AMERICANA / OUR LATEST NATIONAL DISGRACE

 Spoken by Joseph N. Welch, the chief counsel for the U.S. Army during the Army–McCarthy hearings in 1954. He said it to Senator Joseph McCarthy during a nationally televised exchange that marked the beginning of McCarthy's public downfall.

Stripping Harvey Milk’s Name from a Navy Ship Is an Unforgivable Betrayal 

By Thomas Shess, Jr., founder of PillartoPost.org daily online magazine--There are moments in American history that reveal our character—not through what we build, but through what we tear down. The recent decision by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to strip the name of Harvey Milk from a U.S. Navy replenishment oiler is one such moment. 

Announced during Pride Month, no less, the move feels less like a policy shift and more like a personal rebuke—a calculated slap in the face to every gay citizen who has ever worn the uniform, served with honor, or died under our flag. This is not just a name being removed from a ship. This is a family throwing out one of its own. It’s Thanksgiving dinner with an empty chair where a son or daughter once sat—banished not for what they did, but for who they are. 

 Harvey Milk was a Navy veteran. He served this country during the Korean War. He was later forced out because he was gay—yet he continued to serve the American ideal in ways far deeper than military rank. As one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States, he stood for dignity, inclusion, and courage in the face of prejudice. 

Naming a ship in his honor in 2016 wasn’t just symbolic—it was redemptive. 

It said: You belong. We remember. We are better now. 

 And now? Now we erase? To rebrand this as part of a campaign to “re-establish warrior culture” is a hollow argument that rings with cowardice. 

The U.S. military is strongest when it reflects the full spectrum of the nation it defends. Courage is not defined by conformity. It is tested in the fight for equality. A band of brothers does not abandon its own on the battlefield. 

To strip Harvey Milk’s name from this vessel is to leave a brother behind. 

 Shame on us for allowing it. Let us not pretend this is merely a bureaucratic re-naming. This is an erasure of service, sacrifice, and legacy. 

It dishonors not only Harvey Milk but every LGBTQ+ veteran and service member who ever stepped forward when others stood back. We owe them more than silence. We owe them truth—and a place at the table. 

 The name must be reinstated. And an apology must follow. Only then can we begin to steer back toward the ideals we so loudly claim to uphold. 

What does the word Christening mean to you?

Hate took Harvey Milk's life.  As a nation are we so awash in hatred that we remove a veteran's name from a ship honoring him?  This single act anoints every slur our enemies around the world spew about the United States of America. Mea Culpa.

RETRO FILES / DID PICASSO HEIST THE MONA LISA

PillartoPost.org original illustration by F. Stop Fitzgerald.

Pablo Picasso was indirectly involved in the aftermath of the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre—but he was not responsible for the theft itself. 

Here's what happened: 

• In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman who believed the painting belonged in Italy. 

• During the investigation, the police arrested Guillaume Apollinaire, a poet and art critic who had once publicly called for the Louvre to be burned down (as part of an artistic manifesto).

 • Apollinaire implicated Pablo Picasso, his friend, who was then questioned by French police. Why Picasso was questioned: 

• Years earlier, Picasso and Apollinaire had purchased stolen sculptures (Iberian heads) that had also been taken from the Louvre by a thief named Géry Pieret, who was connected to their artistic circle. 

• Fearing prosecution, Picasso returned the stolen sculptures anonymously. 

• Picasso was never charged, and both he and Apollinaire were cleared of any involvement in the Mona Lisa theft. 

Conclusion: 

So yes, Picasso was briefly entangled in the investigation, but he had nothing to do with the actual theft of the Mona Lisa. The association is more a curious footnote in art history than a credible accusation. Whew!

MEDIA MONDAY / SCREAMING FOR ATTENTION:

Illustration exclusive to PillartoPost.org via F. Stop Fitzgerald

 📰 Top Media & Journalism Blogs  

In this era of fractured attention and diminished legacy media, a new media revolution is underway. The old guard no longer holds the floor—independent voices, niche platforms, and rebel journalists are shouting to be heard. Their headlines compete with memes, algorithms, and noise, but many rise above with clarity, courage, and context.  

