[NewTeaBag]

Excellent link.

In a 1st: I agree with Migde on this issue. In 13 yrs as a Naval Officer, I saw a steady increase in Christian/religios zealotry.

EXs:

1) I was legally separated, from my then wife, just prior to a 9mo carrier battle group deployment as a Sub Liason Officer on DESRON Staff. When we pulled into Perth, Austrailia, I met an awesome woman who I ended up spending most of a week with. A LCDR ( I was a LT) on the staff actually gave me a private ranting anout how I was committing adultery, and could be charged under the UCMJ. I laghed and reminded him I was legally separated and e kept telling me it didn't matter since I was stll married. Luckily, Before I could get in trouble with a sharpish reply, the CSO (Chief Staff Officer), a CDR, happened along, and not hearing our conversation, punched me on the shoulder, with a big grin, and said, "Hey! I saw that hot mama you were with last night. Did ye feck er?" That ended the LCDRs little preaching and judging mission.

2) Missile Submarines in The US Navy, which are exclusively male crewed, have a tradition going back to the 60s, that near the end of a deployment, pictures of women are posted on the each missile tube correpsonding with the number of days left until RTP, return to port.

On my last SSBN deployment, around day 19 prior to RTP, I was returning from a watch in the engineroom and I noticed that all the pix had been taken down. That night, at dinner in the wardroom, I asked the table if anyone kenw where the pix had gone. The Executive Officer responded, "Some members of the crew, including myself, found them offensive, so I ordered them removed."

I lauged and said, "C'mon, XO! They were SI swimsuit pix, not a midget fecking a donkey or anything even remotely pornographic!

His response was a curt, "They were offensive, I had them removed, and that is all!"

Now with the whole wardroom watching, and me not known for biting my tongue, I posed a followup question. I asked, "So, XO. You're telling me the pictures of the clothed (in bikinis), beautiful women are offensive, but the missiles tubes on which they are placed, which house up to 10 warheads each, which each are capable of vaporizing over 1 million people instantly are NOT offensive?"

He rapidly replied with, "Mr XXXXX, you have a negative attitude towards nuclear weapons!"

I said, "You're gawdamn right I have a negative attitude towards nuclear weapons! Do you have a positve attitude towards them?"

Before we could heat up any more (and I could get myself in trouble) The CAPT broke in with laughter at the irony on the XOs position and changed the sbject, in a way which made it clear he didn't wan't the argument to proceed any further. The CAPT later told me that he agreed with me but had to acede to the wishes of crewmembers who claimed to be offended.