The HMS Cornwall never contested the capturing of the 15 sailors

My previous D-KOS diary was based on the idea that we have not been told the whole story about how Iran captured 15 sailors from the the HMS Cornwall. This diary deals with the real reason why 6 Iranian gunboats got the drop on the British sailors. 6 Iranian gunboats/speedboats armed with machine guns and rocket launchers surrounded the Rubber Inflatable Boats, or RIBs, uncontested because the HMS Cornwall was nowhere near the area.





HMS Cornwall- Rubber Inflatable Boats, RIBs-Lynx mk8 w/missiles

If I was the CO of the Cornwall I would have been sitting an 1/8 mile off the merchant vessel with my 4.5 inch main gun pointed right at him.

And when I saw the Iranian gunboats coming up, I would've manuevered to put the Cornwall between the gunboats and my people in the Zodiacs. I would have gone to battle stations, just so folks could hear the claxons blaring. Both my Lynx mk 8 gunship helo's would have been air borne. I would have told Lt. Chekov to ready photon torpedoes.

I would have swiveled my both Quad Harpoon missile launchers, my 4.5 inch main gun just to make sure the Iranians noticed them, which delivers a message, "My boys got their finger on the trigger pal, you better watch it".

Just to be clear, I have never served. Those who have, might agree with my sense of what the protocals in that environment would be. I'm guessing I got it more right than wrong, in fact more right than the CO of the HMS Cornwall did. I think it goes without saying that if the Cornwall was there, Iran would not have 15 sailors at this juncture.

Why I know the Cornwall was nowhere to be found on that fateful day.

1) Tony Blair said so:

Text of Blair’s remarks on capture of British sailors by Iran:

"...another additional fact: by the time HMS Cornwall knew that our forces had been detained unlawfully by the Iranians, they were in Iranian waters,"

Ah, thats how they got the drop on them, those pesky Klingons had a cloaking device......

Canterbury and Whitstable MP Julian Brazier had a problem:

“If the rules of engagement allow a hostile power to sail into allied waters and kidnap British servicemen and women without a shot being fired, something is going badly wrong."

MP Julian Brazier, the reason the Iranians got off with your people without a shot being fired, is that the HMS Cornwall was not there. The area on the map outlines Iraqi Territorial waters. After the intial news reports, I guessed that the incident took place in the area marked with a solid red line. This area is roughly framed by 2 major outflows of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers enter into the Persian Gulf. Time to take a jaunt over to the Royal Naval briefing on the incident, where the Royal Navy adamantly proclaims the HMS Cornwall was within Iraqi waters.

2) The Royal Navy said so:

MOD briefing shows Royal Navy personnel were in Iraqi waters

"The briefing, at defence headquarters in London, was given by Vice Admiral Charles Style, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff.....who is responsible for providing strategic advice to operational commanders, explained in detail where the Royal Navy personnel were located when they were seized. "On 23 March a boarding team consisting of seven Royal Marines and eight sailors - who were embarked in two of HMS Cornwall's boats - conducted a routine boarding of an Indian flagged Merchant Vessel which was cooperative throughout.


They investigated this vessel after witnessing her unloading cars into two barges secured alongside. Since early March the force has conducted 66 routine boardings. So the one that I'm talking about was entirely routine business, and conducted in a particular area where four other boardings have been completed recently".

"As shown on the chart, the merchant vessel was 7.5 nautical miles south east of the Al Faw Peninsula and clearly in Iraqi territorial waters".

To be truthful, thats not the MOD chart, which is at the Royal Navy link above. I incorporated the nautical mile scale next to the ships location, becuase I didn't believe what the chart was telling me.

The HMS Cornwall was 10 nautical miles from its RIBs,

and in no position to support its 15 sailors.

To us landlubbers, thats nearly 12 miles. The Cornwall did not even have a visual on its sailors. At 32 knots the Cornwall was a good 20 to 25 minutes away, forget about blasting the Iranians to bits, the Cornwall wasn't even in the position to use her hull as a screen, between the Iranian gunboats and the RIBs.

I have been mulling this over in my head for nearly 48 hours. Maybe the rountine of 65 prior boardings lead to sloppy habits. The Cornwall's crew & her CO had gotten lax. Or maybe a Mossad commander (some guy with an eye patch, right?) was on board directing the operation to be sure the sailors were left behind, as bait. All right, joking... But somebody screwed up, Do you think the Captain of the Cornwall will ever make Admiral....

