Patterico's Pontifications

2/6/2013

Floyd Lee Corkins: I Picked My Shooting Targets from an SPLC Hate Map

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:16 pm



Remember Jared Loughner? His favorite book was the Communist Manifesto. He hated George W. Bush so much he got angry at the mere sight of him. He was a fan of “a radical leftist punk band whose music focuses on themes of corporate greed, U.S. foreign policy and opposition to war,” and a friend described him as “left wing, quite liberal.”

So, naturally, the L.A. Times declared that his ideology “was rooted in the far right.” And Sarah Palin was blamed, because of a map that had nothing to do with the shooting, whatsoever. (Remember that word “map.” It will come in handy later in the post.)

They cited “experts,” relying heavily on Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center. (Remember that organization: “Southern Poverty Law Center.” It will come in handy later in the post.)

[E]xperts said that several oft-repeated phrases and concepts — his fixation on grammar conspiracies, currency and the “second United States Constitution” — seem derived from concepts explored with regularity among elements of the far right.

“What you can see across the board in his writings is the idea that you can’t trust the government — that the government engages in mind control against its citizens,” said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long monitored the radical right.

Loughner’s assertion that he would not “pay debt with a currency that’s not backed by gold and silver” is a running theme among right-wing opponents of the Federal Reserve system.

Potok, on the SPLC’s site, wrote:

Is Jared Lee Loughner, the alleged mass murderer who shot U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, a right-wing extremist?

It’s hard to say.

. . . .

That said, there are some clues.

At one point, Loughner refers disparagingly to “currency that’s not backed by gold or silver.” The idea that silver and gold are the only “constitutional” money is widespread in the antigovernment “Patriot” movement that produced so much violence in the 1990s.

. . . .

At this early stage, I think Loughner is probably best described as a mentally ill or unstable person who was influenced by the rhetoric and demonizing propaganda around him. Ideology may not explain why he allegedly killed, but it could help explain how he selected his target.

Remember those quotes in bold. They will come in handy later in the post.

So. A guy who was purely crazy

and whose ideology, if anything, was mixed, with heavy elements of left-wing ideology arguably predominating, was declared a right-wing extremist based on . . . nothing. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin was blamed, and received an explosion of death threats.

It’s hard not to think about this history today. Why would that be?

Because today we learned about a killer named Floyd Lee Corkins and why he picked his targets. Was it because he was a left-wing extremist? As Mark Potok would say, it’s “hard to say” but “there are some clues.”

One clue as to what motivated him — and I sure hope I’m not reading too much into this, as it’s subtle and hard to interpret — but one clue is that Corkins TOLD POLICE HE GOT IDEAS ABOUT WHO TO SHOOT FROM A HATE MAP PUBLISHED BY THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER.

The Family Research Council shooter, who pleaded guilty today to a terrorism charge, picked his target off a “hate map” on the website of the ultra-liberal Southern Poverty Law Center which is upset with the conservative group’s opposition to gay rights.

He told the FBI that he wanted to kill anti-gay targets and went to the law center’s website for ideas. At a court hearing where his comments to the FBI were revealed, he said that he intended to “kill as many as possible and smear the Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in victims’ faces, and kill the guard.”

This leads me to suspect — and it’s just a feeling that I have; one that I can’t quite shake — that he might have gotten ideas about who to kill from a “hate map” from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

You know, because that’s what he said he did.

You see, Watson, once you look at the clues in the right way, it seems almost obvious, doesn’t it?

I think it would be absurd, of course, to blame the SPLC for this shooting. Or even to blame left-wing ideology, when killers tend to be crazy. But, channeling Mr. Potok, I am sorely tempted to say that I think Corkins is probably best described as a mentally ill or unstable person who was influenced by the SPLC rhetoric and demonizing propaganda issued by the SPLC.

(Remember how I told you to keep those bolded quotes in mind?)

So that’s the SPLC. What about the L.A. Times? Surely they are all over this.

Yup, not a word on their front page right now. Indeed, not a word anywhere on the site.

