U.S. Coast Guard Regularly Railroads Mariners in Court- Time for a Change

Merchant Mariners involved in any kind of accident are subject to a far more harsh justice system than the rest of America. An accident on a ship these days can land the crew in jail for 'gross negligence' even if it was an honest mistake. The Coast Guard is currently being investigated for its unfair legal practices when dealing with mariners.

Most mariners will never have a serious accident in thier careers, but those that do can expect to spend a lot of time and money defending themselves in court. At the very least most mariners can expect a long suspension and fines from the USCG. Some extreme cases involve long jail sentences- but many not so extreme cases invole the slammer as well. This politician is taking up the side of professional mariners- which is great! I am glad to see a democrat looking out for the people and taking care of our maritime workforce- we are already stretched thin and taxed with union dues, license fees, and tons of crazy regulations.

One might think that the Coast Guard doesn't trust us to navigate the high seas? Well- they should really review their own records before pointing fingers and putting people in jail. I love the Coast Guard and respect their service and dedication- we all appreciate the lives that they save. However, the Coast Guard has a long history of navigation mishaps and probably should not be the governing body prosecuting mariners. Props and Kudos to Representative Elijah E. Cummings- a Baltimore Democrat. Thank you for looking out for our Merchant Marine and realizing how tough we have it in a court of law.

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Preserving the Jones Act - Call Your Representatives

This is a theme I have heard before as a solution to our current labor shortage- the government should provide temporary foreign worker 'visas' for the maritime industry. This has always been something the industry bigwigs have kicked around when labor was running low. Why pay American workers more when you can pay 3rd world workers less right? I have seen many many articles on this topic. This is precisely why we have the protections of the Jones Act.


Well, George Bush is pushing the immigration bill- the one that will allow 12million illegals stay and work and draw welfare- and he is pushing really hard since it was rejected earlier this month. This bill is going to dilute the American workforce with low wage earners. Increasing supply of labor and decreasing demand, a flood of aliens that no longer has to work under the table or worry about INS will seek better jobs. Many companies are salivating at that prospect.


I think that the Labor Unions to include the MM&P and every other AFL-CIO member union are doing their membership a diservice by promoting this sort of initiative because it is going to lower the bar for their membership. Suddenly shipping companies will be able to hire cheap immigrant labor when they are given the proposed 'Z visas'. Guess what jobs will be on the chopping block? The ones that Americans aren't willing to do- like going to sea? Ordinary seamen and AB's will be first- then we will see the licensed crew positions taken over as well. It may happen slowly- but it is going to happen if this bill goes through. I heard that the house GOP has introduced a new 'tough' bill today- but I will believe it when I see it (which I haven't).


My advice to anyone who wants to keep American jobs safe-- Go read the bill- it is huge and 70% sounds okay- but 30% is garbage that we can't allow. Like letting illegal aliens that have commited crimes stay in the country and obtain the Z-visas. This is just one of many problems that must be solved. At this point it would be best to oppose this bill outright to keep your birthright safe- and ensure a future for your children.

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The USS Stennis was home to a meeting of the maritime officials and business leaders to explain the role of the Combined Task Force and how it is essential that they work together with the maritime communities to keep trade free and open to all merchant vessels from all nations.
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Stennis Hosts Maritime Law SymposiumMilitary.com - USAAboard USS John C. Stennis -- Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 hosted a maritime law symposium aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) for business leaders while ...See all stories on this topic

Veterans with a sense of humor

I wanted to share a funny picture I got in an email. This is a picture of a WWII veteran - Supposedly at one of Hilary Clinton's speaking engagements.
It would not suprise me if the caption with the picture was true- although I think this man's bullshit protector would be useful around just about any politician these days.

Politically- the Merchant Marine has allies and enemies from both parties. Much of it depends on how much revenue their states see from the seafaring trade. The current debate of House Bill HR23 and Senate Bill 1272 will require us to suffer a great deal of bullshit from many people who do not understand what the Merchant Marine does.

Write to your state representatives to get support for our WWII Merchant Marine Vets.