tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post36430568046759631..comments2024-03-28T08:34:43.846-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: The Politics of Naming Aircraft Carriers: a flat-out rantDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-58328726701764794512018-11-19T10:51:14.684-08:002018-11-19T10:51:14.684-08:00I posted somewhat the same thing on your google+ f...I posted somewhat the same thing on your google+ feed, but I thought it important to correct the record on your blog itself. Yes, the democrats started the naming of aircraft carriers after presidents, but the first carrier to get that honor wasn't the JFK but it was the Franklin D. Roosevelt, sister ship to the USS Midway docked permanently in San Diego Harbor as a museum. The FDR's maiden voyage was in 1945 in the last year of the European front of WWII and saw no combat action. Just a caribbean cruise and a trip to Rio to help with celebrations of Brazil's first democratically elected President (attended by the Secretary of State). It was also the ship my Pap Pap served on (mom's father) for his year long stint. I have the certificate of the ships christening and my Pap Paps journal of his time in the Navy.michaeljpastorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16947206255545619757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-17217415960730406492018-10-26T08:30:44.270-07:002018-10-26T08:30:44.270-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.siskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07076079736141144027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48502031943846500592018-06-19T18:27:54.366-07:002018-06-19T18:27:54.366-07:00Most viewers of "The Expanse" won't ...Most viewers of "The Expanse" won't catch the reference, but in the early part of the first season, there is a ship called the Carl Marcellino. Mr. Marcellino is a Long-serving unexceptional semi-moderate Republican state senator from Long Island.<br />Unfortunately I wasn't paying enough attention to know if there was any praise, or more likely irony in the use of the name.<br />I think that warships ought to be named with really belligerent names: The 'USS Up Yours'; the 'Die, Bitches'; the 'What Are You Looking At?'; the 'You Talking to Me?'; What enemy would want to take on the 'Now You're Gonna Pay'or the 'Kiss My Ass'? <br />And if we lose, who wouldn't want our lost ships to go down still signaling defiance? Old Rockin' Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2858691135382477762017-12-23T05:01:25.356-08:002017-12-23T05:01:25.356-08:00How about an honest name for a multi billion dolla...How about an honest name for a multi billion dollar warship: U.$.$. MA$$ACRE. (alas will we ever fund fully the only ship that matters: Steward Ship Earth) Brian Bohmuellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08725173331890661604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-29287925327942787582017-07-24T19:22:04.254-07:002017-07-24T19:22:04.254-07:00Yes, that makes a lot of sense...with China rampin...Yes, that makes a lot of sense...with China ramping up their navy and military island bases. Bravo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6746883478285995802015-04-10T18:46:16.326-07:002015-04-10T18:46:16.326-07:00onwardonwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-35714213320046804252015-04-10T18:09:56.761-07:002015-04-10T18:09:56.761-07:00Alfred Differ:
Ah. Not feudalist. Luddite
He ca...Alfred Differ:<br /><i><br />Ah. Not feudalist. Luddite<br /></i><br /><br />He can be two things.<br /><br />:)LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-4664430003696838852015-04-10T18:09:38.226-07:002015-04-10T18:09:38.226-07:00onwardonwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20416588550148511322015-04-10T18:08:43.478-07:002015-04-10T18:08:43.478-07:00Shane... I too found the Gabby Giffords to be utte...Shane... I too found the Gabby Giffords to be utterly absurd. Are you then calling both sides flawed? Sure. Both sides EQUAL is monomaniacal jibbering craziness? Not by two orders of magnitude.<br /><br />Treebeard is and always will be an outright liar. He cites things that never, ever happened.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-7042430510321156882015-04-10T18:05:18.388-07:002015-04-10T18:05:18.388-07:00Dr Brin:
I hated Star Trek III, which betrayed e...Dr Brin:<br /><i><br /> I hated Star Trek III, which betrayed everything we loved about STII WoK. WoKhan was unabashedly FAUSTIAN in its belief and confidence in us. If we become good folks, we get to pick up God's tools. <br /></i><br /><br />"Wrath of Khan" was the perfect example of bringing the essence of a Star Trek <b>episode</b> to the big screen.<br /><br />Plus it's got some great quotable lines. "I don't beLIEVE in the no-win scenario."<br /><br /><i><br />STIII checked off every box of the Frankenstein myth. Humans who pick up God's Powers will be punished. A vile film.<br /></i><br /><br />And it made Saavik so much less interesting than she was in WoK.<br />:)<br /><br /><i><br />But that was the 80s and 90s, when '3rd movie curse" prevailed. In every franchise, the 2nd flick was superb and the 3rd was a travesty-betrayal.<br /></i><br /><br />I still get hives remembering Superman III.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36705669822810678902015-04-10T17:55:22.139-07:002015-04-10T17:55:22.139-07:00Ah. Not feudalist. Luddite.