P.S. By the way, Neal Rauhauser has often bragged that he gets people written up by the SPLC. So future mentally ill left-wing shooters know the research is sound and trustworthy.

60 Responses to “Floyd Lee Corkins: I Picked My Shooting Targets from an SPLC Hate Map”

  1. CUE THE CRICKETS!

    Patterico (9c670f)

  2. given how viciously our little country is being raped and abused by our fascist president and his fascist pals it’s a hugely miraculous and wondrous thing that we see such a miniscule amount of political violence

    even the UK mustered up a boisterous riot, and they’re a buncha royalty-besotted pansies

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  3. Has such disregard for honesty and truth always been present, and now we just see it more because of new media?
    or is the culture really disintigrating before our eyes?

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  4. They’ve become more brazen, over time, MD.

    narciso (3fec35)

  5. I am going to bed now, and I’m not going to be listening to any law professors or SPLC podcasts along the way. Ugghhh! and Shudder

    OT, the last day or 2 there has been all kinds of talk about the Boy Scouts maybe changing their policy re homosexuality…meanwhile, it only seemed a few moments ago that there was a flurry of news which then disappeared about the Boy Scouts covering up suspected pedophiles.

    Just seems like a lot of “news whiplash”.

    MD in Philly (3d3f72)

  6. It’s called astroturf, it doesn’t have to be true, in fact that’s an obstacle in the process.

    narciso (3fec35)

  7. The WaPo has this:

    A detail sure to reignite the culture wars that erupted around the shooting is the fact that Corkins told FBI agents that he identified the Family Research Council as anti-gay on the Web site of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The day after the shooting, Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, suggested that the center’s labeling of the organization as a hate group had given Corkins a “license to perpetrate this act of violence.” On Wednesday, Perkins said the revelation had validated his earlier comments.

    A bit backhanded, but it IS there.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  8. hatey-ish is much more accurate for them FRC ones I think

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  9. Some mass shootings and tragedies are more newsworthy than others.

    Everything the MFM and the Left projected onto the Right actually occurred in this politically and ideologically motivated attack. Every last fucking bit of it that they falsely accused the Right of doing, they did. Every last bit.

    And the MFM is basically silent. Because they already did their job blaming this on the Right.

    JD (b63a52)

  10. I’ve had three posts so far today on this, and am mulling a fourth.

    You can read my own twisted way of making the Palin-SPLC comparison, here.

    You can watch video of them condemning groups whose vitriol leads to violence, here.

    And you can see them ducking the obvious hypocrisy, here.

    And i found a site that has the charging documents. So i might blog about it more. Follow my twitter or check at my site. chances are if i say more it will be right before 7 am tomorrow.

    Aaron "Worthing" Walker (23789b)

  11. I will add that i do believe that in some cases true hate really does inspire violence. I mean look at al Qaeda or the KKK. the problem is that the concept is invoked too easily with these people.

    Still, the irony is that this is the clearest example of political ideology of a specific group inspiring violence that i can remember, ever. if you believe it can ever happen, this is it.

    Aaron "Worthing" Walker (23789b)

  12. The SPLC have been scum for many years.

    SPQR (768505)

  13. they’re bought and paid for scum so they’re more like whores really

    or “journalists” as we used to call them

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  14. ***
    The shooter has a long history of mental illness and won’t stay on his meds. Why try to come up with a “rational” explanation for an irrational murder spree? He wasn’t / isn’t playing with a full deck, and his actions will never make sense to a sane person.
    ***
    John Bibb
    ***

    John Bibb (193f6e)

  15. the headline at the examiner article at the “clue” link oversteps and says “Southern Poverty Law Center website triggered FRC shooting”

    which, that doesn’t help america really, that sort of tit for tat overstepping

    whereas Mr. Patterico gets it just right

    and which one is the professional journalism site?

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  16. hatey-ish is much more accurate for them FRC ones I think

    Yea, happyfeet, because I notice that organization always likes using the word “gay” pejoratively. Only haters exploit that word in such an unkind, heartless, callous, non-generous, non-loving, non-beautiful manner.

