More Improper Name Usage

[The Sicatoka]

Some want to name a Virginia class nuclear submarine the "USS NORTH DAKOTA".

http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=297269

Don't they know that "Dakota" means "friend"?

Why call a warship "friend"?

And this will just make the Dakota the mascot of the crew of that boat.

Where's Ron His Horse is Thunder to stop this injustice to his people?

A warship. A sports team.

[Shawn-O]

Some want to name a Virginia class nuclear submarine the "USS NORTH DAKOTA".

http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=297269

Don't they know that "Dakota" means "friend"?

Why call a warship "friend"?

And this will just make the Dakota the mascot of the crew of that boat.

Where's Ron His Horse is Thunder to stop this injustice to his people?

A warship. A sports team.

Have you called Sen. Dorgan's office with your concerns?

[Chewey]

All this, and Dorgan's done nothing to help retain the nickname? What a hypocritical and spineless weasel!

[ScottM]

As long as they don't forget the screen door, I don't care what they call it.

[LB#11]

All this, and Dorgan's done nothing to help retain the nickname? What a hypocritical and spineless weasel!

Chewey...you're being too kind...Dorgan is about as phony as they come.

[Goon]

Chewey...you're being too kind...Dorgan is about as phony as they come.

yeah but he is on the fore front of trying to tax the Oil companies for their wind fall profits.

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

Why call a warship "friend"?

I don't know. Let's ask the captain of the "Bonhomme Richard", John Paul Jones.

However, this will be interesting. Naval vessels usually have some sort of insignia or logo, displayed in the ship's galley if nowhere else. Odds are this is becoming more and more "PC" no matter what the name: this one promises to set a new record for number of committees formed to design a 2 square foot plaque.

[redwing77]

Some want to name a Virginia class nuclear submarine the "USS NORTH DAKOTA".

Why call a warship "friend"?

First, why call a submarine by the name of a landlocked state? The USS North Dakota should be an Aircraft Carrier or a Fleet Repleneship Vessel. Why? Aircraft Carriers are commonly called "Flattops." North Dakota is mostly flat. As for a Fleet Replenishment Vessel, we supply a lot of wheat, corn, sunflowers, and sugar (among other agricultural products) to the U.S. and foreign nations. So... we supply our warships with supplies.

As for why call it "Friend"? Maybe that way our President can quote Al Pacino and say "Let me, introduce you to my [little] friend!"

[The Sicatoka]

Have you called Sen. Dorgan's office with your concerns?

Has someone sent him a link to this thread?

[Chewey]

Chewey...you're being too kind...Dorgan is about as phony as they come.

I probably am, for sure. He's a big phony who complains if the camera doesn't show him right, I know that. One person in tv whom I know told me he got all mad at the crew because they showed too much of his bald spot too many times. This was several years ago. Like Goon said, he is at the front for taxing oil companies. He was at the center of Measure #6 in 1980 that taxed the oil companies out of ND 4 to 6 years before the market prices really fell. That was a lot of lost income for western ND. All of the university professors in the east never did get their increases in pay and resources from the tax money because the oil companies lit out. I'm sure he's trying to take some credit for getting oil companies up there to explore the Bakken. I can't believe the Republican Party in ND is so stupid so as to not bring such things up. Even in Clinton years he wasn't able to prevent the loss of ICBM's out of Grand Forks, he wasn't able to prevent the B1-B's from going to Rapid City. Reason Minot is getting 1,100 more base people and another B-52 wing: The Air Force has always favored Minot because Minot is a very pro-military town. There have NEVER been protesters there unlike the professor hippie dope-heads in Grand Forks who have protested vehemently in the past. People even took shots and the plans with 22's which is why they now have the big walls up on the GF base. Oh, and the only reason Minot lost the fighter wing is because of Conrad. The current congressional delegation is useless.

[Hammersmith]

I'd rather Montana get the nod on this one; they're the only state to have never had a major warship named after them. There was a light cruiser named Montana in the early 1900's, but both battleships that were to be named Montana were either scrapped during construction or cancelled before the keel was even laid. I think it's their turn, now. North Dakota can go into the mix for one of the eight Block III Virginias that will be ordered in the next few years.

I realize redwing77 was mostly joking, but aircraft carriers are generally named for former presidents these days(though we're starting to run out of appropriate choices; Gerald R. Ford as the lead ship of a new class??? You've got to be kidding me?), and the replenishment vessels currently being built are being named for explorers. On the positive side, the first two ships of the class are USNS Lewis and Clark and USNS Sacagawea. That's gotta count for something, right?

Both Fargo and Grand Forks each had a ship named after them in the waning years of WWII. USS Fargo was a light cruiser commissioned in 1945 and decommissioned in 1950. She was also the lead ship in her class. USS Grand Forks was a Tacoma-class frigate commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1946.

This endeth today's history lesson.

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

I'd rather Montana get the nod on this one; they're the only state to have never had a major warship named after them. There was a light cruiser named Montana in the early 1900's, but both battleships that were to be named Montana were either scrapped during construction or cancelled before the keel was even laid. I think it's their turn, now. North Dakota can go into the mix for one of the eight Block III Virginias that will be ordered in the next few years.

