Luis And Clark

Controversy over Navy Ship Named After Cesar Chavez

General Dynamics NASSCO has been building a series of Lewis and Clark-class cargo ships in San Diego.  The last of the fourteen built will be named after Cesar Chavez, the late civil rights and labor leaders.  James Gill, a NASSCO spokesman said, “We suggested the name Cesar Chavez for the ship because we’re in Barrio Logan and want to be good neighbors, and we want to show respect for our workers.”

The cargo ships were built for use by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command.  All of NASSCO’s ships have been named after explorers or people who were pioneers in their respective fields.  The names of the other 13 ships are: Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, Alan Shephard, Richard E. Byrd, Robert E. Peary, Amelia Earhart, Carl Brashear, Wally Schirra, Matthew Perry, Charles Drew, Washington Chambers, William McLean, and Medgar Evers.

The newest vessel, now named Cesar Chavez, is the first in this line to be named after a Mexican-American.  Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona in 1927 and died in San Luis, Arizona in 1993, at the age of 66.  Members of the Chavez family are expected to attend the formal ship dedication ceremony held by NASSCO this afternoon.

However, the Navy’s decision to name the ship after Cesar Chavez has sparked controversy especially sharp criticism from one veteran lawmaker who argues that a military war hero should receive the honor instead of Chavez.  Duncan Hunter asserts that he understands the Navy’s desire to honor Hispanic leaders and community but says that the Navy may want to skip politically divisive names and opt for an outstanding service member.  Hunter suggests that the Navy is paying too much attention to politics and not enough to tradition.  “This decision shows the direction the Navy is heading,” Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in his statement. “Naming a ship after Cesar Chavez goes right along with other recent decisions by the Navy that appears to be more about making a political statement than upholding the Navy’s history and tradition.”

Hunter, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Reserve lieutenant in the Marines said, “If this decision were about recognizing the Hispanic community’s contribution to our nation, many other names come to mind, including Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta.  Peralta is one of many Hispanic war heroes–some of whom are worthy of the same recognition.

TOM CLARK: Jorge Luis Borges: El mar

Au sens borgesien d’un rapport particulier avec les éléments, qui réserve une part de notre affection aux plantes, aux astres et aux autres belles choses de la terre, oui ! Au sens argentin d’une imprégnation souterraine des lieux qui finissent par absorber l’humain comme l’eau le sable qu’on y jette et transforment en racines les superficielles attaches que le hasard y a laissé traîner, oui ! Au sens poétique enfin: l’homophonie avec la mère est une très heureuse coïncidence sonore dont je sais gré à la langue française. Auprès de l’une je me sens toujours dans la proximité de l’autre. Comment expliquer sinon mon amour pour ce bleu, le sentiment non pareil de retrouvailles avec quelque chose de plus profond que moi-même et qui me parle au-delà de mes morts? Ce va-et-vient de la mer éveille en moi des souvenirs animaux, des réminiscences, confuses encore dans mon cerveau, de moments furtifs qui furent délicieux sans doute et que tout l’être s’efforcerait de retrouver intacts s’il n’était d’avance découragé par l’évidence des limites qui le séparent de ce paradis envolé.-- Jean-Marie Theodat

Waking up (with my family still asleep) on the first full (i.e., non-travel) day of our first vacation in a very long time (which has been very enjoyable so far), these all really make me feel like I'm on vacation, lightened and a little more enlightened (I'm sure that part is an illusion, but I'll stick with it). These are all excellent. I too am still with the English Civil War, by the way.

I probably shouldn’t comment on an article I haven’t read, but I’m pretty sure I disagree with Mr. Dreyfuss’s conclusion about the philosophies (if you can so characterize them) and moral postures of the three women he cites. We all have a long history with Mrs. Clinton, obviously. In our case, we had the additional opportunity to observe her as our senator from New York, and based on what we saw, including her decision-making process whether or not to support a war in Iraq, I think it’s pretty obvious that she has no moral center whatsoever and simply maneuvers for the most advantageous opportunities of any moment. She’s been many things at many times to many people. One can’t argue that it hasn’t worked out extraordinarily well financially to her. She seems to be our most feckless secretary of state since the recently deceased Warren Christopher, and both of them seem to embody many negative qualities people unfortunately (and often unfairly) associate with lawyers (although in Mr. Christopher’s case, I’m unaware of allegations of dishonesty, either individual or serial). Ms. Power, whose writings I did spend some time reading, is simply a disaster mind and confirmed for me my skepticism about the worth and value of the John F. Kennedy School of Government. I think she reached her high point as an individual (if not as a scholar) when she described Mrs. Clinton as a “monster” during the last presidential campaign. At least that was succinct and sounded sincere. Theirs is a funny alliance. Ms. Power’s past recommendations for a US military incursion in Israel in support of the Palestinians was very peculiar and incredibly reckless, I think. Fortunately, at that point in her career, she had no power and no great influence, just a word processor and occasional microphones and lecterns. Susan Rice simply seems to be an example of the Peter Principle writ large. She’s “failed up” (like our current attorney-general) to a position where she might possibly do real harm if her garbled words could ever be deciphered. I do believe , as Dreyfuss contends, that the male cohort seems weak-kneed by comparison, but mostly think that our current foreign policy apparatus has us situated tippily on the brink. Only prompt payment of these individuals’ lavish expense accounts using your money is guaranteed. Everything else is up in the air. Consequently, I’m going to the beach. Greetings from Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood.

Interpreters with Lewis and Clark, the story of Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau

Jorge Luis Borges, conversations

Encyclopedia of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Before Lewis and Clark, documents illustrating the history of the Missouri, 1785-1804

Sacagawea of the Lewis and Clark Expedition