Category: National Defense

USS Constitution sails again

For only the second time in the past century the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the world, sailed under her own power in Boston harbor.

The sailing marked the 200th anniversary of her landmark battle versus the HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812, in which she became the first US warship to defeat a British warship of equal size and power. It’s also the action in which she earned her nickname “Old Ironsides” for the way in which the British man-o-war’s cannonballs bounced off her sides.

The last time she sailed was in 1997 on her 200th birthday. She was towed up to Marblehead, Mass., the birthplace of the US Navy, on the North Shore of Massachusetts, for a week of festivities including lots of Navy brass. Even the network morning shows came up to broadcast live from the shore of Marblehead for the final sailing. I was there too, standing on the shore at the crack of dawn to see her towed out to sea where she put up her sails for the first time and made her way as the Grand Dame she is.

Then in 2007, I had the opportunity to be aboard the Constitution during her annual July 4 turnaround cruise. My dad had come to know one of the former commanders of the ship and got two of the precious tickets for the public. That was an awesome experience and an amazing day. Among other things I was able to record video of the 21-gun salute as it was fired from the gun deck.

So you can imagine that when I heard about today, I very much wanted to go see it. The sail was to occur in Boston Harbor (map), as she would be towed out to President Roads then turned around whereupon she would set her sails for the return journey. Thus the ideal spot would be Castle Island in South Boston.

Unfortunately, Mass for us is 9:30 am and by the time we got done and would have been able to get to Castle Island would have been too late to get through the crowds into a decent viewing position, not to mention the starving children.

Ah well, maybe someday she will sail again for a third time in my lifetime. Hmm, maybe too much to ask.

Bush’s Shanksville Address

I may not have agreed with many of President George W. Bush’s policies in his eight years in office (although compared to the current occupant of the office, Bush and I have the same mind), but his strength as president was how he handled 9/11 and its aftermath. Each speech, each impromptu remarks, each moment with those affected by the events was always pitch perfect, never merely weepy and emotional, but always evoking the best of America.

The president’s speech in Shanksville, Pa., on Saturday at the Flight 93 memorial are another example of that.

What can Brown do for Yemeni terrorists?

By now you’ve heard about today’s excitement surrounding suspicious packages containing explosives found on UPS flights originating in Yemen. Reports say they were addressed to Jewish organizations in the Chicago area. Now, I’m glad no one was hurt and terrorism itself isn’t funny, but it struck me as odd that al Quaeda just decided to overnight their terrorism to their erstwhile victims.

I can just picture the Yemeni bombers finishing their bombs, but confronted with the fact that they were set to explode tomorrow.How would they get them to their targets in the US before they exploded?

Terrorist 1: “Well, we could buy plane tickets and fly them there.”
Terrorist 2: “Idiot! We’d never make it past security.”
T1: “Then I’ll put it in my shoe.”
T2: “Stupid dog! We tried that. Remember the Shoe Bomber?”
T3: “Brothers! Look at this book I just got from Amazon Prime. I ordered it yesterday and now it’s here just one day later.”

“UPS: When it absolutely, positively has to blow up overnight.”

(I know, it was Fedex’s slogan, but the terrorists decided to see what Brown could do for them and picked UPS instead. I won’t let them ruin my joke.)