IN THE NAVY:

The British navy's pink carpet (The Japan Times, Feb. 27, 2005)

'Rum, sodomy and the lash" are the words Winston Churchill is popularly credited with using to sum up the traditions of Britain's Royal Navy. (A former assistant has said that Churchill never uttered the famous phrase but wished he had.) Either way, the idea that Her Majesty's naval forces have always been a hotbed of homosexual activity is hardly new. The only thing that has changed over the years is the official response to such activity, which has ranged from a blind eye, to strictly enforced prohibition, to reluctant tolerance and now -- in possibly a worldwide first -- caring solicitude.

Note how the slippery slope tracks precisely with how little sea they have to protect? Now that they're down to just guarding the Thames they can turn them into party boats.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 26, 2005 7:34 PM