Maggie's Farm

McCain’s Navy Records Detail Commendations

WASHINGTON — From his five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp to his tenure as the Navy’s liaison to the Senate, John McCain’s Navy record boils down to a series of unadorned paragraphs that bestow upon him some of the nation’s top military honors.

The Navy recently released McCain’s military record — most of it citations for medals during his Navy career — after a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press.

McCain was awarded a Silver Star Medal for resisting “extreme mental and physical cruelties” inflicted upon him by his captors from late October to early December 1967, the early months of his captivity, according to the citation. The North Vietnamese, according to the Navy, ignored international agreements and tortured McCain “in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes.”

McCain, now the Republican Party’s likely presidential nominee, was taken prisoner in October 1967 after he was shot down while on a mission over Hanoi. He wasn’t freed until March 1973, after the United States signed peace agreements with the North Vietnamese. His captors tortured him and held him in solitary confinement. Still, he declined an offer of early release until those who had been at the prison longer than him were let go.

That decision earned McCain a Navy Commendation Medal . Although McCain was “crippled from serious and ill-treated injuries,” he steadfastly refused offers of freedom from those holding him prisoner. “His selfless action served as an example to others and his forthright refusal, by giving emphasis to the insidious nature of such releases, may have prevented a possibly chaotic deterioration in prisoner discipline,” the citation says.

McCain attended the U.S. Naval Academy from 1954 to 1958, and was commissioned as an ensign in June of that year. He retired in April 1981 with the rank of captain. In that time he received 17 awards and decorations. Besides the Silver Star Medal, McCain also received the Legion of Merit with a combat “V” and one gold star, a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Bronze Art Medal with a combat “V” and two gold stars.

Several citations mention his achievements either as a prisoner or as a lieutenant commander flying bombing runs off the deck of the USS Oriskany. Some are signed by then-Secretary of the Navy John Warner, who would become a colleague of McCain’s in the Senate.

The citations refer to his “accurate ordnance delivery” and his “aggressive and skillful airmanship.” He earned his Bronze Star the day before he was shot down, for participating in a mission over an airfield in Phuc Yen, 11 miles north of Hanoi.

The citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross sums up McCain’s misfortune the following day:

“Although his aircraft was severely damaged, he continued his bomb delivery pass and released his bombs on the target. When the aircraft would not recover from the dive, Commander McCain was forced to eject over the target.”

Years later, as his Navy career approached its end, McCain received the Legion of Merit Medal. By then, his missions were in the halls of Congress as a liaison to the Senate from the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs.

He was praised for providing Navy leaders “with sage advice and sound judgment for enacting critical legislation during a period of severe fiscal constraint.”

The following year, he ran for Congress from Arizona, and won.

Great news from Commentary magazine

At one end of the global spectrum are America's 10 biggest yearly executive compensation packages, ranging from $83.1 million to $26.6 million (according to a USA Today's data derived from Salary.com). At the other end are the world's failed and failing states. Mostly in Africa but also in Asia, these failures have cascaded in the almost two decades since the end of the Cold War. Between 40 and 60 nations, home to nearly 2 billion people , are either sliding backward and teetering on the brink of implosion or have already collapsed.


Collapse, starvation and death. Means more for the productive people and less of a drag on the worlds resources. Rahter Malthusian or at least Darwinian. This is the work of a Mighty Power and we should be thankful. Having it occur in mostly Asia and Africa are just sprinkles on the top of the sundae.

http://tinyurl.com/59x7ro

Arab Mother's Day, Two Arab Mothers

Two Arab Mothers

Two Arab mothers are sitting in a cafe chatting over a plate of tabouli and
a pint of goat's milk. The older of the mothers pulls a bag out of her purse
and starts flipping through photos. And they start reminiscing.

'This is my oldest son Mohammed. He would be 24 years old now.'

'Yes, I remember him as a baby' says the other mother cheerfully.

'He's a martyr now though' mum confides.

'Oh, so sad dear' says the other.

And this is my second son Kalid. He would be 21'

'Oh, I remember him,' says the other happily, 'he had such curly hair when
he was born'.

'He's a martyr too' says mum quietly.

'Oh, gracious me ....' Says the other.

'And this is my third son. My baby. My beautiful Ahmed.

He would be 18, she whispers.

'Yes' says the friend enthusiastically, 'I remember when he first started
school'.

He's a martyr also,' says mum, with tears in her eyes.

After a pause and a deep sigh, the second Muslim mother looks wistfully at
the photographs and says...

'They blow up so fast, don't they?'

How to Tell the Sex of a Fly

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her
Husband stalking around with a fly swatter

'What are you doing?'
She asked.

'Hunting Flies'
He responded.

'Oh! Killing any?'
She asked.

'Yep, 3 males, 2 Females,' he replied.

Intrigued, she asked.
'How can you tell them apart?'

He responded,
'3 were on a beer can,
2 were on the phone

***

I want to be non PC. How does one learn to do it?

Neat article ..not what you'd think from the title ...

The New Paternalism

Richard Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, a professor of law and political science at the University of Chicago are authors of a new book, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Yale University Press), in which they articulate an approach to designing social and economic policies that incorporates an understanding of people's cognitive limitations.

http://tinyurl.com/63456o