I realize redwing77 was mostly joking, but aircraft carriers are generally named for former presidents these days(though we're starting to run out of appropriate choices; Gerald R. Ford as the lead ship of a new class??? You've got to be kidding me?), and the replenishment vessels currently being built are being named for explorers. On the positive side, the first two ships of the class are USNS Lewis and Clark and USNS Sacagawea. That's gotta count for something, right?

Both Fargo and Grand Forks each had a ship named after them in the waning years of WWII. USS Fargo was a light cruiser commissioned in 1945 and decommissioned in 1950. She was also the lead ship in her class. USS Grand Forks was a Tacoma-class frigate commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1946.

This endeth today's history lesson.

Thanks, interesting stuff. They spelled her name wrong...

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

I realize redwing77 was mostly joking, but aircraft carriers are generally named for former presidents these days(though we're starting to run out of appropriate choices....

Mostly-but Vinson, Nimitz and at least one other non-President are out there these days, correct?

I guess you have to be at least an admiral: or, a politician who works to increase funding for the Department of the Navy.

[Hammersmith]

Mostly-but Vinson, Nimitz and at least one other non-President are out there these days, correct?

I guess you have to be at least an admiral: or, a politician who works to increase funding for the Department of the Navy.

John C. Stennis(former senator from Mississippi) is the other one. Stennis spent 11 years on the Armed Services Committee and is known as "Father of America's Modern Navy". Carl Vinson's mark on the Navy started in the 20's and lasted into the 60's. Vinson was a Georgia Congressman who was the first to serve more than 50 years in Congress. Chester Nimitz was only the greatest admiral in US history. He took over the Pacific Fleet after Pearl Harbor and held command during the entire war. He was one of four naval officers to have been promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral(five-star) and was the last surviving member of the group(all were promoted in 1944-45).

The other active carriers are named after Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt(Teddy), Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, and H. W. Bush(under construction). The next carrier will be named after Ford, and Carter got a submarine a few years back. Enterprise is still around, of course, though Kitty Hawk is in the process of being decommissioned.

[redwing77]

John C. Stennis(former senator from Mississippi) is the other one. Stennis spent 11 years on the Armed Services Committee and is known as "Father of America's Modern Navy". Carl Vinson's mark on the Navy started in the 20's and lasted into the 60's. Vinson was a Georgia Congressman who was the first to serve more than 50 years in Congress. Chester Nimitz was only the greatest admiral in US history. He took over the Pacific Fleet after Pearl Harbor and held command during the entire war. He was one of four naval officers to have been promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral(five-star) and was the last surviving member of the group(all were promoted in 1944-45).

The other active carriers are named after Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt(Teddy), Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, and H. W. Bush(under construction). The next carrier will be named after Ford, and Carter got a submarine a few years back. Enterprise is still around, of course, though Kitty Hawk is in the process of being decommissioned.

The Enterprise, called the "Big E" during at least World War II, was the flagship of the entire US Navy during that time. It may still be considered as such for all I know.

Sad about the Kitty Hawk. A grand ship that was.

And, yeah, I was joking Hammersmith.

Nevertheless, I'm not sure I see the symbolism behind having a sub named after North Dakota... unless of course, it is more of the U.S. government ragging on the Sioux. Bear with me on this, I'm donning the victim mentality mindset for a moment:

Now, everyone knows that the word Sioux was a derogatory word of those not of the Sioux tribe to signify deceit, slyness, and even acts that of a "snake in the grass." Isn't a sub's mission very similar? They slink around the world's oceans, sneaking up on "enemy" ships and coastal targets and striking silently then sneaking away?

Hence, of course, a sub named the USS North Dakota would be hostile and abusive.

Hmmm.... There's something to that victim mentality.

All you readers of Germanic ancestry owe me money, clothing, jobs, and pity! Now... PAY UP!

[dead_rabbit]

yeah but he is on the fore front of trying to tax the Oil companies for their wind fall profits.

I can't tell if you're using sarcasm here goon, but a windfall profits tax on the oil companies would be a TERRIBLE idea. This was already tried during the Carter administration (repealed by Reagan), and the only things that happened were 1) domestic oil production was reduced, and thus leading to 2) more oil being imported (which made the US more dependent on foreign oil).

Here's a letter to Sen Arlen Specter (that I stole off of the internet) that sums up how I feel about our current fuel prices:

Dear Senator Specter,

With all due respect, a windfall profits tax on the oil companies is not going to help consumers whatsoever, and in all honesty, just sounds anti-business and even un-American to me.

Nobody felt much sympathy for the oil companies when crude oil was cheap and they were making very little profit on gasoline, so now that they are doing well, it infuriates me that politicians would want to tax them for it.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like paying high prices at the pump. But at the same time, I understand very well that there are other factors involved which I don’t hear you talking about. First off, look at all of the high federal and state taxes that we must pay on a gallon of gasoline! Why don’t you consider cutting back on some of those taxes temporarily, until the $75 a gallon price on crude oil dropped a bit? That price is not the oil companies fault.