If Iran executes one sailor, I can think of one Royal Navy Captain whose career is toast.

Kearny teacher caught proselytizing in public School

From the ABC website.

Matthew LaClair is the student at the center of attention over the issue of church and state in public schools.

LaClair accuses his history teacher, David Paszkiewicz, of going overboard when it comes to teaching religion in class at Kearny High School.

"He seemed to get nastier and nastier," LaClair said. "So on the third day, I just started recording."

LaClair used a tape recorder in class to listen to the instruction discuss matters like the Big Bang Theory.

Paszkiewicz: The Big Bang Theory is, there was nothing out there, there was no matter. But yet, nothing exploded and created something. Let me give you a clue, guys. If there's nothing there, it can't explode.

Students say that LaClair and others engaged the teacher on religious topics. At the time, Paszkiewicz asked everyone if they were comfortable with the subject matter.

But the instructor did express his views on Noah's Ark.

Paszkiewicz: Moses wrote in 1440 B.C., not that the Earth was created then. You know where I'm going with this?

Student: Were there dinosaurs on Noah's Ark?

Paszkiewicz: Short answer, yes, and it was a problem.

LaClair seemed to lead the debate over heaven and hell.

Paszkiewicz: He did everything in his power to make sure that you could go to heaven, so much so that he put your sin in his own body, suffered your pains for you, and he's saying "Please accept me, believe!" You reject that, you belong in hell.

"I knew there was a line that you don't cross in a public school," Matthew's mother, Debra LaClair said. "And one of them is giving your personal view on religion and politics."

Now 16-year-old Matthew LaClair has reportedly received death threats, and the police are dealing with that. The board of education says that teachers are not allowed to express their personal views on religion in the classroom.

Listen for yourself, Here is the 45 minute MP3 of teacher David Paszkiewicz misusing his position to proselytize biblical fundamentalism (he is a Baptist) in a public school. Thanks to David Kowalski for posting the MP3.

Here is an ABC video of the Febuary Kearny School Board meeting.


Here is video of Paul LaClair speaking on behalf of his son Matthew LaClaire, he's the second speaker:

Click To Play

The BLUE JERSEY folks have been blogging on this issue as far back as "njdem" on Feb 19th, Nick Lento did a follow up on Feb 21st, and the father of the 17 yr old student, Paul LaClair's diary of Feb 26th, Nick Lento then posted some video on Feb 27th.

.

KEARNY, N.J. — Before David Paszkiewicz got to teach his accelerated 11th-grade history class about the United States Constitution this fall, he was accused of violating it.

Shortly after school began in September, the teacher told his sixth-period students at Kearny High School that evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific, that dinosaurs were aboard Noah’s ark, and that only Christians had a place in heaven, according to audio recordings made by a student whose family is now considering a lawsuit claiming Mr. Paszkiewicz broke the church-state boundary.

Matt LaClair

I call upon the Kearny School Board to sever their relationship with the teacher, Mr. Paszkiewicz. As a Youth Pastor Mr. Paszkiewicz may have spent over a decade ingratiating himself with the communities youth, while indoctrinating the same youth with Creationism, and very likely Dominionism. Is the next step a class on how the Universe rotates around the Earth, or a class on how humans can bring on the Rapture?

Frankly I see Mr. Paszkiewicz as an unstable man who should have no contact with any youth in public school. But thats just my opinion. Mr. Paszkiewicz is apparently fine with all of this, because, as John Belushi said in the Blues Brothers movie, he is "on a mission from God".

What was funny at the movies is dead serious stuff in real life. Afterall didn't God tell George Bush to invade Iraq....

Please take the time to attend the Kearny BOE meeting on March 19th in support of the Constitution and the LaClair Family. Bring your friend and family, with poster board signs.
NO DOMINIONISM
NO INTELLIGENT DESIGN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SAVE THE CONSTITUTION
DAVID PASZKIEWICZ BROKE THE LAW


Where:
100 Davis Avenue (The Franklin School)
Kearny
07032
When: 07:00 PM - 10:15 PM

If you are from Essex County please RSVP here:.

If I can make the arrangements, Paul LaClaire will speaking at the Hudson DFA meeting that was rescheduled to wednesday March 14th due to the snow. More TBA.