From One Federal Employee to Another

Just a little reading for everyone. This law was a big deal because it effectively cut off shipments of cigarettes and dip to service members. Which may seem like a good idea but tell any Mo-reen about the hazard to health a cigarette presents and I'm sure it's low on the totem-pole. Well it just got a little personal after I ordered some cigars from famous-smoke.com and they sent me a letter telling me that my FPO shipping address was a restricted shipping address. Well if you read the above statement from the USPS it clearly states that the shipment of Cigars is not restricted. You'd think that a website whose only way to get product to customers is shipping would know the law a little bit better. So this is now a headache.



For those not in the loop, the ban on shipping is really to staunch the flow of cheap nontaxable goods. Money is the root of this problem because states have different tax rates on tobacco products. Even after some changes, it's caused quite an uproar all over the federal government and even some states.The trend of online shipping is either to tax the goods under whatever state tax codes the goods are being shipped under or tax under the tax rates of the recipient's shipping address. Enforcing the latter for the general public and the former for deployed service members would let online companies cover the taxation of sales.

You might as well just start doing this, it's gonna be cheaper...

I can't agree with the outrageous near 8th Amendment violating price strangulation of tobacco that's been happening over the last 20 something years. It's like a whipping horse for federal funds, but also it's acceptable by the general public by putting pressure on whats widely viewed as a nasty habit. So smokers will always have to pay, I just hope after it costs 20$ a pack that they don't turn the all seeing eye toward my cigars.



In other news, Pakistan continues to rally together and rebuild after a devistating flood conduct business as normal.

Brown-Shoe is in Heat for Being Called "Romo's Bitch"

I don't normally like to promote Foxnews.com but there is an interesting story that's been brewing for while. The fly-boy involved, ENS Crowston, was given the call-sign "Romo's Bitch". From the picture below one could argue that he may or may not give it up for the star QB in question.

You can't see it but the back of the shirt is be'dazzeld "I <3 Romo"

No really, I'm not in the Aviation community but this seems over the line. Calling him "Jessica", "Star Child", "Redskin", "Fumbles", "Interception" would have been not only more clever but totally acceptable. The Ensign in question does seem to have a history of starting investigations in his short career, but this seems to be substantiated. Pilots have a reputation for being pretty casual around each other so I can imagine them getting together and coming up with this. It just seems like they are asking for trouble by making it a little too direct. The word "bitch" just doesn't sit right with any guy and if this ENS is gay it would be very disrespectful and offensive. I can't say I'd make the same protest but if he wants to make a career of the Navy it could be a problem. Can you imagine Admiral Steve "Romo's Bitch" Crowston? The blame really does fall at the command level because that person should be mature enough to see the issue with making having his call sign include the word "Bitch". 


But I would definitely serve under Capt. "Pom-Pom"

UPDATE: The above link is now saying the Navy IG is all over the Naval Air Force Investigators that threw out the inital complaint. Big navy is going to be all over this and normally the complaintant will get his way, especially after all this new DATD policy changes be re-worked.

Spreading Good Will and Healing Livers

On this last port stop in Darwin, Australia the ole' USNS Mercy crew was just in time for the Annual Darwin Lions Club Beercan Regatta. There was a lot of talk about this after one of the crew found the web page and word spread like wildfire on the smoke deck about some "beer festival". Sad to say I wasn't in attendance but it looks like the US Navy showed up in a boat that would have made Joseph Daniels proud.

According to CDR Matthew T. Provencher, head of Orthopedic Surgery and also the main boat builder, the USNS No Mercy had "a great and very successful day at the Darwin Lions Club Regatta, with the USNS No Mercy team winning the tug of war competition." The Mini-Mercy took top place in soda can boat and international built boat as well. As for the regatta itself, the multi-hull catamaran style that the Navy loves so much was a good choice and the boat took 5th. For a bunch of shore-loving medical personnel it's very admirable.

The Aussies violating multiple Geneva Convention codes by firing on the "USNS No Mercy"

"It was a total blast – much fun and many people remarking on what a great day it was at Mindil Beach. The combination of the markets, the racing, and the friendly Darwin people created a very fun atmosphere that all enjoyed." CDR Provencher said of the event. The boat and all the proceeds (over 400$) were donated to the Darwin Lion's Club. If you want to get your hands on this award winning testament to boredom while underway, the Lion's Club is auctioning it off for further profits HERE.