    BTW, I believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was a rabid extremist from the far right. Actually, come to think of it, no, he was of the far left. But John F Kennedy was targeted for being a conservative Republican. Uh, no, strike that.

    I believe Kennedy was targeted for being gay — uh, meaning he was joyful, the life of the party, always a big smile on his face — and Oswald loathed that in his fellow humans. I also believe that Jack Ruby was an ultra-rightwinger (a registered Republican who also happened to be of Jewish background) who loved vigilante justice, guns held high. Uh, strike at least part of that.

    It does seem that when one looks at the core of notorious people and notorious situations associated with them, rarely — so rarely — are they of the left.

    Yea, uh-huh.

    Mark (07279d)

  17. shake it for the birds shake it for the bees shake it for the catfish swimmin down deep in the creek

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  18. Scratch a Progressive, and watch a Fascist bleed.

    Just who keeps the doors open at the SPLC anyway?
    Follow the money.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  19. I found this on another site but forgot to record the site for future reference. I was engaged in a Huff Po story about that crazy with the kid in the bunker. Huff Po cited unidentified neighbors to establish the crazy’s right wing nut status. However, the alleged testimony was not credible considering where the crazy lived and his reclusive nature. The Left & the media automatically assume right wing nuts after these shootings and go silent when the truth come out. Took at this :

    The below shooting were carried out by the following:
    Ft. Hood…..Registered Democrat/Muslim
    Columbine….Too young to vote…..Both families were registered Democrats and Progressive Liberals
    Virginia Tech…..Wrote Hate Mail to President Bush and his Staff…..Registered Democrat.
    Colorado Aurora Theater…..Registered Democrat…..Staff worker on Obama Campaign…..Occupy Wall Street Participant…..Progressive Liberal
    Sandy Hook Elementary shooter…..Registered Democrat….Hated Christians

    Yet the knee-jerk reaction of the Left and the media is always the same : Right-wing nuts.

    Michael M. Keohane (d4a22f)

  20. I would not describe the Southern Poverty Law Center and Mark Potok as merchants of hate. They more like whores. The simply spew charges so as to rake in the money.

    Certainly the SPLC and Potok have their right to free speech. However, just like the man who yells “fire, fire, fire” in crowded theater, they should be help accountable for their deeds.

    I see the SPLC has a criminal conspiracy. Sobeit. It would be tempting to treat the 21th Century left wing KLAN, the same why the KKK was earlier, sued out of existence.

    David Lentz (d966ed)

  21. Potok was one of Olbergasm’s go-to guys to give support for calling a conservative a racist or hohophobe.

    JD (b63a52)

  22. What evidence indicates that this guy is mentally ill?

    He sounds like a normal, logical leftist radical activist to me, participating in direct action.

    Pious Agnostic (6ff605)

  23. Yup, not a word on their front page right now. Indeed, not a word anywhere on the site.

    And in other breaking news, the sun rose in the east this morning. Were you really expecting something else?

    steve (369bc6)

  24. Excellent post.

    DRJ (a83b8b)

  25. It’s a shame that so many out there view violence as an opportunity to score political points by struggling to associate the violence with one’s ideological opponents.

    The idea that the Loughner shooting was Sarah Palin’s fault is a great example, and I’m glad Patterico points out how this led to a lot of threats. These people were so concerned about violence they instigated threats.

    SPLC would do well to apply its own standards to itself, but it can’t without some serious apologizing.

    Dustin (73fead)

  26. Remember Jared Loughner? His favorite book was the Communist Manifesto. He hated George W. Bush so much he got angry at the mere sight of him. He was a fan of “a radical leftist punk band whose music focuses on themes of corporate greed, U.S. foreign policy and opposition to war,” and a friend described him as “left wing, quite liberal.”

    So, naturally, the L.A. Times declared that his ideology “was rooted in the far right.”

