Congratulations Coast Guard on One Million Lives Saved!

This is probably one of the best stories I have seen in a long time. All the negative news that we see about the number of people killed in Iraq, the death of Pat Tillman, and the failing conflicts, the military seems to get a lot of negative press these days.

Well, cheer up! The United States Coast Guard is making good news! But, only Maritime Bloggers seem to be covering it. Today I got a message from John Konrad over at gCaptain (http://www.gcaptain.com/) telling me about the landmark story.

Here is the Story from gCaptain
http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/one-million-rescues-by-the-united-states-coast-guard/
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While we were celebrating our numbers and sending you to Robin Storm’s post on recent Coast Guard rescues yesterday the saviors of the sea were reaching their own, much larger, milestone; 1,000,000 Rescues!

In a press release today Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wrote:
“What began as a revenue enforcement agency with a fleet of ten cutters established by Alexander Hamilton more than 200 years ago has evolved into the world’s premiere multi-mission, maritime and military service. It’s fitting that we celebrate the Coast Guard’s 217th birthday this August 4th as we recognize its brave men and women for saving more than 1 million lives over the course of its long and storied history.”

How were the numbers calculated?
The number of lives saved was calculated by the Coast Guard historian’s office through research of logs and records from the Coast Guard, the Revenue Cutter Service, the US Life-Saving Service, the Lighthouse Service and other agencies that eventually became the modern Coast Guard. In addition to tallying the total number of lives saved, the historian’s office has compiled a list of the top ten rescues in the Coast Guard’s history. The list shows the breadth of the Coast Guard’s efforts to save lives in peril on the seas for over 217 years.
Very Impressive, especially considering these heroes do it knowing “Ya gotta go out but nobody said anything about having to come back!”
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Visit my friends at gCaptain and Robin Storm for more great stories!
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WARNING:: CHINESE PRODUCTS=POISON
FICHER PRICE TOY RECALL-- LEAD PAINTED TOYS
One quick note- I just saw on the news that there is another major recall from China. This time? Well this time it is toys that have been painted with toxic paints.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83 types of toys -- including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters -- because their paint contains excessive amounts of lead.

The worldwide recall being announced Thursday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety of Chinese-made products.
Read the whole story here ::::CLICK HERE::::

Our country is open to serious danger just through our own open market. Our supply chain is at risk because of the large number of products we receive from China. If we were to ever have a serious conflict with China, I would not be suprised if they attack us at home through the use of poison in packaged foods and other dangerously defective products.