Here are just a few standout media and journalism sources doing the job with grit and focus—bringing us fresh perspectives on the news, digital culture, and the business of journalism. Each includes a direct link so you can hear their voices firsthand. 

 🧭 Journalism & Media Industry Voices 

🗞 The Poynter Report Daily journalism insights and ethics commentary from the Poynter Institute. 🔗 https://www.poynter.org/subscribe-to-the-poynter-report 

🧠 The Media Today – Columbia Journalism Review A smart, skeptical look at the media from inside the industry. 🔗 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today 

📝 Substack A publishing platform powering today’s independent journalists and opinion writers. 🔗 https://substack.com 

🏛 The Bulwark Center-right commentary that pushes back against extremism while critiquing modern media. 🔗 https://www.thebulwark.com 

📱 The Verge Covers the intersection of tech, media, and digital society with journalistic edge. 🔗 https://www.theverge.com 

🎭 Boing Boing Irreverent, weird, and wonderful—an OG media blog with cultural bite. 🔗 https://boingboing.net 

🔎 Digg Curated headlines, viral media, and digital culture updates with taste. 🔗 https://digg.com 

 📈 Social Media & Marketing Intelligence 

📊 Buffer Blog Transparent and research-based social media strategy tips. 🔗 https://buffer.com/resources 

📉 Sprout Social Insights Trends, analytics, and engagement techniques from a pro-grade platform. 🔗 https://sproutsocial.com/insights 

🎯 Social Media Examiner Practical how-tos for marketers and small business social managers. 🔗 https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com 

📣 Hootsuite Blog News, tools, and global trends for staying social-media savvy. 🔗 https://blog.hootsuite.com 

💡 Landingi Blog Landing page strategy and digital marketing conversion tips. 🔗 https://landingi.com/blog 

Times like these when traditional media is fading and digital voices are multiplying, these blogs cut through the clutter. They inform, challenge, and provoke in ways the old networks no longer dare. Bookmark them. Subscribe to them. Support them. Because the real media revolution is happening right now—and it’s not on cable. 

*WHY SERIES / ONCE AND FOR ALL / JUNE GLOOM EXPLAINED IN SAN DIEGO

 

PillartoPost.org and San Diego Padres Baseball Club

If you’ve spent a spring or early summer in San Diego, you’ve seen it. You’ve felt it. And maybe, you’ve unfairly blamed yourself for not getting out of bed. It’s not you—it’s June Gloom. 

Every year, just as beach season seems to be ramping up, San Diego throws us a meteorological curveball. Instead of sunny skies, we get a blanket of dull, gray cloud cover that settles in over the coast and sticks around for most of the morning. 

Sometimes, it even lingers until afternoon. But what exactly is June Gloom, and why does it happen with such frustrating precision? Here’s the science: it’s all about the marine layer. 

During late spring and early summer, the Pacific Ocean is still relatively cold from winter. As inland temperatures rise with the season, the contrast between warm inland air and the cold ocean surface creates a temperature inversion—a layer of cool air trapped under warmer air. 

This inversion caps the marine layer, a shallow pool of cool, moist air that develops over the ocean and pushes inland overnight. Come morning, coastal areas like La Jolla, Mission Beach, and even downtown San Diego wake up under a leaden gray sky. 

It’s not rain. 

It’s not fog. 

It’s just an unbroken ceiling of blah. 

Meteorologists sometimes call it “May Gray,” and when it overstays its welcome, it becomes “No-Sky July.” 

But June Gloom is the name that stuck, probably because it arrives right when San Diegans are craving their annual postcard summer. 

The good news? It usually burns off by early afternoon, especially as the desert air heats up and pulls that marine layer back out to sea. And if you drive just a few miles inland—past the I-5 corridor or up into the hills—you’ll often find sun much earlier. 

So next time the gloom settles in, don’t fret. It’s not a bad omen. It’s just the ocean doing what it’s always done. And around here, we’ll take a moody morning over a humid summer meltdown any day. 

* WHY? is a series exclusive to PillartoPost.org.  Illustration by PillartoPost.org.