    Because of course the “Rethuglicans” would, if given the chance, nationalize GM and force it to build cars nobody wants.

    They’d establish a reichwirtshaftministerium NLRB that can tell Boeing where it can put its new factory.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  27. I should have said “right wing.”

    It isn’t like the Republicans don’t have their fair share of people who are gravely concerned that somewhere, somehow, someone is some loose cannon operating freely outside of a dictatorship.

    Think of Nixon and wage and price controls.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  28. Or Chris Christie.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  29. Sandy Hook Elementary shooter…..Registered Democrat….Hated Christians

    I haven’t read that particular characterization of the murderer, but if it’s accurate, then it’s merely another moment when one needs to go “uh, hmmm.”

    Meanwhile, a news report, which was linked at the Drudgereport recently, has its own peculiar political implications. Namely, that communities of truly dyed-in-the-wool liberal/Democrat orientation — full of people who fall for the idea that liberalism imbues one with wonderful, humane, tolerant qualities — better look in the mirror before snorting at political opposites (and the communities associated with them) for bigoted, hateful, deranged behavior.

    latimes.com, January 25, 2013:

    The trouble began soon after they arrived. The black family — a mother, three teenage children and a 10-year-old boy — moved into a little yellow home in Compton over Christmas vacation. When a friend came to visit, four men in a black SUV pulled up and called him a “ni—-,” saying black people were barred from the neighborhood, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. They jumped out, drew a gun on him and beat him with metal pipes.

    The 19-year-old family friend managed to break free that first day and run into the house, where the children were the only ones at home. The attackers left, but a half-hour later a crowd of as many as 20 people stood on the lawn yelling threats and epithets. A beer bottle crashed through the living room window as the youngsters watched in horror.

    It was just the beginning of what detectives said was a campaign by a Latino street gang to force an African American family to leave. The attacks on the family are the latest in a series of violent incidents in which Latino gangs targeted blacks in parts of greater Los Angeles over the last decade.

    Compton, with a population of about 97,000, was predominantly black for many years. It is now 65% Latino and 33% black, according to the 2010 U.S. census. But it’s not only historically black areas that have been targeted.

    Similar attacks have taken place in Harbor Gateway, Highland Park, Pacoima, San Bernardino, Canoga Park and Wilmington, among other places…. Latino gang attacks on African Americans have occurred periodically since the 1990s in Compton.

    ^ This ain’t Selma or Birmingham, Alabama, or the Deep South, in the 1950s or 1960s. But folks in the media certainly don’t have to be reminded of that, since they deem that hate crimes are exclusive to certain neighborhoods, certain demographics.

    Mark (07279d)

  30. In other news, only the police should have guns.

    Officials hunt for ex-cop in shootings of 3 officers; 1 killed

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  31. “Lies are justified if they produce the desired outcome.”
    — Sonia Sotomayor

    [What? Can you PROVE that she never said it?]

    Icy (22d173)

  32. Has David Niewert been reached for comment?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  33. Comment by Michael M. Keohane (d4a22f) — 2/7/2013 @ 4:02 am
    Comment by Steve57 (bc3ba2) — 2/7/2013 @ 8:41 am

    Has anyone checked the voter roles for Christopher Jordan Dorner’s political affiliation yet?

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  34. Like ABC news with its army of fact checkers, I googled “Christopher Dornan” and found several guys in SoCal who are TEA partiers.

    Clearly the “reich wing” is guilty of this crime.

    Add it to the list.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  35. 34- But, are they 33-yrs old, Black, and “hefty”; with a commission in the USN?
    http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/07/us/lapd-attacks/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  36. We interrupt this war against the “reich wing” for a brief update.

    US in contact with Taliban representatives in Qatar: Reports

    Barack Obama will talk to the Taliban.

    Iran’s supreme leader shuts down possibility of direct nuclear talks with US

    Barack Obama would talk to the Mad Mullahs. If only they were up for it.

    Barack Obama will not talk to the Republicans.

