It was with complete astonishment that on opening the Press Release folder this morning at NAUTICAL LOG one read about this latest appointment at Kings Point the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).
The current Administration continues to boggle the mind with its behaviour and more and more one has to check that one is actually living in the United States of America. One is aided in this by the complete confusion of the European Union but this is a sad comparison indeed.
As we Americans know when we vote a President into office it is to support and defend the Constitution of these United States. The fact that our President is regarded as the leader of the free world matters not a damn to the average American outside the Washington Beltway and the various military contractors.
The departure of the previous USMMA Superintendent was never fully explained but then that is the behaviour of this Administration. Similarly the AG declines to correctly inform Congress of the "Fast and Furious" operation which caused the murder of Agent Terry by the very same weapons. This disgraceful management of the Nations Affairs shows a complete lack of even basic management skills and detailing of personnel. Behaviour in this manner by NAUTICAL LOG would have been well deserved cause for dismissal as an Officer or Master.
The new appointment as USMMA Superintendent is an Army Officer one Colonel James Helis who our research indicates has never commanded a ship even in the U.S. Army fleet. He comes to the Merchant Marine Academy with the advanced educational skills of a department head in the US War College. He is an Army Ranger, Master Parachutist, served in Afghanistan and has travelled too several countries twelve were listed. In his resume there is no mention of any shipboard experience even as a passenger.
The USMMA Superintendents position requires a seafarer who is preferably also a seaman. These can possibly be found in the US Merchant Marine itself, the USCG, the USN or in a moment of desperation the US Army fleet but not dangling from the end of a parachute.
A recent report in the maritime blog gCaptain described the decline of standards in the US Merchant Marine which did not meet IMO Standards of inspection and caused for the first time detentions of US Flag State vessels overseas.
Without doubt Colonel Helis is a very decent and honorable Officer but he would have been wiser to have declined the position which is a political appointment by an Administration which seems determined to destroy the very fabric of the United States, my adopted country and NAUTICAL LOG is extremely pissed off by that.
This is NOT the way to support and defend the Constitution of the United States which NAUTICAL LOG also proudly took an oath to do.
Good Watch.
The current Administration continues to boggle the mind with its behaviour and more and more one has to check that one is actually living in the United States of America. One is aided in this by the complete confusion of the European Union but this is a sad comparison indeed.
As we Americans know when we vote a President into office it is to support and defend the Constitution of these United States. The fact that our President is regarded as the leader of the free world matters not a damn to the average American outside the Washington Beltway and the various military contractors.
The departure of the previous USMMA Superintendent was never fully explained but then that is the behaviour of this Administration. Similarly the AG declines to correctly inform Congress of the "Fast and Furious" operation which caused the murder of Agent Terry by the very same weapons. This disgraceful management of the Nations Affairs shows a complete lack of even basic management skills and detailing of personnel. Behaviour in this manner by NAUTICAL LOG would have been well deserved cause for dismissal as an Officer or Master.
The new appointment as USMMA Superintendent is an Army Officer one Colonel James Helis who our research indicates has never commanded a ship even in the U.S. Army fleet. He comes to the Merchant Marine Academy with the advanced educational skills of a department head in the US War College. He is an Army Ranger, Master Parachutist, served in Afghanistan and has travelled too several countries twelve were listed. In his resume there is no mention of any shipboard experience even as a passenger.
The USMMA Superintendents position requires a seafarer who is preferably also a seaman. These can possibly be found in the US Merchant Marine itself, the USCG, the USN or in a moment of desperation the US Army fleet but not dangling from the end of a parachute.
A recent report in the maritime blog gCaptain described the decline of standards in the US Merchant Marine which did not meet IMO Standards of inspection and caused for the first time detentions of US Flag State vessels overseas.
Without doubt Colonel Helis is a very decent and honorable Officer but he would have been wiser to have declined the position which is a political appointment by an Administration which seems determined to destroy the very fabric of the United States, my adopted country and NAUTICAL LOG is extremely pissed off by that.
This is NOT the way to support and defend the Constitution of the United States which NAUTICAL LOG also proudly took an oath to do.
Good Watch.
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