The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Senator DeMint Invokes John Paul Jones

Posted on | March 23, 2010 | 11 Comments

by Smitty

The Battle of Flamborough Head is an important one for partiots in this dark hour, 231 years later. Serapis was the Royal Navy vessel, and the Bonhomme Richard was captained by Jones.

Commodore Jones, accepting that if he could not use the 18-pounders he could not win a gun-fight, quickly adopted a policy of trying to grapple and board his opponent. Pearson’s crew spotted the change, and adapted rapidly, using the superior maneuverability of Serapis to keep out of reach, while continuing to bombard the slower ship. On one occasion though, according to the later recollection of First Lieutenant Richard Dale, the Bonhomme Richard’s bow ran into Serapis’ stern and, with neither side able to take advantage of the situation, Captain Pearson cheekily asked the punning question, “Has your ship struck?”. Dale reports Jones’s reply as, very simply, “I have not yet begun to fight!

Senator DeMint invoked this seminal event in US and US naval history today after the highly economical 20 pen signing ceremony.

“I hope you feel as I do, that we have not yet begun to fight.”

I predict that the President’s sordid breech abortion is only going to get uglier as it goes along. How in the world is it signed into law and then these clowns are going to work on the reconciliation of the Senate and House bills? At what point does today’s icing on an unbaked cake appear the lousiest political mess of all time? Today? Next week? Election day?

Palate cleanser:
No, Senator DeMint was not invoking that John Paul Jones, though here he is with his latest project, Them Crooked Vultures, doing “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I” with a truly monstrous slide bass:

Comments

11 Responses to “Senator DeMint Invokes John Paul Jones”

  1. Joe
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 9:17 pm
  2. Joe
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 4:17 pm
  3. smitty
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 9:36 pm

    @Joe,
    What exactly are you trying to say? 😉

  4. smitty
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 4:36 pm

    @Joe,
    What exactly are you trying to say? 😉

  5. rod stanton
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 10:11 pm

    That fight was won by USMC. Both Navies had their Marines up in the rigging trying to kill the others. (BTW for 200 years before this Royal Marines were the best and most feared warriors in the world). We developed a technique which allowed us to shoot more times per man than the Royal Marines. We split up in fire teams. The best killer of each team did all the shooting. The other 2 men cleaned and reloaded the weapon. Their Marines each shot, cleaned and reloaded their own guns. By the time we were ready to board we were no longer outnumbered 2:1 but only 3:2. When we boarded we showed them not only were we smarter than they – but better killers as well. Which before this fight no one would have believed possible.

    The battle was won by USMC sharp shooters and they by Jarheads killing more in hand-to-hand combat.
    This all reproved the old Scotch folk saying that Dandy Don repeated so many times on Monday nights 40 years ago
    “Tis nay the size of the dawg in the fight
    tis the size of the fight in the dawg!”
    We proves here that no one has more fight
    in him than an American Marine!
    This applies to today’s GOP. Liberals and collectivists out number conservatives. But if the conservatives will fight to kill they can win.

  6. rod stanton
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 5:11 pm

    That fight was won by USMC. Both Navies had their Marines up in the rigging trying to kill the others. (BTW for 200 years before this Royal Marines were the best and most feared warriors in the world). We developed a technique which allowed us to shoot more times per man than the Royal Marines. We split up in fire teams. The best killer of each team did all the shooting. The other 2 men cleaned and reloaded the weapon. Their Marines each shot, cleaned and reloaded their own guns. By the time we were ready to board we were no longer outnumbered 2:1 but only 3:2. When we boarded we showed them not only were we smarter than they – but better killers as well. Which before this fight no one would have believed possible.

    The battle was won by USMC sharp shooters and they by Jarheads killing more in hand-to-hand combat.
    This all reproved the old Scotch folk saying that Dandy Don repeated so many times on Monday nights 40 years ago
    “Tis nay the size of the dawg in the fight
    tis the size of the fight in the dawg!”
    We proves here that no one has more fight
    in him than an American Marine!
    This applies to today’s GOP. Liberals and collectivists out number conservatives. But if the conservatives will fight to kill they can win.

  7. smitty
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 10:16 pm

    @Rod,
    Just so long as Dandy Don’s other famous bit applies to the OTHER side, not the GOP.

  8. smitty
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 5:16 pm

    @Rod,
    Just so long as Dandy Don’s other famous bit applies to the OTHER side, not the GOP.

  9. Lipton T. Bagg
    March 24th, 2010 @ 12:08 am

    Hey, what gives? 20 pens, and he could not sign the “Inter-Uterine Proclamation”? Was anyone surprised beside Bart?

    I hope Rep. Stupek (now officially Stupid?!)liked the taste of that.

  10. Lipton T. Bagg
    March 23rd, 2010 @ 7:08 pm

    Hey, what gives? 20 pens, and he could not sign the “Inter-Uterine Proclamation”? Was anyone surprised beside Bart?

    I hope Rep. Stupek (now officially Stupid?!)liked the taste of that.

  11. ~ Obama’s Disregard For the U.S. Constitution: How He Does It, and Why « Critical Political Thinking
    March 24th, 2010 @ 4:59 pm

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