Seriously, though, t...Ah. Not feudalist. Luddite.<br /><br /><br />Seriously, though, the Enlightenment ethos isn't about knowledge at any cost. The costs we are willing to suffer is part of the knowledge we must learn. What it's really about is an openness to rejecting traditional knowledge, though not necessarily in large amounts done too fast. Most of us who are sane about it are willing to take it slow and not rile the traditionalists too much. Traditions are themselves a form of knowledge and should be respected... but never sanctified.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-34056393365063692952015-04-10T16:32:42.954-07:002015-04-10T16:32:42.954-07:00Right Paul SB, but in Dr. Brin’s inverted world, F...Right Paul SB, but in Dr. Brin’s inverted world, Faust is a good guy, and there’s no such thing as “too greedy for knowledge and power”. More knowledge and power at all costs is the Enlightenment ethos after all, and anyone who opposes it is the enemy of the one true god, Progress. This is essentially the ideology of Satanists (or Sith if you prefer), which is probably why many people refer to America as “the Great Satan” or “the Empire”.<br /><br />I recall Dr. Brin speaking admiringly of “Devil’s Day” by James Blish, and thinking that the sorcerer in the novel summoning demons to bring Apocalypse is a pretty good metaphor for technological civilization - summoning forces that will unleash Hell, but whose priesthood insists is on the only road to Paradise.Treebeardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16936601919018028362015-04-10T15:26:31.282-07:002015-04-10T15:26:31.282-07:00Also, speaking of stupid politically motivated nam...Also, speaking of stupid politically motivated naming games, how about The Gabby Giffords?<br /><br />Really?Shanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03605660561691357227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53136763516928009512015-04-10T15:25:07.342-07:002015-04-10T15:25:07.342-07:00How about we take Congress out of the loop altoget...How about we take Congress out of the loop altogether and let the Navy name them as they see fit, preferably after people who served in the Navy or USMC, and who are long dead.Shanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03605660561691357227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-17920545475518852732015-04-10T12:49:15.614-07:002015-04-10T12:49:15.614-07:00Oh, I thought "3rd movie" referred to al...Oh, I thought "3rd movie" referred to all trilogies, not just scifi.<br /><br />My bad.sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25320184794844844822015-04-10T12:46:28.880-07:002015-04-10T12:46:28.880-07:00Krugman hits the nail on the head regarding the in...Krugman hits the nail on the head regarding the inevitability of pervasive surveillance in his blog today - people will embrace it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-90458152264129409402015-04-10T12:26:55.195-07:002015-04-10T12:26:55.195-07:00Yes, if the Genesis Device had worked as advertise...Yes, if the Genesis Device had worked as advertised, it would have changed the whole ball game, but it could have been really interesting to see what that ball game evolved into (and Christopher Lloyd was a great Klingon, though I had been told that originally it was supposed to be Romulans, and I don't think he would have been as good in that role).<br /><br />Was Inbannana Jones 2: The Temple of Gloom, better than Inbannana Jones 3: The Last Crustacean? Neither of them held a candle to the original.<br /><br />As far as Goethe, Marlowe, and Mary Shelley go, I suppose if you are using their characters as labels in a quick reference I get the point. It confused me, though, describing Trek II as Faustian, as I have always had the moral of Faust taught in every church I went to be that he was too greedy for knowledge and paid for it with the fires of Hell. Except for losing the Vulcan, nothing about the ending of WoK seemed too hellish. Paul Shen-Brownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-50489846713141937872015-04-10T12:03:13.590-07:002015-04-10T12:03:13.590-07:00The one redemptive facet of Trek III...Christopher...The one redemptive facet of Trek III...Christopher Lloyd made a damn good Klingon.<br /><br />TacitusTacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-13485850381693876852015-04-10T11:40:16.247-07:002015-04-10T11:40:16.247-07:00Can I cook, or can't I?
