• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Hegseth intends to rename USNS Harvey Milk

Safiel said:
The next Democratic President should not only retaliate in kind, but should hit them where it hurts most.

Rename the USS Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

If they want to play petty games like this, let them know there will be a huge karmic price to pay.
Click to expand...
I’d be good with reinstating the original names and passing a law taking final renaming authority of all U.S. military installations and ships away from the DOD, and giving it to Congress via the normal legislative process.

That would make it much harder for the next administration to just change the names again.

I’d also include a provision requiring a board be established, made up of an equal number of R and D reps, that would review proposed names by the service branch for new installations/ships involved and decide by majority vote.
 
maxparrish said:
While Milk or Lewis should never have been honored on a military vessel, which I assume an oiler is, Hegseth was unwise to create a needless controversy. However, I still believe that honoring military personae's, American cities, Native American tribes, forts, battles, etc. is unifying an appropriate - not a gay politician and activist because he was murdered by a sick man pissed off for not getting his job back.
Click to expand...

Milk was a former Navy lieutenant who served during the Korean War aboard a submarine rescue ship, and ⬇️

Lursa said:
"A John Lewis-class oiler — a group of ships specifically to be named after prominent civil rights leaders and activists — Harvey Milk has officially been in service since November 2021 when she was christened and launched." link​

That you might not agree with his political significance and activism isnt the point. The point is he completely fits the naming criteria of that group of ships. And I'd guess that's a solid reason they chose to use such criteria for a group of ships...to remind people of the significance of public service and efforts for change and equality.

No surprise there that an unfortunate number of Americans dont believe in that. Women, blacks, gays, etc. shoulda all stayed at the back of the bus.
Click to expand...
 
RaleBulgarian said:
I’d be good with reinstating the original names and passing a law taking final renaming authority of all U.S. military installations and ships away from the DOD, and giving it to Congress via the normal legislative process.

That would make it much harder for the next administration to just change the names again.

I’d also include a provision requiring a board be established, made up of an equal number of R and D reps, that would review proposed names by the service branch for new installations/ships involved and decide by majority vote.
Click to expand...

Your proposal is good.

I would note that it does take an Act of Congress to name a Post Office, yet an Aircraft Carrier can be named on a whim.
 
Captain Adverse said:
Anything that improves morale and fighting spirit improves the combat abilities of the service members. I begin to think you have no military service in your history.



Everything costs money. In this case, money determined to be well-spent by the Sec-Def.

Let me know when you hold said Office, and then you can act accordingly.

I am done with you. Tagline time. :coffee:
Click to expand...

It's a USNS ship. It's not a combat vessel and it's crewed by civilians.
 
Buster Keaton said:
Navy ships should be named after sailors who either received the Navy Cross medal, or after sailors who received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Milk didn't even get an honorable discharge.
Click to expand...

He didn't get a honorable discharge because of conservative bigots.
 
Captain Adverse said:
Anything that improves morale and fighting spirit improves the combat abilities of the service members. I begin to think you have no military service in your history.
Click to expand...

Were you in a unit so delicate that they'd lose fighting spirit because a ship is named something goobers don't like?

I'm guessing you were not combat arms.
 
Buster Keaton said:
Were those ships named after people who were dishonerably discharged?
Click to expand...
Milk did not receive a Dishonorable Discharge. Facing possible court martial simply for being gay, Milk accepted an Other Than Honorable discharge.
prologue.blogs.archives.gov

Harvey Milk: Veteran

This June the National Archives is commemorating National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month, which honors the important contributions that LGBTQ+ Americans have made to U.S…
prologue.blogs.archives.gov
 
Safiel said:
Your proposal is good.

I would note that it does take an Act of Congress to name a Post Office, yet an Aircraft Carrier can be named on a whim.
Click to expand...
The Postal Service is a different kind of “service”, but yeah, I get your point. 👍
 
Hamish Howl said:
The level of failure in your posts never ceases to amaze me.

He didn't get a dishonorable discharge.

Wallow in your shame.
Click to expand...
And if he were in the service today there’d be no issue.

Which is how it should’ve been back when Milk volunteered to serve his country.
 
MAGAnificent said:
I read that same article before I posted. Are you suggesting that he earned the ship naming honor simply for being the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California?
Click to expand...
Trying to explain why a ship is named after Milk to MAGAT bigots is a waste of time.
 
Lursa said:
Milk was a former Navy lieutenant who served during the Korean War aboard a submarine rescue ship, and ⬇️
Click to expand...

That's nice, and my uncle was a Marine who actually fought and froze in Korea and my father was a Navy hospital ship's medic in WW2, so what does that have to do with anything?

The difference between us is that you think Navy vessels should be billboards for honoring some particular kinds of social and political identities or activism while I think ships ought to be named after those things that universally and typically American and therefore unifying: past battles, forts, cities, rivers, native American tribes as well as war heroes or unusually great contributors to our armed forces, and some of the Great Presidents.