Going the way of the Sloop of War

Hot on the heels of one of my last posts I was happy to see this story about the future of the "crack-pac" ships, the Frigates.

I can't really agree with it anymore than to say that I was excited at the idea of just joining the deep water cutter program that the coast guard is using. Its the perfect idea and fits so well instead of this horrid mangled mutant that the LCS is. I used to be excited about the LCS ship platform but over the last few years and reading multiple articles quoting the vocal equivalent of shoulder shruggin coming from Admirals fleet wide, I can't say I'm behind it anymore. The NSC(pictured left doing what looks like a near perfect williamson turn) is an amazing platform that would fit the bill. It can sit on station for a minimum of 60 days while the LCS can only last about a week underway without getting topped off. Also, I saw a better functioning ship in the FSF Seafighter. In fact, after reading up a bit more the sea fighter has a ridiculous range on it which would make it a perfect base instead of the LCS.


I can't fathom the kind of thinking that happens at the top, I guess when you have carrier and nuclear sub drivers at the top you throw budgets out the window and don't see the practicality of a small efficient "dumber" ship. They dream up this budget busting tech monster LCS. Let's not start with the DDG 1000 program... The navy could already have 3 NSC's underway with the amount of money already fed to the DD 1000.

And moving on...

There was quite a display today of ships out and about the USNS Mercy while she is inport Ambon, Indonesia. This is the second to last stop of the Indonesian visit during her Pacific Partnership 10 deployment. The Indonesian president was supposed to arrive for a tour of the ship but that did not happen and he departed Ambon City after a ceremony and a pretty decent display of military power and cooperation during a ship Parade. I'll try to find some pictures but nothing decent is online right now. The only decent picture was this one with the ship in background. Actually it was quite impressive and I'm sure the Indonesian people were glad to have all the tourism. I can say that after digging around there was a ton of mis-information that was put out to the people. I personally saw 3 school girls come to the Pier after tours were secured and tear up because we wouldn't let them on the ship. 

Alas, the tours were only for press and local dignitaries of course. The confusion might have been that the public was able to go to the multiple medical sites to receive important and sometimes life changing health care. Ship tour or operate on my cleft pallet.... I can see where it may have been lost in translation. As far as a marching band, I didn't know this was the 1950's and that's the best Big Navy had to offer. The reality was a pretty kick ass navy band that did everything from playing a small quartet during a dinner show to singing "My Humps" or some other vapid pop stuff that the locals most likely thought was still a #1 hit in the states.

I need to expand my sources beyond the Navy Times

Finally someone nuts up and admits things aren't so good down on the waterfront. I think this is the first time that I've heard the phrase "Run like a business" when someone is talking about the navy and haven't died inside a little bit more.

I went out on liberty the other day with someone dressed very similar to this:

Yes it's quite frightening. Just replace the the sweater vest with a Hawaiian shirt that was tight tucked and you'll get a good idea of what I was going out into the public with. Someone in their mid 20's dressing like an extra from Caddyshack. Well one of the guys out on town called him an "old soul" and I realized I haven't heard that term in a little bit. It was doubly funny because he didn't understand the joke.

Alright, my tangent is over: I like to consider myself an "Old Soul" when it comes to my view of the fleet force. Lots of tin cans floating around. Stick 2 helos on em and load up some ASROCs and you're good to go. I can't really find a fault in this logic, just more cheaper ships. I can't think of a war where the Air Force couldn't launch the cruise missles instead of a Navy Ship. It's all bells and whistles and no guns and steel. It was our MO up until the mid 90's when AEGIS hit the fan. "Smart Ships" blow up just as good as regular ones do and sink even faster with a tiny crew. This is too long a topic, I'll be here all day if I get into it. The article speaks for itself and I think any taxpayer would want to have more of these bad boys around:

No one is picking up a chick here.

MC2 Tucker M. Yates / Navy

This is a repost of a comment I left on the NavyTimes Scoopdeck Blog article about the shift in Navy Culture:
This is something that always really bothered me. For my first few years in I was stuck living on the ship which was a real drag at the time. It did force me to involve myself with all those in my shop and socialize much more with people on the ship who I normally wouldn't have spent much off time with. I was up in Bremerton, one of the few bases with an actual bar on it. We ended up many times going out and getting a bite to eat and hanging out there when there just wasn't anything else to. Sure there was a "liberty center" but to be honest if you were in Deck and it was known you hung out there, everyone had the gumption to know you really didn't have much of a life and we're seen as an outcast.

