Are You Ready For The USS Gabrielle Giffords?

No, really

(NY Daily News) Construction of the Navy warship named in honor of former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords began Wednesday in Mobile, Ala., with the shooting survivor and activist on hand for the ceremonial laying of its keel.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced in 2012 that one of the branch’s futuristic, triple-hulled littoral combat ships would be named for Giffords.

The decision – which drew some flak for honoring a civilian politician — would make her the only living female namesake of a U.S. Navy ship.

During the ceremony Ms. Giffords welded her initials into the keep, with a little help.

Look, I respect the hell out of Ms. Giffords for how far she’s come, how hard she’s fought, in recovery. That said, this is absurd that a combat ship, even one considered small, should be named after a politician who has effectively done nothing get shot. Yes, yes, that sounds nasty. Imagine if a they were attempting to name a ship after Ted Cruz, liberals would be going nuts. She served just 3 terms in Congress. Naming a $460+ million dollar for a living civilian politician when there are lots and lots living and dead military heroes is Bad Idea.

As Politico noted, Naval vessels traditionally bear the names of states or cities or noted Americans, such as former presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Theodore Roosevelt. Others have been named for notable leaders like former senator and astronaut John Glenn or naval titans like former Adm. Hyman Rickover. Yet we’re naming a combat ship after a politician. Bad precedent.

When even ultra-squishy Doug Mataconis, a “conservative” who seems to spend lots of time bashing Conservatives, isn’t sure naming the ship after Giffords is appropriate, it probably isn’t.

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25 Responses to “Are You Ready For The USS Gabrielle Giffords?”

  1. CTsOpinion says:

    God Bless Mrs.Giffords, but I am eternally grateful that I will never have to serve on a ship commemorating someone who was shot in the head by a deranged lunatic. Just doesn’t seem to be the right image for a combat ship, even in the new PC wimp Navy.

  2. Blick says:

    The nic-name will be the “Gabby”. Sounds like a good fighting name for a warship. Imagine the bar fights over that. Oh, my bad, in the “new” PC navy, sailors are not allowed to drink.

  3. Dana says:

    This is the result of our abandoning the tradition of not naming naval vessels for people who are still alive.

    The obvious question is: given Mrs Giffords’ positions on gun control, will the ship be unarmed?

  4. Proof says:

    Name a school after her, not a warship. This will set a precedence for the ‘Barack Obama Gatling Nerf’ gun.

  5. John says:

    Teach hasn’t liked anything about the US Navy since they went all AGW on him

  6. John says:

    Since 2000 6 USN ships have been named for living Americans
    Not naming a ship after a living person is one of the USN’s most often broken tradition
    Teach the carrier Ronald Reagan was also named while he was alive I am appaled you did not remember

  7. Dank Donkerson says:

    Smith and Wesson should name a gun after her, and than watch the liberals go nuts

  8. Jeffery says:

    Cool looking boat.

    “That said, this is absurd that a combat ship, even one considered small, should be named after a politician who has effectively done nothing get shot (sic). Yes, yes, that sounds nasty.”

    It doesn’t just sound nasty, it is nasty.

    Is this how the fevered minds of the paranoid, conspiracist far-right spend their time? You guys would probably support the USS Jared Loughner, a far-right hero.

  9. Jeffery says:

    “When even ultra-squishy Doug Mataconis, a “conservative” who seems to spend lots of time bashing Conservatives, isn’t sure naming the ship after Giffords is appropriate, it probably isn’t.”

    Teach has even started a new interweb meme, the THE Doug Mataconis Test!

    If THE Doug Mataconis is ambivalent about an issue, the conservative alternative is proven!

    Should we send troops to Crimea? THE Doug Mataconis: “Yeah, I don’t know… maybe, whatever.” Therefore, Obama is a pussy, and we should send troops to Crimea!!

  10. CavalierX says:

    “Oh, my bad, in the “new” PC navy, sailors are not allowed to drink.”

    …or fight.