I no more support naming a ship after Harvey Milk than I do Billy Graham or Jane Adams or Elijah Muhammed. A heroic naval combatant like Doris Miller, a black mess attendant, who insisted on manning a machine gun at pearl harbor, and earned the distinguish service cross EARNED the honor of having a major ship named after him - not a gay white guy politician who did nothing notable on behalf of his country.

Sure, I have my social values that I'd like to see advertised by a personae, BUT it is inappropriate as well. Or should we start naming a ship the R.K. Rowling?
 
Last edited:
Buster Keaton said:
Were those ships named after people who were dishonerably discharged?
Click to expand...
Harvey Milk was denied the opportunity to complete his service by gay hating bigots.

Pete “Whiskeyleaks” Hegseth is choosing to dishonor Milk and all gays who serve during pride month to virtue signal to all the gay hating bigots still alive today.
 
maxparrish said:
That's nice, and my uncle was a Marine who actually fought and froze in Korea and my father was a Navy hospital ship's medic in WW2, so what does that have to do with anything?

The difference between us is that you think Navy vessels should be billboards for honoring some particular kinds of social and political identities or activism while I think ships ought to be named after those things that universally and typically American and therefore unifying: past battles, forts, cities, rivers, native American tribes as well as war heroes or unusually great contributors to our armed forces, and some of the Great Presidents.

I no more support naming a ship after Harvey Milk than I do Billy Graham or Jane Adams or Elijah Muhammed. A heroic naval combatant like Doris Miller, a black mess attendant, who insisted on manning a machine gun at pearl harbor, and earned the distinguish service cross EARNED the honor of having a major ship named after him - not a gay white guy politician who did nothing notable on behalf of his country.

Sure, I have my social values that I'd like to see advertised by a personae, BUT it is inappropriate as well. Or should we start naming a ship the R.K. Rowling?
Click to expand...
Should the class of ships be named after John Lewis?
 
maxparrish said:
That's nice, and my uncle was a Marine who actually fought and froze in Korea and my father was a Navy hospital ship's medic in WW2, so what does that have to do with anything?

The difference between us is that you think Navy vessels should be billboards for honoring some particular kinds of social and political identities or activism while I think ships ought to be named after those things that universally and typically American and therefore unifying: past battles, forts, cities, rivers, native American tribes as well as war heroes or unusually great contributors to our armed forces, and some of the Great Presidents.

I no more support naming a ship after Harvey Milk than I do Billy Graham or Jane Adams or Elijah Muhammed. A heroic naval combatant like Doris Miller, a black mess attendant, who insisted on manning a machine gun at pearl harbor, and earned the distinguish service cross EARNED the honor of having a major ship named after him - not a gay white guy politician who did nothing notable on behalf of his country.

Sure, I have my social values that I'd like to see advertised by a personae, BUT it is inappropriate as well. Or should we start naming a ship the R.K. Rowling?
Click to expand...

It was the specific purpose of that group of ships. And I support that for the reasons that I wrote...the military service that protects our rights and the people and their public service who fight for equality and change based on those rights.
 
This benefits no one.
 
Lursa said:
A John Lewis-class oiler — a group of ships specifically to be named after prominent civil rights leaders and activists
Click to expand...

Mostly all black (African American) and women. What Hegseth does here next should be very informative to minorities and women in America in terms of future voting desires.

Serenity said:
This benefits no one.

Choose your battles wisely because if you invent them, you'll be too tired to fight the important ones.
Click to expand...

To this administration - there is nothing more beneficial to fight than the culture war. Vance has shown he will insult and lie to US allies over culture wars.

maxparrish said:
A heroic naval combatant like Doris Miller, a black mess attendant, who insisted on manning a machine gun at pearl harbor, and earned the distinguish service cross EARNED the honor of having a major ship named after him
Click to expand...

Miller's medals were fought against by the Pete Hegseth of the time - a republican named Frank Knox who did everything he could to prevent medals and recognition going to African American / native American combatants and was behind the internment of Japanese Americans

maxparrish said:
Or should we start naming a ship the R.K. Rowling?
Click to expand...

J.K.Rowling is British, I'd be surprised if any nation named a military vessel after a foreigner.
 
Last edited:
From everything I've read on Milk, he seemed to be ok. Sort of a flamboyant character, a gifted communicator, and was generally liked by straight and gay people.

Some of the posts in this thread are really ignorant. Milk wasn't assassinated for his gay activism as some people have suggested. He was shot by a deranged former city supervisor who thought that Milk was blocking him from being reinstated to his formerly held position. Having a USNS ship named after him was a political stretch by a woke administration. Are we going to name ships after everyone that gets shot in city hall? If so, I can think of 12 right here in my city.

At the same time, Hegseth has more important things to worry about than some name on a ****ing ship.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom