Vals Kilmer (like "attorneys general"?)

Dave Wilton dave at WILTON.NET
Tue Mar 28 15:19:04 UTC 2006


Actually, the Coast Guard used to be under the Dept. of Transportation, not
Treasury. And the NHSC is not a uniformed service. The uniformed service is
the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The NHSC is something else
entirely. If you go to the PHS web site, you will see uniforms a plenty
(http://www.usphs.gov/). The PHS is part of the Dept. of Health and Human
Services.

The other uniformed service is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Corps, which is in the Commerce
Department. Like the Public Health Service, they have naval rank and
uniforms.

The government makes a distinction between the "uniformed services" and the
"armed services." There are seven "uniformed services," two of which, the
PHS and NOAA are not "armed services." The "armed services" are, of course,
the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The first four are
in the Defense Department and the Coast Guard is in Homeland Security,
although in time of war it can also operate under the control of the Defense
Department.

--Dave Wilton
  dave at wilton.net

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
James Smith
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 6:31 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Vals Kilmer (like "attorneys general"?)

Not all uniformed branches of the federal government
are in the Dept of Defense.  The Coast Guard was under
the Dept of Treasury until the recent reassignemt to
Dept of Homeland Security.  Likewise, the Nation
Health Service Corp is a uniformed branch of the
government, and the head of NHSC is a general, the
Surgeon General (this is an anomaly as other ranks in
the NHSC follow the pattern of navy rather than army
grades, and the uniforms are patterned on naval
uniforms).  However, the NHSC doesn't make a big deal
of it's military-like organization; if you go the NHSC
web site (http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/), you'll be hard
pressed to find any mention of the military-like
aspects of the organization.


--- Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIO.EDU> wrote:

> The Surgeon General is always addressed as General.
>
> At 01:34 PM 3/27/2006, you wrote:
> >I think the question was about how attorneys
> general are addressed. When
> >Alberto Gonzales appears before congress, is he
> addressed as General
> >Gonzales? I think this happens at least sometimes.
> >
> >-Matt Gordon
> >
> >
> >On 3/27/06 11:43 AM, "Dennis R. Preston"
> <preston at MSU.EDU> wrote:
> >
> > > I guess I don't understand. If he is the
> attorney for general
> > > matters, then he is a "general attorney," just
> like a court martial
> > > is court (N) plus martial (adj) a "military
> court."
> > >
> > > dInIs
> > >
> >
> > >> ~~~~~~~~~~~
> > >> I've no beef with adjectives following nouns, a
> la francais. This still
> > >> doesn't explain why we address this (general
> interest) attorney as
> > >> "General" if it isn't meant as a rank.....?
> > >> AM
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> >
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > >> W stands for >:<  War
> ____Waste___Wiretaps____Witchhunts  >:<
> > >>
> >
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > >>
> > >>
>
------------------------------------------------------------
> > >> The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Dennis R. Preston
> > > University Distinguished Professor
> > > Department of English
> > > Morrill Hall 15-C
> > > Michigan State University
> > > East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
> > > Office: (517) 353-4736
> > > Fax: (517) 353-3755
> > >
> > >
>
------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
>


James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.

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