October 7, 2009

Racial preferences at the Naval Academy

Bruce Fleming, a civilian English professor at Annapolis, has been pointing out how the Navy is corrupting itself in pursuit of Diversity:
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced in Annapolis recently that "diversity is the number one priority" at the Naval Academy.

He has a new post up (in hard to read typeface). I liked this comment on Thomas Rick's blog on Foreign Policy from Geschichtlich:

As a fellow USNA professor, I must concur entirely with Bruce's assessment. Don't underestimate the impetus of the Superintendent behind the current policy. The man is committed to gaining a fourth star, and cynically understands that the current course is likely appeal strongly to the current administration. And don't underestimate the significance of the policy as window-dressing. Somebody ought to ask our dear leader what proportion of his own community (nuclear power) are minorities, and then marvel when the notion of inviolable standards is invoked in defense of the shockingly low number.

All is revealing of a service that hasn't fought a real naval war in sixty years, hasn't had its doctrine, organization, personnel and promotion policies, or strategic posture really tested by a serious opponent in a long time. One cannot but recognize that such preposterous policies - at a military academy, no less - reflect an indolent service culture of peacetime politics.

You'll notice that affirmative action usually runs out at some point up the hierarchy, such as at the level of commanding ballistic nuclear missile boomers (thank God).

A subtle issue that hasn't been widely addressed is that employees of the Executive Branch, such as admirals, naturally assume that under President Obama pushing racial preferences is an even faster route to promotion than under previous Presidents. Unless Obama forthrightly states otherwise, affirmative action will inevitably get stronger under Obama even if he, himself, takes no positive steps.

My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

28 comments:

Barack Hussein Obama Jr said...

You'll notice that affirmative action usually runs out at some point up the hierarchy, such as at the level of commanding ballistic nuclear missile boomers (thank God).

Axelrod, get Gates on the phone.

No, not tomorrow morning - NOW, DAMNIT.

Anonymous said...

Off-topic, but the T99/Roissy crowd might be interested in these new statistics on interracial banter at online dating sites.

Anonymous said...

"You'll notice that affirmative action usually runs out at some point up the hierarchy, such as at the level of commanding ballistic nuclear missile boomers (thank God)."

Not necessarily. This decade, three Jewish bosses groomed black men to lead American Express, Merrill Lynch, and Time Warner. The tenures of the former two were disastrous.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't the Constitution require the military academies to pick candidates on political grounds? Two candidates per Congressman or something?

Concerned Netizen said...

The article "has expired" and we can't read most of it. Can you quote from the salient parts of it so that we can get the point?

tommy said...

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced in Annapolis recently that "diversity is the number one priority" at the Naval Academy.

It used to be that fighting wars was the number one priority of the military. Priorities have diversified.

anony-mouse said...

Since the moment when every ocean became easily crossable by air, surface naval ships were doomed. The biggest post WWII naval battle I can think of was during the Falklands War.

As long as a navy can beat pirates that's all it should need to do.

Anonymous said...

Wow - have you seen the latest Jugendbund der NSDAP video?

It was filmed live on CNN.

Anonymous said...

I'm not convinced the NAM Naval Academy graduates could possibly be any stupider than the white ones- luckily for the Navy a fairly small proportion of officers come from the academy.

Anonymous said...

Wait 'til we have universal health care. Who do you think will become doctors then?

Richard Hoste said...

Wow - have you seen the latest Jugendbund der NSDAP video?

I wrote about these budding geniuses here.

They don't learn the old sitting and reading way, they've got this new and improved style.

Anonymous said...

-Since the moment when every ocean became easily crossable by air, surface naval ships were doomed. The biggest post WWII naval battle I can think of was during the Falklands War.-

Silly.

Anonymous said...

"A subtle issue that hasn't been widely addressed is that employees of the Executive Branch, such as admirals, naturally assume that under President Obama pushing racial preferences is an even faster route to promotion than under previous Presidents."

I work in an executive branch agency, and even BEFORE someone is elected the two presidential candidates will send their people out to government meetings and conferences. If elected, these people are often the ones chosen to head the agencies (this happened where I work). Employees spend a great deal of time figuring out what will be a priority in the new administration even before that administration comes to power (and, conversely, what could get you into trouble).

So I have absolutely no doubt that's what's going on with that Navy guy.

Reg Cæsar said...

Is Bruce perhaps one of those Virginia Flemings who descend from Pocahontas? Would that make him "diverse", too?

All is revealing of a service that hasn't fought a real naval war in sixty years...

That made this old Coastie laugh. The squids used to call us "puddlejumpers", but in peacetime we were the only service facing deadly enemies. Not human ones, for the most part, but deadly nonetheless.

(Come to think of it, equipment design can be a pretty deadly enemy, so I take the preceding statement back somewhat...)

The Navy and the other services had to suffer demotion from the "War Deparment" to mere "Defense". But the poor USCG went from the noble Treasury in my dad's tour (at least till 12/7/41) to "Transportation" in mine, to (ugh) "Homeland Security" today.

...at the level of commanding ballistic nuclear missile boomers...