Then I got stationed in San Diego and that base is the poster-child for this article. The base club was regulated to lunch hours and was closed weekend nights. We also all lived in barracks and the camaraderie I was forming on my last ship never was fostered. It wasn't until deployment when people really started to come together and made those "shipmates for life" kind of friends.

All in all, the Navy is still tough enough to shun those who spend all their time in these "Liberty Centers". My skin would crawl everytime I walked over to the one on 32nd street to meet up with people. Getting caught in those places with your uniform is just telling the world "I have no life, and don't care".

Another angle is the rise in off base incidents. A lot of the junior sailors would run down to TJ to drink or end up in passed out on some gaslamp sidewalk. Having a base club for those living on base would give single sailors a place to unwind that the navy could monitor. Closing down on base watering holes allows Big Navy to wash their hands of the whole debate and punish sailors for screwing up out on town. CO's of ship do things like Beer on the Pier during deployments to let people unwind in a controlled environment and it works great every time. You'd think that that logic would follow to the home port, but I guess not.

Good job PAO

So one of the good things about google news is that its very random and pulls news article from all the major sources so you get an unbiased selection of articles. It also grabs sites that aren't US based, so I end up on Reuters and the London Telegraph etc etc etc. I was browsing around the telegraph and came upon this slide of US and South Korea military exercises. The navy should have taken notes from BP on this one and doctored up this photo. As someone that works in similar work spaces I just shook me head and sighed deeply.

It just looks like some cool multi-screen action of tactical 21 century crap splattered over the wall. Upon further investigation we see a COMPOSE SECRET desktop and a very readable GCCS(I think) screen. Awesome. Thanks goes out to the mulitple layers of failure involving the watchstanders and watch supervisors for letting them take this picture in the first place, the Public Affairs Team who apparently has no qualms with releasing clearly labeled classified items to the public, and the chain of command on the ship for letting all this come together in one glorious are-you-fucking-kindding-me scenario.

Let's leave wikileaks alone and start with looking at some in house issues. Actually, now that I think about it most of the material that wikileaks let out was likely sourced from military personnel. I for one am a fan of releasing damnable evidence like the gun-cam of those trigger happy Apache pilots cutting down those journalists and blowing up a van full of children. Good job chopper-jockeys. I'm glad all you need is a college degree and 20/20 vision to get handed 100 ton flying killing machine and free reign to shoot anyone you fucking feel like. So I hope wikileaks keeps doing what it does as long it's whistle blowing stuff and not outing CIA agents and active operations.

But even if they get shut down we'll still have to deal with some JO pushing out pics of classified work spaces to Reuters.

NARMY

Well navytimes.com is now reporting that the missing service members are sailors. It doesn't really have any statements to back up that claim. I hope they are not right.

It sounds like the two were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It must be different on the ground, you can just take a vehicle in a war zone and just "head out" on your own. Sounds like special forces guys, something some meat head EOD guys would do. I've already known a few from base that have done stupid things like kill themselves on sports bikes and beat their wives. They let anyone that operate a light switch and swim do that stuff it seems. It's hard to criticize the community as a whole but most of the old timers were really elite and there were only a handful of Det's back in the day (pre 2000). So they could pick and choose. Same thing with the MA rate, good lord don't get me started on those egotistical bastards. You had to earn that shit before 9/11, now they just spray you with some mace, hand you a gun and a baton and give you a early 2000 model ford explorer.

All in all, I hope the Times got it wrong because no squid deserves to be dragged out of his vehicle, beaten and kidnapped when he's covering some Army guy's job filling an IA billet.

I hate the title of this blog.

I got tired of staring at the "choose your title" screen so I just threw up some words and that sounded like I was trying to take this semi-seriously. So The Modern Sailor...

It's strange because over the last few years the navy has changed so much I would get thrown out for doing the shit I've done or been involved with over the last 7 years of my career. Throwing underage house parties with my chain of command there, drunk on duty used to be almost constant, whoring about on deployment, cheating at almost everything you get graded and observed on, the list goes on but it's nothing really criminal. Just a general lack of what people call "Professionalism" nowadays. So being that Big Navy has changed, so have I had to cope with said changes and trying to conform to being a Modern Sailor.