And what about the fact that the oil companies are not permitted to drill at ANWR, or for that matter, anywhere else in this country? Here we have Cuba and Venezuela drilling off the Florida coast, but we do not? This is insanity!

Also, there’s the not insignificant matter of refineries. We haven’t built any new ones in almost 40 years. It’s not that a shortage of crude oil is causing these problems. But if there aren’t enough refineries to process the crude fast enough to meet supply, of course the supply is going to be interrupted because of the bottlenecking that results.

And don’t forget all of the regulations that have been imposed upon the oil companies. I’ve lost track of how many different grades and blends need to be processed to conform to all the the mandates that have been put upon the industry by government. And now we have ethenol do deal with? When there isn’t even enough of that to go around? And as I’m sure you know, since ethenol cannot be transported through the pipelines, we have the added expense of transporting this product via trucking and railroads.

So no, Senator, I am not in favor of more taxes on the oil companies. IMO, that is a very punative action to take. As the late President Reagan used to say, government is the problem, not the solution. He was right. I’m very sorry to say that you continue to disappoint me.

[redwing77]

The letter isn't all accurate.

There are oil drilling operations in Western North Dakota and I think some other midwest states as well.

Also, there is a new refinery being built in Iowa? Or somewhere thereabouts... if it hasn't washed away.

Otherwise, the letter is right on.

Also, Sen. Specter is a glory hound. He beats cancer (good for him, seriously!) and uses that publicity to rail the NFL and the oil companies.

[Goon]

I can't tell if you're using sarcasm here goon, but a windfall profits tax on the oil companies would be a TERRIBLE idea.

Yeah sorry I was using sarcasm I should have indicated that. I should have put the roll eyes. I agree this is a very bad idea.

I don't understand why the Left is so against the big oil companies. They are only making 4% profit, there is more than 30-40 cents tax on every gallon of gas that is sold. That is highway robbery. Now they want to tax the oil companies even more.

[Goon]

The letter isn't all accurate.

There are oil drilling operations in Western North Dakota and I think some other midwest states as well.

Also, there is a new refinery being built in Iowa? Or somewhere thereabouts... if it hasn't washed away.

Otherwise, the letter is right on.

Also, Sen. Specter is a glory hound. He beats cancer (good for him, seriously!) and uses that publicity to rail the NFL and the oil companies.

I don't think we have built MANY IF ANY refinaries because the Enviornmentals have blocked building them, it is the old not in my back yard. I thought ND was going to build one.

[dead_rabbit]

The letter isn't all accurate.

My apologies. The letter was dated over two years ago. I don't know if that makes the letter more or less accurate today, but I should have dated the letter (it was linked though).

As far as new refineries; Currently South Dakota is in the works to build one, but all that's been done so far is a yes vote (this month) to a zoning ordinance to allow for the new construction of a refinery. Whether or not said refinery will be built, we'll see. Otherwise, no new refineries have been built for 30+ years.

A windfalls profit tax is just a bad idea. IMO, as bad as an idea as Ed Schultz had recently; Let's use part of North Dakota's tax surplus to suspend the state gasoline tax for the summer. IMO, this was one of Ed's dumbest ideas. I would not be opposed to using the state surplus to help give gasoline tax relief, or even some sort of "gas stamps" (same idea as food stamps) to low income households. But not everyone needs this type of help. Sure, a lot of people are having to cut back on luxury items, vacations (less hockey road trips, SUCKS), etc., but to suspend the state tax (and to fund it with the state surplus) for everyone doesn't make any sense.

[Goon]

My apologies. The letter was dated over two years ago. I don't know if that makes the letter more or less accurate today, but I should have dated the letter (it was linked though).

As far as new refineries; Currently South Dakota is in the works to build one, but all that's been done so far is a yes vote (this month) to a zoning ordinance to allow for the new construction of a refinery. Whether or not said refinery will be built, we'll see. Otherwise, no new refineries have been built for 30+ years.

A windfalls profit tax is just a bad idea. IMO, as bad as an idea as Ed Schultz had recently; Let's use part of North Dakota's tax surplus to suspend the state gasoline tax for the summer. IMO, this was one of Ed's dumbest ideas. I would not be opposed to using the state surplus to help give gasoline tax relief, or even some sort of "gas stamps" (same idea as food stamps) to low income households. But not everyone needs this type of help. Sure, a lot of people are having to cut back on luxury items, vacations (less hockey road trips, SUCKS), etc., but to suspend the state tax (and to fund it with the state surplus) for everyone doesn't make any sense.

That letter you went is pretty close to be the truth the message is taxing the oil companies would kill the economy.

Dorgan is dead wrong on this issue. I am surpised no one has talked about Conrads sweet mortage deal.

[Hammersmith]

Well, USS North Dakota is on its way. The Virginia class attack submarine, SSN-784, is under construction and will be commissioned in 2013.

Navy will name nuclear sub after North Dakota

Minor oops: I originally had USS North Dakota listed as SSN-783. That hull number is going to USS Minnesota.

[Rick]

I wonder if they'll have the Sioux logo on it?