3 comments

19th Nervous Breakdown


“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that ones work is terribly important.”

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

Posted by: Zayphar / 6/17/2004 01:08:00 AM 0 comments