Yah. Completely betr...Can I cook, or can't I?<br /><br /><br />Yah. Completely betrayed later on, but they wouldn't have had a franchise people would understand if they didn't. Where do you go next when you have that kind of power? Borg? Big deal! Watch this... [poof]Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-47418421473978770842015-04-10T11:11:04.876-07:002015-04-10T11:11:04.876-07:00PSB I spoke to the cliched-standard IMAGES of Faus...PSB I spoke to the cliched-standard IMAGES of Faust and Frankenstein. Frankenstein's crimes were - as you say - being a loner and evading critical peer review. But above all, being a terrible dad.<br /><br />Sociotard... Die Hard and IndieJones were only marginally sci fi. In any event the Ark of the Covenant could beat the Holy Grail any day with both cherubs tied behind its back!David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-71201052115402002752015-04-10T10:40:41.887-07:002015-04-10T10:40:41.887-07:00I liked Indiana Jones 3 and Die Hard 3 better than...I liked Indiana Jones 3 and Die Hard 3 better than Indiana jones 2 and Die Hard 2sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-67111238950851614442015-04-10T09:53:07.817-07:002015-04-10T09:53:07.817-07:00I can't disagree with you on these - especiall...I can't disagree with you on these - especially Aliens Cubed! I think, though, that both Faust and Frankenstein are widely misunderstood. I've had very religious people insist I need to read Faust (though they couldn't specify a version) because I appreciate science. But Faust wasn't a scientist, he was a con-man. Viktor Frankenstein was supposed to be a scientist, but I don't see his crime as being committing science so much as as doing it arrogantly, individually, without the support of his community and against the wishes of his father and family. When he made his monster, he abandoned him like a deadbeat dad. I think there are subtleties there than the old horror movies catch, though I never saw the version with Robert DeNiro, which was supposed to have been much more faithful to the original novel. It came out when I was in college, and after several classes in history and humanities, I was sick to death of Victorian era issues.Paul Shen-Brownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-3435099454930303122015-04-10T09:28:06.861-07:002015-04-10T09:28:06.861-07:00PSB - I hated Star Trek III, which betrayed everyt...PSB - I hated Star Trek III, which betrayed everything we loved about STII WoK. WoKhan was unabashedly FAUSTIAN in its belief and confidence in us. If we become good folks, we get to pick up God's tools. STIII checked off every box of the Frankenstein myth. Humans who pick up God's Powers will be punished. A vile film.<br /><br />Not as vile at Aliens3! The worst betrayal of faith with the viewer in cinema history. <br /><br />But that was the 80s and 90s, when '3rd movie curse" prevailed. In every franchise, the 2nd flick was superb and the 3rd was a travesty-betrayal.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-51869928398521858812015-04-10T07:17:01.925-07:002015-04-10T07:17:01.925-07:00escoles, if the Alexander Haig was meant to be sat...escoles, if the Alexander Haig was meant to be satire, it's not bad. Would the USS Oliver North have been better?<br /><br />I strongly suspect Sims knew where the name Vannaheim came from when he chose it. He was a surprisingly literate person for a comic book author/artist. In fact, a few sections of his life's work were tributes to, or criticisms of, classic authors (Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald & Ernie Hemmingway), though I thought some of his treatments were somewhat ham-fisted.Paul Shen-Brownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9376963047356064962015-04-10T07:04:00.858-07:002015-04-10T07:04:00.858-07:00Rocky and Bullwinkle, fond childhood memories! Cro...Rocky and Bullwinkle, fond childhood memories! Cross pollination between that and Doctor Who doesn't seem too far fetched.<br /><br />USS Excelsior was in Star Trek 3, the one where they gave in to the female half of the fan base and resurrected Spock. While Spock was a great character, I never liked resurrection stories. They strike me as chicken-shit wishful thinking, unless you are talking about the vernal return of the flora in seasonal climates. But extending the metaphor to people is analogical reasoning at its worst. <br /><br />Naming a large public project, like a carrier or a hospital after the honored dead is at least sensical. I wonder if future Star Trek movies will feature a USS Spock?Paul Shen-Brownnoreply@blogger.com