    Japan and China at Each Other’s Throats in Island Dispute

    Let’s not lose focus on the important things. Global warming. 10 round magazines.

    Now back to your regularly scheduled trip to hell in a handbasket.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  37. And to add to Steve57’s list….
    ChiComs to take over Taiwan media….
    what you can’t do by invasion, you do through commerce.
    http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/02/06/is-communist-china-executing-a-slow-motion-media-takeover-of-taiwan/
    H/T- Insty

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  38. 35. 34- But, are they 33-yrs old, Black, and “hefty”; with a commission in the USN?
    http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/07/us/lapd-attacks/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

    Comment by askeptic (b8ab92) — 2/7/2013 @ 9:11 am

    He’s not really black. He only looks black, like Clarence Thomas.

    Look at his eyes. He’s got the same look in his eyes as Jared Loughner. You only get that look by listening to Limbaugh. You can’t be black and listen to Limbaugh.

    You can only be black if you listen to Sharpton.

    And the thing about that naval commission? Like me, apparently, that was the option the judge gave him in lieu of prison.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  39. The thing about this story is…

    Iran’s supreme leader shuts down possibility of direct nuclear talks with US

    …it’s like exhibit 9,999 that we’ve got a desperate 14 year old girl. in the WH. Who spends half her time threatening to TP her jock boyfriend, Iran’s, house. The other half begging.

    Anyone else besides me remember the time Obama sent a really embarrassing “secret” diplomatic note to Iran vian three channels (and if that doesn’t smack of begging I don’t know what does).

    Via Rice at the UN, the Iraqi president, and the US interest section at the Swiss embassy in Tehran.

    And the Iranians thought it was so ridiculous they published it.

    But did Obama learn? Nooooo! He goes crawling back for another spanking.

    Prediction: President Prom Queen will have a couple of his girlfriends pass Iran another series of notes saying “Please, Please, Puhlease take me back.”

    Just saying, after reviewing the topic, the left clearly spends so much time and effort manufacturing reasons to hate the “reich wing” they apparently have none left to spare on getting a clue.

    Well, remember what’s important. Income inequality. Arizona racistly trying to enforce the border.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  40. In his manifesto Christopher Dorner says he wants to clear his name. “A man is nothing without his name.”

    So far, he’s got 3 dead and 2 injured and an attempted boatjacking to his name.

    ropelight (a82805)

  41. 40. In his manifesto Christopher Dorner says he wants to clear his name. “A man is nothing without his name.”

    So far, he’s got 3 dead and 2 injured and an attempted boatjacking to his name.

    Comment by ropelight (a82805) — 2/7/2013 @ 10:14 am

    My babe just texted me that someone just took away his name. And his birthday.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  42. Dorner claims to be armed with shoulder-fired missiles to use against LE aircraft, and a Barrett .50BMG-caliber rifle:
    missile launchers are illegal throughout the country for civilian possession and use;
    .50BMG weapons are illegal in CA for civilians (unless registered under the State’s AW law).

    Where did Dorner acquire these weapons: Fast & Furious?

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  43. Sarah Palin… received an explosion of death threats.

    How many of those blasts do you suppose occured because people had happyfeet?

    nixonknew (a21c5f)

  44. How soon they forget about Boyd Lee Malvo. Is it because he and his “mentor” are both Black and supoort the Democrats?

    PCD (1d8b6d)

  45. How soon they forget about Boyd Lee Malvo.

    Not too surprising, since, after all, if Obama had a son, he’d look like Boyd Malvo or, less fittingly, Malvo’s older accomplice.

    But did Obama learn? Nooooo! He goes crawling back for another spanking.

    However, Neville Chamberlain must be smiling down from on high, tremendously proud of who America has placed into its presidency.

    Mark (7201a5)

  46. Steve57, comment 35, the US military no longer accepts such people, and I seriously doubt they ever accepted such directly into officer training. Although him going nuts might be related to why he is no longer in the military.