Can't we find another generation to pick on, if only for variety?

Anonymous said...

I teach high-schoolers, and sent a Hispanic, female, graduating senior off to Annapolis this fall.

When she was admitted, I silently marveled at the news. She is a very friendly and happy child, but startlingly clueless and of very questionable work habits. Normally the R.O.T.C. types are solid in their attendance, at least. Alas, no, in her case. If I had to make an IQ estimate I would guess low 90's as an upper limit.

My prediction, given her easily-swayed nature and striking physique? Sad to say, likely preggo in 3 months onboard ship. Hopefully before any nuclear launch codes get involved.

In short, this data point supports Adm. Roughead's statement. Number one focus, indeed.

Truth said...

"I'm not convinced the NAM Naval Academy graduates could possibly be any stupider than the white ones-"

Especially the ones who graduate third from the bottom of their classes having a daddy and a granddaddy who were admirals.

Mark said...

Don't underestimate the impetus of the Superintendent behind the current policy. The man is committed to gaining a fourth star

The CNO, who is already O-10 (4 star), might be behind it, but generally speaking the superintendent of a military academy is the final stop in your military career. You don't get a fourth star.

headache said...

iSteve sez:
You'll notice that affirmative action usually runs out at some point up the hierarchy, such as at the level of commanding ballistic nuclear missile boomers (thank God).


Yeah, it was one of the lighter moments in the US's obsession with ending white rule in South Africa. Bush I sent down that supposed AA-intellectual Condoleezza Rice to make sure the Boers dissembled their nuclear warheads prior to Mandela climbing his US/Brit-made throne. That was so revealing. Cannot have our saintly Mandela in charge of nukes now, can we! What a laugh and it shows what liberals and even blacks think of the spectacle.

Anonymous said...

> [A]ffirmative action usually runs out at some point up the hierarchy, such as at the level of commanding ballistic nuclear missile boomers (thank God). <

Well, the finger on the button is tan.

John Seiler said...

"You'll notice that affirmative action usually runs out at some point up the hierarchy, such as at the level of commanding ballistic nuclear missile boomers (thank God)."

During China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, the youngsters in the Red Guards stormed China's nuclear arms-development compound to include it in the Revolution. But Mao ordered the People's Liberation Army to suppress this Red Guard action.

Some things are too important for any Revolution.

Anonymous said...

Reg, "boomers" would be the naval slang for ballistic missle subs.

A missle sub commander "drives a boomer".

josuah Lawrence Chamberlain said...

What happens to White Americans when non-whites are a a very large majority in the US military?

MOO HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! said...

Axelrod, get Gates on the phone.

No, not tomorrow morning - NOW, DAMNIT.

10/07/2009



Navy secretary: Time has come for women on subs
By BECKY BOHRER
Oct 8 03:41 PM US/Eastern
breitbart.com

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus says allowing women to serve on submarines is an idea whose time has come.
He says he sees no major hurdles from the Obama administration implementing the policy change.

Mabus gave no timeline for when the change would take effect. He says officials first must figure out how to do it and notify Congress about the plan. Then women must complete training to serve.

Mabus says women should be able to serve throughout the Navy and the proposed change would be in keeping with that. His comments came Thursday during a visit to Northrop Grumman Corp.'s shipbuilding yard in Pascagoula.

Anonymous said...

Was I the only one stunned by a certain anonymous giving Reg Ceaser a priggish lecture about the (naval) meaning of the word 'boomer'?

Clearly Anon's irony by-pass procedure was a success, congratulate the surgical team involved.

Come on Anon, did you not notice that Reg and his dad were both in the Coast Guard and that he might, just possibly, know what boomer meant and was happy to play a little word game with it. Jeez...

Anonymous said...

Doesn't the Constitution require the military academies to pick candidates on political grounds? Two candidates per Congressman or something?

No. If I remember correctly inductees into the service academies are appointed like the heads of federal departments. However custom dictates that the president nominate the people "recommended" by the senator in each state.

In fact, most of the pressure for "diversity" in the service academies would come from the Senate, and such walruses as Ted Kennedy considering that the Senate controls who will have their appointment confirmed.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

Anonymous said...

Is the secretary of the Navy really called Ray Mabus?
As all propenents of apocalypse theory know, and all readers of the Jeff Rense website would also know, 'Mabus' is a key character in Nostradamus's doom-laden quatrains predicting armageddon.

Ezra # said...

There are very good reasons for the rulers of a country to pick military officers from races/classes/etc., which are beholden to the extant power structure. The American leftist elite aren't eager to become the next Salvador Allende.

data345 said...

I too was in the Coast Guard. I spent 3 months at NTC Orlando back when the Coast Guard sent members for training in quartermaster school (now a defunct rate).

It was there that I made the same observation about the U.S. Navy not having fought a major naval war. It was the art displayed on the walls showing the valor of the Navy. All of it was WWII vintage. Nothing from Korea or Viet Nam. I think the Army and Marines probably include reminisces of those eras.

Only the Navy's air arm and special forces (SEAL's) has really been in direct combat since WWII.