Most of the world has different rules for mariners, my own country, Australia and the USA being the exception to the rule. With regard to coastal tankers the Chief Officer should not stand a watch.
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And the TDS sufferer chimes in. 
Didn’t the jones act give merchant mariners same benefits as the Gi’s until the 80’s? It was my understanding one of Regan’s first acts as president was to gut the jones act.
The idea that the Merchant Marine could be characterized as “Pete Buttigieg’s” is at the heart of the problem.
Has everyone forgotten what “Merchant” means? If anyone wrote about Gina Raimondo‘s Microsoft or Walmart it would read and sound ridiculous.
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Dear John: First let me express my appreciation for gCaptian and all it and you have done for mariners of all kinds and types. Clearly you have established your publication as a vibrant advocate for matters facing the industry.
I do take issue with the oped published today about what you consider to be Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s “refusal” to acknowledge the sacrifices made by merchant mariners in the Red Sea. I think you’ve read way too much into what could be an unintentional oversight by him and his staff. As a human being, he doesn’t come across as the kind of person who would snub and offend those who go in harm’s way.
Your anger in your story is palpable. You even conflate his comments about Vance as a “low blow” just because Vance served as a Marine.
Please consider this suggestion. You have a grievance with Buttigieg. Don’t ask Jon Stewart to confront him. You do it. You are an important influencer and your voice will be listened to. My feeling is that there is an explanation for what you perceive to be a sleight. It is often the case when people are affronted by another’s actions. Directly confronting is certainly more effective than denigrating him in your publication and asking someone else to address the issue.
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This statement reflects just how out of touch Konrad is with the average mariner today. To claim that nine out of ten mariners in the industry today are “far left” is simply absurd. The ships I’ve sailed in were loaded with the Fox News and Newsmax believing crowd. He needs to come down off his high horse and knock off with the pontificating from his bully pulpit. Konrad and the other Trumpians fail to recognize (or chose to completely ignore) is that the former Trump administration and current Trump campaign have been advocating the the United States leave NATO and our Pacific alliances. Doing so would make the entire government shipping sector nonessential and therefore a prime target for the chopping block. He can do better.
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Not sure about that but the Heritage Foundation has a plan now.Which includes abolishing the Jones Act. The ‘conservatives’ such as the the Heritage Foundation have always been against labor. The Koch brothers who support the Heritage Foundation have been espousing their libertarian ideas for years. You know, education and roads only for those who can pay the toll. Easy for them, they were born rich. Click the link for more information.
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Koch brothers are also very big in fighting any acknowledgement of human contribution to resulting climate change. What drives their agenda in all instances is incredibly simple…Greed!
They seem to pay little or no attention to what might be important for future generations or the health and well being of families at income levels other than their own. Instead they lobby and push for anything that will increase their profit margin, and increase their wealth; whether that be fighting against improvements for workers or fighting against environmental protection.
Imagine the level of misery and destruction they would cause with no regulation in place to help keep them in check. They honestly would fit right in as part of the Gilded Age.
Remember when greed was considered a sin and immoral? I do
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I would ask you to review the “Trump years” and find an instance where leaving NATO was a policy position…using less-than-diplomatic language to point out the disparity between US and European defense budgets doesn’t count.
Since the Cold War began, the US has taken an outsized position, rightly or wrongly, on the world stage. Those who are pearl clutching and bemoaning the Mango Mussolini (I found that nickname rather funny) may want to consider what the gentle language of diplomacy and doing the same thing over and over and over has accomplished for the U.S.A. : An ever growing global military presence, the rise of the military-industrial complex and the need to sell boom-y things to DC and the Pentagon, over 2 decades of recent high tempo deployments and troops burnt out from same, a generation of young people disillusioned with military service, and a shrunken Navy and AF with worn out equipment.
We are vulnerable, and if poking our other NATO allies to step up their national commitments is bad…well, maybe we SHOULD pull back and get our own house in order while those we have rebuilt and protected face the realities of now.
I could be wrong, I could be partially right, but the anger over one man’s 4 year presidency is baffling.
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That’s not the claim that was made.
but ask any US mariner in the industry and 9/10 will claim we are far left.
The 'we" in the 'we are far left" refers to gCaptain.
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The man is no ideologue, and he says so many things, that he and supporters have vast amounts of inventory of “statements” to select from to support almost any position
He is an adjudicated sex offended, who tried to undermine the results of a free and fair election for President of the United States
Those are facts that I find amazing that millions upon millions of good Americans are willing to excuse and rationalize away. I don’t know how you can.
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This was done in the 1920s and 30s to predictable results.
Mr. Konrad, I appreciate the fact that you have worked to improve maritime affairs. No one would argue with that. The point for many of us is that a second Trump presidency is a no win for the world at large, including the U.S. You, and the other Mega Hats are essentially in a cult, not a party that has a nationalist/populist agenda. There is a reason why Trumps 1.0 VP, cabinet members, and Generals on staff do not support him for 2.0.
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I did not say mariners are far left. I said the majority of mariners believe that gCaptain leans left.
As mentioned, I have been spending a lot of time in Washington meeting with congress and the navy lately.
It is not an oversight. Numerous people in DC have asked him to help including the secretary of the navy and senators from his own party. Many industry leaders have met with him as well. He has refused.
He does not give a reason why he goes out of his way to ignore us but I suspect it’s for the same reason I have avoided the forum… much of this industry is toxic towards people who are trying to help
The koch brothers support every republican organization. That does not mean every republican organization is against the JA. Yes heritage’s official stance is to reform the JA but I’ve met with them a few times and it’s never come up as a priority.
The organization the koch brothers pour lots of money into is cato. Cato is firmly against the JA
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Microsoft does not have any Admirals. The US Maritime Service does.
You might think those Admirals are a joke and have no real power but that doesn’t mean it’s a civilian organization.
You may think of yourself as purely civilian and might have ignored the fact the Secretary of transportation has vast powers to expand and militarize the is merchant marine and press you into war…. But the truth is he does.
Regardless. He is in charge of the connection between us and the department of defense. He could order the army to send detachments about our ships like they did in the Iraq war. He could work with shipping companies to assure our safety, He could do a lot more.
But he hasn’t done one single thing
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Yes the VA hospital system was designed off the Marine hospitals. That’s why the Surgeon General wears navy uniforms… it’s actually a merchant marine uniform because they were in charge of marine hospitals.
We were supposed to be transitioned to va care but reagan nixed it.
We also had free retirement at snug harbor.
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Can you explain that? Especially the part about the industry being toxic to people trying to help? What part of the industry? It’s a many faceted industry. You lost me there or maybe I am uninformed. Educate us on what you see and know. Which part is toxic?
I think Carrier strike group 2 is in the Red Sea to protect shipping- It may not be enough, it may not be what you want, but a carrier battle group is certainly at least one single thing