    Phillep Harding (1b8b26)

  47. New Enlistment Oaths

    U.S. COAST GUARD ENLISTMENT OATH
    “I, (State your name), swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES COAST GUARD because I know being in the real military scares me. However, I swear to defend our position as the fifth branch of the Armed Services, although at one point we were under the Department of Homeland Security. I understand that atleast twice a day, someone will refer to me a member of the Air Force or Navy, and when I correct them, they will question my military status. I will work on boats the size of kayaks and small yachts during the worst of natures storms, and recieve no thanks or notice form the public. I will fly in helos into the eye of the storm to rescue people dumber then rocks, and then be heckled by the same people when I bust them for transporting drugs two months later.! I will prevent thousands of gallons of pollution, but be accused of impeding the economy when I won’t allow vessels to pour oil into the ocean. I will be the red-headed step child to all of the other services, although I know I got the better deal. All of my equipment will be discarded Navy property. I will use most of my time in the Coast Guard to take college classes, and perfect my web surfing abilities, then complain that I work too much. I will perfect avoiding PT at all costs, and do my best to attend training that will give me a great competitive edge in the career field of my choice, making retention efforts of the Coast Guard pointless. I will come in contact with so many pollutants during my tenure, I will glow in the dark for the rest of my natural life and refer to myself as “salty” because of it. I will do my best to work 8 to 3, with a two hour lunch, on normal days, and have my pager and cell phone surgically attached, SO HELP ME GOD.

    ____________________
    Signature
    ____________________
    Date

    US AIR FORCE OATH OF ENLISTMENT
    “I, (State your name), swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES AIR FORCE because I know I couldn’t hack it in the Army, because the Marines frighten me, and because I am afraid of water over waist-deep. I swear to sit behind a desk. I also swear not to do any form of real exercise, but promise to defend our bike-riding test as a valid form of exercise. I promise to walk around calling everyone by their first name because I find it amusing to annoy the other services. I will have a better quality of life than those around me and will, at all times, be sure to make them aware of that fact. After completion of “Basic Training”, I will be a lean, mean, donut-eating, Lazy-Boy sitting, civilian-wearing-blue-clothes, Chair-borne Ranger. I will believe I am superior to all others and will make an effort to clean the knife before stabbing the next person in the back. I will annoy those around me, and will go home early every day. So Help Me God!”

    ____________________
    Signature
    ____________________
    Date

    US ARMY OATH OF ENLISTMENT
    “I, (State your name), swear to sign away 4 years of my otherwise mediocre life to the UNITED STATES ARMY because I couldn’t score high enough on the ASVAB to get into the Air Force, I’m not tough enough for the Marines, and the Navy won’t take me because I can’t swim. I will wear camouflage every day and tuck my trousers into my boots because I can’t figure out how to use blousing straps. I promise to wear my uniform 24 hours a day even when I have a date. I will continue to tell myself that I am a fierce killing machine because my Drill Sergeant told me I am, despite the fact that the only action I will see is a court-martial for sexual harassment. I acknowledge the fact that I will make E-8 in my first year of service, and vow to maintain that it is because I scored perfect on my PT test. After completion of my Sexual…..er…..I mean “Basic Training,” I will attend a different Army school every other month and return knowing less than I did when I left. On my first trip home after Boot Camp, I will walk around like I am cool and propose to my 9th grade sweetheart. I will make my wife stay home because if I let her out she might leave me for a better-looking Air Force guy. Should she leave me twelve times, I will continue to take her back. While at work I will maintain a look of knowledge while getting absolutely nothing accomplished. I will arrive to work every day at 1000 hrs because of morning PT and leave everyday at 1300 to report back to “COMPANY.” I understand that I will undergo no training whatsoever that will help me get a job up! on separation, and will end up working construction with my friends from high school. I will brag to everyone about the Army giving me $30,000 for college, but will be unable to use it because I can’t pass a placement exam. So Help Me God!”

