This one takes the cake.
San Francisco City supervisors have decided to ban the USS Iowa from being berthed in San Francisco harbor. The vote was 8-3.
The World War II-era battleship was scheduled to take her place as a museum near the downtown waterfront area. The Iowa was retired in 1990 as part of a reduction of the U.S. Navy fleet and many people living in San Francisco lobbied to have the historic ship brought to San Francisco.
But the supervisors, in a remarkable display of shortsightedness and stupidity, cited opposition to the Iraq War and the military's stand on gays.
Those are contemporary issues that have nothing to do with the role that the USS Iowa had in American history.
This is the kind of censorship that many in San Francisco have fought against for years. It's a slap against many Americans from across generational lines who fought aboard and died aboard that ship. And it's a slap to the nation.
The veterans are getting screwed again. This time it's because the San Francisco supervisors want to score brownie points with their constituents on issues that have little to nothing to do with the Iowa itself or with the World War II or Korean War veterans.
This is just like people going into other peoples' front yards and destroying American flag displays (that are meant to honor those men and women who are fighting for their lives overseas) to express their opposition to the Bush Administration.
It's misplaced and misguided, whether it's an idiot who does it, or a group of elected/appointed officials who do it.
Congratulations to Stockton, California, who will be getting the ship instead. They will proudly display the ship and honor her veterans properly, unlike the ingrates on the San Francisco supervisory board.
Here's the story. Many in San Francisco are very upset with this decision and it isn't sitting well.
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