Navy names a ship after Chazez...disgusting.

[Oberon]

It's a cargo-ammunition ship, not an aircraft carrier. They could call it the USS Billy Bob Thornton for all it would matter.

Personally, I'm still waiting for the Royal Navy to name a vessel HMS Thunder Child...but I think they're too scared of tempting a Martian invasion...

[AVGWarhawk]

You would think Bubbles is entitled to his opinion, right or wrong. What were you thinking Bubbles?

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

You would think Bubbles is entitled to his opinion, right or wrong. What were you thinking Bubbles?

Several people have also stated their opinions. Have any of them flamed him, or gotten personal?

Well, Tribesman maybe, but at least he was funny about it.

[vienna]

Not shocking given who the President is currently, no doubt he had a say in it, most likely pushed his SECNAV to do so.

There has been a push to do the namimg almost from the day Chavez died; most of the groundwork and movement came under Dubbya's administration, not Obama's. I really think that even with a GOP in the White House, the naming would have gone forward just as a matter of politics, catering to the Latino electorate. I don't agree with the naming of a USN craft after Chavez at all, but, at least, it is not an active combat vessel. There was and is an outcry by some on the far left who feel that honoring Chavez by naming a "military" vessel after him flies in the face of his vaunted non-violent philosophies...

Wiki says the guy was tougher on emigration than Obama....

I always use that little factoid to drive the Chavezites nuts; Chavez did, in fact, very publicly and openly come out against illegal immigration because, while he and his group were trying to unionize farmworkers, farmowners would undercut his efforts to stage strikes against the farms by hiring other illegals not affiliated with his group as strikebusters. Chavez was extremely vexed by this tactic. He relented in his stance only when it was seen as counter-produtive to his alliance with other left-wing groups at the time and because it was, ironically, costing him support in the Latino community...

...

[AVGWarhawk]

Great post Vienna. Can you cite the start of naming a vessel after Chavez under Dubbya's administration?

[Stealhead]

It was obviously done for political reasons should not be that much of a shocker plenty of vessels are so named I personally think that vessels only be named after cities,states,battles,and persons that did a great deed as a member of the Navy(or other branch of service: example USS The Sullivans been a few of those since WWII the Navy brothers that all died on the same ship) There are plenty of Congressional Medal of Honor winner names to go around.Naming ships after any political person I do not like unless it is from or historic past over 100 years or longer ago).

For AVG:

http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/ake14.htm

It does not say how far in advance they choose the names but I doubt it is done more than a year or so before the build gets contracted which would be some time in 2008 it says that the Secretary of the Navy picks the names which means that they would do so around the time they give out the contract to build the thing that would be my guess.I am guessing that it was during Obamas time also the many articles about the reaction to the naming date from 2011 which implies that the name must have been selected some time in 2011.If they named ships several years in advance there would have been reaction to the naming at that time and not in 2011.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

It was obviously done for political reasons should not be that much of a shocker plenty of vessels are so named I personally think that vessels only be named after cities,states,battles,and persons that did a great deed as a member of the Navy(or other branch of service: example USS The Sullivans been a few of those since WWII the Navy brothers that all died on the same ship) There are plenty of Congressional Medal of Honor winner names to go around.Naming ships after any political person I do not like unless it is from or historic past over 100 years or longer ago).

What political reason and under what administration? Vienna states Bush. I'm getting the idea you might believe it is under Obama?

[vienna]

Great post Vienna. Can you cite the start of naming a vessel after Chavez under Dubbya's administration?

Mainly I've been hearing about the naming controversy in local (Los Angels) press and media. Also, via some people I have know or worked with who were/are involved in the "canonization" of Cesar Chavez. I had fought and argued with them almost since the beginning because I have long, long felt the naming process to be a reward/buddy/old boys system, rather like the the naming of public buildings, highways, etc. The Chavez process accelerated under the Bush II admin because local supporters felt Bush would be more receptive to the idea given his perceived affection for the Mexican population while in Texas and a GOP need to shore up support in the Latino electorate...