  11. CavalierX says:

    “You guys would probably support the USS Jared Loughner, a far-right hero.”

    You forgot to explain how someone whose political views were described by the New York Times as “left wing, quite liberal” is a “far-right hero.” This I gotta see.

  12. Jeffery says:

    Loughner shot a liberal female Representative in the head. The only things that would have made him more heroic to the far-right would be if Giffords were gay and/or Black.

  13. Jeffery says:

    donk,

    “Smith and Wesson (sic) should name a gun after her, and than (sic) watch the liberals go nuts”

    That’s what I call great conservative humor!! (Although he used a Glock).

    But if your goal is really to make the liberals go nuts, suggest Glock name a 9mm pistol after “Christina-Taylor Green” the little 9 yr old girl that Loughner murdered.

  14. Why would we want it named after Loghner, another liberal?

    And, yeah, I knew you libs would go bat shit insane over this, just like you usually do. Rational, adult, critical thinking is not your strong point. Or any point. Hysteria and unhinged hyperbole are.

  15. Recon says:

    Heh. Such poor taste. I like it. Naming a mil carrier after an anti-gun nut seems to be equally poor taste, imo, but I imagine their moral superiority dulled the pain of lost integrity.

  16. Recon says:

    Is now a good time to point out that Loughner didn’t use a warship either, or no?

    But I kind of like the idea of Glock naming a gun after Christina, personally. I imagine there are all kinds of legal gun owners that would be more than happy to use it against people threatening their children.
    I know I would.

  17. Jay says:

    “Loughner shot a liberal female Representative in the head. The only things that would have made him more heroic to the far-right would be if Giffords were gay and/or Black.”

    And yet, I have never heard any conservative hold up Mr Loughner as any sort of hero. He is, in fact, not a hero to the far right. So a simple experiment proves that your theory of how conservatives think is wrong.

    If only liberals believed in science, this would lead you to reject that theory and formulate a new one. But of course, liberals do not believe in science. At least, not “science” by the old definition of “testing our theories against the real world to see if they work in practice”. The liberal idea of “science” is “find someone who calls himself a scientist and who agrees with me and declare that the question is now settled, and anyone who dares to question it must be ridiculed, lose his job, and probably be arrested”.

  18. Jay says:

    Actually, I think this makes a lot of sense. Ms Giffords was shot by a lunatic while she was defenseless. Isn’t that the military that we are trying to build — one that is gutted of all actual military power, and is then sent out defenseless to confront armed lunatics?

  19. The Neon Madman says:

    Yeeeeesh. Just confirms my already low opinion of the current management of the Armed Forces. Maybe it’s somewhat ironically appropriate to grant this honor to an LCS, basically an underarmed, underarmored jetski. Floating aluminum bombs filled with jet fuel.

  20. Casey says:

    Yes, Reagan was alive, but he was also a former president. Ms. Giffords does not enjoy that distinction.

    That said -and I’m a huge fan of the man- we never should have started naming ships after live politicians.

  21. Casey says:

    What makes you think the Little Crappy Ship is armed? I hope you aren’t counting that 57mm popgun.

  22. sTevo says:

    You said exactly what I was thinking.

  23. Kyle says:

    No dumb fuck, Loughner is no ones hero. He was a 9/11 truther and fanatic GWB hater. Think before you seizure on your tablet.

  24. Jeffery says:

    Kyle,

    You ignorant kochsucker. Mr. Loughner was an anti-government wingnut, who thought the government printing of paper money was evil, disliked women in power, feared the New World Order, claimed NASA faked the moon landing; but also had some non-right wing conspiratorial ideations including 9/11 as an inside job and the 2012 Mayan calendar apocalypse.

    No doubt Loughner is psychopathic, but mostly he seemed driven by exaggerated right-wing paranoia.

    Right-wingers always and reflexively label crazy killers as liberals, even without evidence. And they claim liberals, like ML King and Abe Lincoln, as conservatives.

  25. Jeffry, he most certainly wasn’t one of ours. He held a myriad of beliefs

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