    _____________________
    Signature
    _____________________
    Date

    US NAVY OATH OF ENLISTMENT
    I, Top Gun, in lieu of going to prison, swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES NAVY, because I want to hang out with Marines without actually having to BE one of them, because I thought the Air Force was too “corporate,” because I didn’t want to actually live in dirt like the Army, and because I thought, “Hey, I like to swim…why not?” I promise to wear clothes that went out of style in 1976 and to have my name stenciled on the butt of every pair of pants I own. I understand that I will be mistaken for the Good Humor Man during summer,! and for Nazi Waffen SS during the winter. I will strive to use a different language than the rest of the English-speaking world, using words like “deck, bulkhead, cover, geedunk, scuttlebutt, scuttle and head,” when I really mean “floor, wall, hat, candy, water fountain, hole in wall and toilet.” I will take great pride in the fact that all Navy acronyms, rank, and insignia, and everything else for that matter, are completely different from the other services and make absolutely no sense whatsoever. I will muster, whatever that is, at 0700 every morning unless I am buddy-buddy with the Chief, in which case I will show up around 0930. I vow to hone my coffee cup-handling skills to the point that I can stand up in a kayak being tossed around in a typhoon, and still not spill a drop. I consent to being promoted and subsequently busted at least twice per fiscal year. I realize that, once selected for Chief, I am required to submit myself to the sick, and quite possibly illegal, whims of my newfound “colleagues.” So Help Me Neptune!”

    ______________________
    Signature
    ______________________
    Date

    US MARINE CORPS OATH OF ENLISTMENT
    “I, (pick a name the police won’t recognize), swear..uhhhh….high-and-tight…. grunt… cammies….kill….fix bayonets….charge….slash….dig….burn….blowup….ugh…Air Force women….beer…..sailors wives…..air strikes….yes SIR!….whiskey….liberty call….salute….Ooorah Gunny….grenades…women….OORAH! So Help Me Chesty PULLER!”

    X____________________
    Thumb Print
    XX _________________________________
    Teeth Marks
    _____________________
    Date

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  48. I would stay away from Camps Lejeune and Pendleton, if I were you.

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  49. Steve, I’m not trying to pick a fight and I want to believe it wasn’t your intention, but your flippant attempt at humor is inappropriate, it maligns a great many men and women who’ve served our nation honorably, and it’s out of place here.

    And, yeah, I’m one of those guys who landed in San Francisco in 1968 and wasn’t welcomed home, and I’m still pissed. I had to change out of my uniform in the men’s room just to get out of the airport without being caught up in an ugly physical incident.

    The protesters didn’t really care what branch of the service I was in. I was wearing an American uniform and that was good enough to make me a target of their collective wrath.

    They were opposed to the war and so was I. The difference between us was that I had a better idea of what I was against. But, there was no time for talk, the protesters were in a hot lather, buoyed by numbers and protected by cops, determined to demonstrate their opposition to the war (to each other and to the TV cameras) by insulting and humiliating returning servicemen and women headed home, many of them drafted into the Army and others who enlisted in other branches to avoid the draft.

    Even today I often find myself looking at Democrats in the California Congressional delegation in the oft chance I might recognize one of my old tormentors. They know who they are but they keep mum these days. They aren’t as proud of themselves today as they were back then.

    But, really, that’s all long ago and far behind us now. But I do think that the almost universal lip service paid to our men and women in uniform these days is a reaction to the sins of those unhappy Vietnam inspired days. However, I’m always glad to see our serviceman and women appreciated, even if I’m a little suspicious of the motivation.

    So, just sayin’ Steve, I read your comments and I often agree with your points, but you might want to consider an explanation or an apology before opprobrium attaches.

    ropelight (a82805)

  50. You know this Christopher Dorner may be another Floyd Lee Corkins in the making.

    SooperMexican – News Media Scrub Cop Murderer’s Manifesto of Pro-Obama, Hillary, MSNBC, CNN, Gay, and Anti-Gun Comments

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  51. Just up at Insty…..

    JOURNALISM: MSM covers up Christopher Dorner’s hard-Left political views.

