Navy To Name Ship After Former AZ Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Harris
at today's ship naming ceremony at the Pentagon
(photo from the Associated Press).

In an interesting statement this week, the US Navy announced that its newest Littoral Combat Ship the USS Gabrielle Giffords. The future vessel, named after the former Arizona congresswoman, will be the 13th in Navy history to be named after a living person. The story appeared in today's online editons of the Washington Post.

Giffords was the congresswoman who was nearly murdered while meeting constituents in Arizona. The incident provoked national outrage and bipartisan concern that "open season" had been declared upon the people's representatives. Some had made emotional linkage with the attempt of Giffords' life and an electoral map used by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in which political opponents across the country were identified with gunsight targets. One of those in the crosshairs was Gabrielle Giffords.