Chavez died in 1993, so the initial move to name a vessel after Chavez started during the Clinton years. I rather suspect it didn't get any where because, outside of the Southwest, few people knew who he was. It took time for the legends/myths to fully gestate. I was working on projects for the Affirmative Action office of the County of Los Angeles during the Bush II first term and a number of the employees were involved in the whole Chavez movement and I do recall a couple of them being very pleased the proposal had moved some steps up the ladder under Bush. My opposition did not make me a very popular person, even more so when I opposed making Chavez's birthday a legal holiday. They held that Chavez was an important part of U.S. history and deserved to be honored. I pointed out that the only legal holidays for individuals were for George Washington (founding father, first Gerneral of the Armies, first President), Abraham Lincoln (defended the Union, was asassianated in office) [later combined with Washington to become "President's Day], and Christopher Columbus (with all apologies to our Italian descended citizens, given what history has proven, I don't think this is now deserved, either). Chavez was, at best a regional personality, affected only a minor portion of the population, died peacefully in his sleep, and will probably be forgotten by most people in a few generations, if not for the activism of his ardent followers, hardly of the national magnitude of Washington or Lincoln...

BTW, I do also recall there was a controversy over the naming of the carrier after Reagan. Some felt it was to soon after his passing and not enough time had passed for history to give the full measure of the impact of his presidency. I tended to agree, since I vividly recall the rush to name everything in sight after JFK; although, there was the very strong argument that Jfk had given his life in office. But, then again, would they be naming a carrier after Nixon if someone had put him out of our misery instead of him resigning in disgrace...

...

[Bubblehead1980]

The naming of any US Naval Vessel after Cesar Chavez is not appropriate nor in the tradition of naming US vessels.Chavez was a union thug nothing more.Sure, he is a hero to the mental midgets on the left who buy the class warfare, fine but a US Naval Vessel should not be named after him.

Of course Reagan deserved a carrier named after him, he did a lot for the country and the military.Our Navy was a great force when Reagan left office and despite what revisionist lefties will try to contend, his eight years is what lead to us finally defeating the Soviets in the Cold War.

What did Chavez do? rallied a bunch of farmers and despite what the popular narrative is, he was not above using violence, in fact he was known for being rather ruthless.Chavez was scum , plain and simple and naming a ship after him gives some legitimacy, more so than a state dominated by hispanics, naming a holiday after him.

The Obama appointed SECNAV is getting ridiculous! The USS Gabrielle Giffords? Ok, terrible thing she was shot but does not deserve a ship named after her. JFK deserved one as he showed great leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was the last decent Democrat to hold the office.

Like I said in the OP, I am sure the USS Eugene Debs is next lol or the Saul Alinsky, just a shame we have these idiots in charge.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

The naming of any US Naval Vessel after Cesar Chavez is not appropriate nor in the tradition of naming US vessels.Chavez was a union thug nothing more.Sure, he is a hero to the mental midgets on the left who buy the class warfare, fine but a US Naval Vessel should not be named after him.

With a bias like yours, one has to wonder if you can ever see anything clearly or rationally.

he was not above using violence, in fact he was known for being rather ruthless.Chavez was scum , plain and simple

Can you cite specifics, or is this just more opinion pretending to be fact?

[TLAM Strike]

If AOE gets named for Chazez I don't care as long as we get CVN-80 named Enterprise.

Originally Posted by Oberon

It's a cargo-ammunition ship, not an aircraft carrier. They could call it the USS Billy Bob Thornton for all it would matter.

We SOOOO need a USS Billy Bob Thornton!

I bet the galley will serve the best in the fleet.

Personally, I'm still waiting for the Royal Navy to name a vessel HMS Thunder Child...but I think they're too scared of tempting a Martian invasion...

Or worse Borg invasion...

[Platapus]

Pretty sure there are more important things to be concerned with than the naming of a cargo ship.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Pretty sure there are more important things to be concerned with than the naming of a cargo ship.

The name of a cargo ship is important. Just look at famous cargo ships throughout history; Serenity, Nostromo, Millennium Falcon.

Cargo ships must have cool names! It's just the way the world works.