    Master murder-politicizer Piers Morgan: Don’t politicize Dorner murder spree.

    Disturbing: Supporters, admirers leap to alleged murderer Christopher Dorner’s defense.

    UPDATE: It’s worth taking Piers Morgan off TV if it saves a single life.

    I also worry about the example set by gun-scofflaw David Gregory. Think of the children!

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  52. De Ja Vu, all over again;

    http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7c3_1249582446

    narciso (3fec35)

  53. Dorner’s a lefty alright, he hates Wayne LaPierre and the NRA, supports gun controle and a ban on semi-automatic rifles, loves Pires Morgan, and worships Barack Obama.

    ropelight (a82805)

  54. ropelight, if that was inappropriate then I don’t know of any military site that’s appropriate. Where do you think I went to retrieve that old joke? And it is old, although it’s been updated.

    I think you may be taking my sense of humor the wrong way. I spent 20 years in the Navy. We poke fun at ourselves (you should hear the jokes I’ve got about submariners)as well as the other services all the time. And they give it right back. That enlistment oath parody has no doubt been floating around longer than I was. Actually, the first time I saw it was in an email a friend in the Marines sent to me back in the early 90s.

    It’s not meant as an insult, and I don’t know anybody in the service who takes it as an insult. The Marine who sent me the email thought the Marine enlistment oath was hilarious. These kind of jokes are in their own way a token of respect.

    Like all humor there is a grain of truth in it. The Navy, for instance, does somewhat deserve its reputation for being a gang of criminals. It’s hard not to notice when an entire battle group gets kicked out of a country.

    I’m actually surprised we don’t get kicked out of more ports. My carrier nearly got kicked out of Diego Garcia. We definitely got kicked out of the O club. At that time the uniform of the day on Dodge included Pith helmets. So everyone went to the uniform shop to buy Pith helmets.

    Then we went to the club. If you walk into an Navy officer’s club covered (wearing a hat) you have to buy the entire bar a round of drinks. People somehow forgot the rule and kept walking in showing off their new Pith helmets. One guy had five of them stacked on his head; he had to buy five rounds.

    Discretion being the better part of valor I decided to leave when the A-7 drivers piled onto the hotdog cart and crashed it through the porch railing and onto the beach. The British Indian Ocean Territory police already had a dim view of Sailors, probably because of stuff like this. I didn’t want to stick around until they showed up. The next morning all the squadron COs were invited to inspect the damage and figure out what each one owed.

    Some things never change. Back in the 70s they were giving out good conduct medals based upon who had spent the least amount of time in the brig.

    In any case I can’t get offended when other people joke about certain aspects of Navy culture. At least, as long as they served. It would be more insulting if they thought we were delicate hothouse flowers who couldn’t take a joke.

    I hope I didn’t say anything that gives further offense. But you asked for either an explanation or apology. I’m not going to apologize because that would imply I meant that comment as an insult. It was nothing of the sort.

    If you want to see an actual insult to those serving in the military, here it is:

    FIRST ON CNN: Panetta to recommend pay cut for military

    It’s just another in a series of middle fingers Obama has directed at the military.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  55. I haven’t seen it mentioned here, but R.I.P. Chris Kyle.

    Details announced for Navy SEAL’s memorial service at Cowboys Stadium

    He was trying to help out a brother who was having a hard time coping and got shot.

    This murder I’m sure they’ll politicize. The scum.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  56. Thanks Steve, I wasn’t insulted. I’ve said worse things about the Army, the Navy, and the Navy’s little sister, not to mention the Jarheads and the Jr Birdmen.

    I just thought today was the wrong day for that comment and got a bit carried away reliving my return. Maybe I’m the one that owes you an apology.

    ropelight (a82805)

  57. No apology needed or desired, ropelight. I can definitely see your point.

    Steve57 (bc3ba2)

  58. Well played, Patterico…

    The Sanity Inspector (97014d)

  59. delicate hothouse flowers

    No squid could stand that heat (Heh!).

    askeptic (2bb434)


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