3.14.2006
Cold Rain and Snow
The windows of surf have been sprinkled in between what have become routine storms. I surfed Second Bowl on Wednesday and got some fun ones before daycare got out. Saturday began with off-shores and the best conditions seen in a while. The masses were on it, 49 Steps looked fun and the rippers were ripping. I decided to go out once the sideshore wind was on it. Better late than never. I actually got some fun low tide waves at Tiburones. Same for tonight. As one Steps lad put it, "it's better than cleaning the house again." The highlight of the week was surfing Saturday, the coldest day of the year. The night before raged - lightening, thunder, and up to marble-sized hail falling from the sky. The summit was closed due to snow. It looked like it had snowed on Saturday morning - the hail was piled up at least two inches thick in some places. The water was coold and the wind was cooooooolder, but there was surf. I hope the forces of nature remember that Spring starts Monday. Many infoitems caught my attention recently, here's a few. Under a deal between the White Wash and Repugnants on the Senate Intel committee, a new set of rules for domestic spying were developed - essentially, the rule of law which Repugnants and Dumbocrats cling too was side stepped by creating a new law and applying it retro. There would be no investigation and no consequences for breaking the 1978 law against domestic spying without a warrant. Yes, we are all held equally accountable to the rule of law. For me, this action proves the Exec broke the law and overstepped its Constitutional authority. Next up, further proof that when the spy idiots fuck up, you may be the one to pay. This ties right in with the "why should you mind if they spy on you, unless you are doing something wrong?" crowd. The FBI mistakenly nabbed an Oregon lawyer for being a terrorist. They linked him to the 2004 Madrid train bombing by erroneously matching his fingerprint to fingerprints found on a bag of detonators. How did they do it? First, the poor bastard's fingerprints were somehow in the FBI's super duper computer because he got caught stealing when he was a teenager. Gee, I thought those files were sealed away. Next, the super duper computer and some highly motivated FBI experts wrongly matched the prints. While the Feds stated the Oregonians religious preference had nothing to do with his being linked to the bombing, the FBI indicated that additional evidence included the lawyer's attendance at a local mosque, his advertising in a magazine published by a man suspected of having links to terrorism, and a telephone call made by his wife to a local Islamic charity with suspected terrorist ties. The FBI broke into his house without his knowledge (Patriot Act) and dug around. The family suspected foul play when they found the wrong door lock bolted and footprints on the carpet that didn't match those of the family. You trust these idiots? The FBI came back, rifled through the house, and took just about everything - including some "Spanish documents", apparently Spanish homework from one of the kids. The guy also spent two weeks in jail. Finally, it was realized a mistake was made - oh well, sorry. To close, an example that shows the mass media lets you hear only what the big wigs want you to hear. Did you know that the largest oil spill that ever occurred on Alaskan soil happened on Saturday? 267,000 gallons (so reported) from a corroded pipeline settled in on the tundra in the northern tip of Alaska by Prudhoe Bay - right around the corner from ANWR, where nothing will happen to the Caribou or other wildlife when we start drilling and producing there. The funny thing about this story was I couldn't find mention of it in any US mass media outlets on Saturday. Why was this information being kept from the masses? Would people believe that drilling in ANWR is a bad idea? SBP only knows what it sees on FOX, and they didn't see oil on tundra. Is there a connection between major oil and corporate mass media? Linked interests? Industrialmilitary complex? Huh, what connection? A word about the photo. Anyone who was checking the surf on Big Monday, Feb 2006, probably noticed a boat cursing out past the kelp beds - way out. The boat was easily about 100 feet long and the freeboard and tower height was 20 to 30 feet. We watched as the boat dipped in between swells and just about disappeared. The swell was showing size Hawaiian style. Matt caught a picture of said boat as it dipped.
Whoever imagines himself a favorite with God holds others in contempt. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899)