Gary Hall
08-13-06, 08:14 PM
Today as I was diligently doing some serious (for me) reading, I became aware that the Portsmouth Naval Prison had been shut down, from sometime in the 1970's. I don't personally remember much good coming out of the 1970's. Finding out that Portsmouth was no longer in business appalled me even more than the recent news stories about the likes of Harvard and/or Yale currently promulgating policies of selecting Militant Islamic Moslems with "promising potential" and putting them on a fast tract through US institutions of "Higher Learning?" in order to do what? I realize my red neck credentials (9 years in 3 - 4 Junior and Land Grant Cow colleges, graduating from all), following 5 years as a PFC does not prepare me as a candidate for high public office or position, certainly I wouldn't be in the running for consideration as an "Intelligence Officer". So I don't have any answers - just asking a few questions and hoping for some guidance. When I went through boot camp (1948) we were encouraged to 1) go to some church, and 2) Conduct ourselves individually so as to never run the risk of spending ANY time in the US Naval Prison at Portsmouth, i.e. OBEY THE LAW. Now in 2006 I find both are no longer a consideration publicly, and I am convinced are the dominant causes of so much polarization and civil upheaval. I propose we go back to the policies of encouraging church attendance and re-open Portsmouth and also maintain Gitmo. As for running Gitmo, I would vote for the conditions and prisoner treatment as were SOP in earlier times, for example, as is so eloquently described by W. E. B. Griffin in his book CALL TO ARMS, on page 219: " . . . When they beat you at Portsmouth, they got it down to a fine art. No marks. It just hurts... Let me tell you how it works. The first time you look cockeyed at somebody at Portsmouth, you dumb Mick, they'll give you a working over that'll make the one you just had feel like your mother kissed you. And then they'll add six months on your sentence for 'silent insolence.' And every time you look cockeyed at a guard there, you'll get another working over, and another six months, until one of two things happens. You won't look cockeyed at anyone, or you will fall down the stairs and break your neck. Then they'll bury you in the prison cemetery. You don't really understand that, do you? . . . "
Beautiful, well said. This is what I mean when from time to time I refer to the phrase "The Marines administer good medicine." I know, this procedure results in a lot of attitude adjustment, I recommend it, in contrast to that medicine of Eastern sophistication whereby the most unworthy of the globe (Militant Islamic Extremists) are literally placed on stools, fed ice cream and told how wonderful they potentially are. And frequently, discriminating against a fully qualified young US citizen, who applied for acceptance and was denied.
I believe the world would benefit by wholesale attitude adjustments, Your vote and influence is appreciated. Gary Hall
Beautiful, well said. This is what I mean when from time to time I refer to the phrase "The Marines administer good medicine." I know, this procedure results in a lot of attitude adjustment, I recommend it, in contrast to that medicine of Eastern sophistication whereby the most unworthy of the globe (Militant Islamic Extremists) are literally placed on stools, fed ice cream and told how wonderful they potentially are. And frequently, discriminating against a fully qualified young US citizen, who applied for acceptance and was denied.
I believe the world would benefit by wholesale attitude adjustments, Your vote and influence is appreciated. Gary Hall