Strong Spate of South Swell

Since my last - long last - log entry, there has been a week of small south in the 1 to 2-foot range from 180 to 190 degrees at about 14 seconds, a couple of weeks of fat wind swell surf, and a sprinkling of summertime weekend south for the masses. More recently, a solid two weeks of south swell kept things busy just as schools were out (or in for surf schools). During the south swell binge that just ended - last night - the swell ranged from 2 to 3.5 feet at 15 seconds from 180 to 210. To complement the good spate of south swell, the weather lined up clear and sunny. I surfed during the good, bad, and ugly days, trying to gain entry during opportune windows where crowd, swell, and vibe were aligned. Some of you may have seen me a bit frustrated - but I assure you the frustration passed as I repeated a mantra I learned from Charlie - just one good bottom turn. Well, the frustration kinda passed. Maybe I had to go home and burn effigies of all the AHs that continually burned me - as if I deserved it (well - it is possible - karma?). Anyway, I haven't given up hope. Isn't that a large part of what surf is about - hope?

While it seems like I was on blogcation - I really was not. In between long periods of diligent attention to work, I was making notes about the daily chain of events that makes no sense what-so-ever; except maybe to the throng of SPB. And here are those notes.

State and Federal authorities are investigating the shooting of sea lions along the Columbia River. Man versus Nature? No - patriotism. The sea lions were shot as they lay captured in traps. The traps were set by the Feds to remove (or destroy) these freeloading seagoing furbags. See, we can’t have these creatures wreaking havoc on the salmon fishery. If not for them, our fisheries would be teaming with the bounties of the oceans. Fortunately, some astute locals saw through the scam. Terrorists disguised as sea lions were lounging in traps until nightfall, at which time they planned to blow up the Bonneville Dam. These vigilant patriots, always keeping one eye out for suspicious behavior, noticed the sea lions eating helpless salmon climbing the fish ladders. Of course, our patriots knew better. Sea lions are found in the ocean, and there are laws about taking salmon from the Columbia River. So, while the disguised terrorists lay waiting in their lairs, our heroes shot’em up. Good thing too. Can’t do too much driving because of the cost, big and small game are becoming harder to find, and the ammo is getting stale. Nothing like an evening shoot to relax - and saving the nation at the same time. Doesn’t get better than that.

On another wonderful note, my wife noticed the Whitewash’s immediate response to the tragedy in Myanmar. A cyclone ripped through the country killing tens of thousands, demolishing homes, and destroying an already shaky infrastructure. Apparently, the Whitewash would have responded just as quickly to Hurricane Katrina if they had known. They didn’t think hurricanes were as bad as cyclones. You know, alphabetically, hurricane comes after cyclone. It’s all right now.

I listened to a BBC interview regarding stock trading in China. There was a question regarding what local investors used to assess whether or not to buy a stock, and when to sell. The interviewer asked if they considered the price to earnings ratio. No; instead they considered whether the government backed the company. With government backing, the company was likely to succeed, no matter what the price to earning ratio indicated. Between the lines, the interviewer suggested that only with tight government control could a market work this way. I considered what was said and examined our own market. Although we tout free markets and a separation between the private and public sectors, I realized here in the US, it is not much different than in China. For example, consider the military-industrial complex. Military = government. Now examine the performance of one major contractor – KBR - fraud, stealing, lost money, poor performance, and whistleblowers – all buzzwords I heard during recent Congressional hearings. Did KBR lose their contract? No. Did Blackwater lose their contract after murdering civilians? No. There are many others. So, if a company can fuck up so badly, and not lose their contract with the government, then they’ve got government backing. Not only that, they have earnings and a secure stock price; hence, don’t worry about the P/E ratio. China is no different than the US in this respect.

Bush – He and his mates are the definition of tartuffe – a hypocrite who feigns virtue, especially in religious matters.

Listen to US politicians speak at the AIPAC convention and tell me our Foreign policy is not swayed by the Israeli lobby. The US politicians fall over themselves telling the AIPAC venue that the US is Israel’s best friend. I thought a good friend was one who was not afraid to tell the truth. The US is not a good friend to Israel. A good friend would not ignore the history of Palestine, and would not ignore the injustices that occur daily. A good friend would highlight that mistreatment and oppression will only work to institutionalize hatred, frustration, helplessness, and lack of hope - the prime ingredients for acts of violence. A good friend tells it like it is. A good friend looks at the whole story.

Indeed, with AIPAC behind them, even the Israeli politicians are spouting about how they are going to attack Iran because of their supposed nuclear ambitions. The noise level has risen dramatically under the cover of the AIPAC convention. And to solidify our biased opinion, Obama stated to AIPAC, “Jerusalem will not be divided” – meanwhile, Israel continues to illegally build in East Jerusalem. Does the “smoking mushroom cloud” sound like something you’ve heard before? How about giving Israel control over the third most holy site in Islam? Dude, seriously.

A new study shows global military spending has increased by nearly 50 percent over the last decade, with the United States accounting for half the total rise. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says governments spent more than $1.3 trillion on arms and other military costs last year. US spending also accounted for nearly half, at almost $550 billion.

Status of Forces Agreement (Sofa) – treaty to allow US free access to Iraq – period. Sofa – makes it sound like a cushy deal; relax. Hang with the Sofa while the shit hits the fan.

The 574 million acres of federal coastal water that are off-limits are believed to hold nearly 18 billion barrels of undiscovered, recoverable oil and 77 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to the Interior Department. The country each year uses about 7.6 billion barrels of oil and 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. So, essentially we plan on risking our coastal environment for a little over two years of oil.

There you have it. Notes from the field.

Finally, I heard today that Corpgov is upset over the court decision that disallows the military from indiscriminately blasting sonar waves through the ocean column. The problem is that those mammals who call the liquid ether home are subjected to extreme pain and injury. It was described that for humans, it would be like standing next to a Saturn 5 rocket at launching. Corpgov stated the courts world rather protect animals instead of people. Why not? What is the difference between us and those that live in the ocean? And the fires. So many, so soon. We hear about the loss of property - and on a positive note -we haven't heard about loss of live - human life. But what about everyone else who calls the sage brush, manzanita, and forest home? Check the picture out for some perspective.

Last Word - Patriotism, n. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit it is the first. -Ambrose Bierce, writer (1842-1914)  ¶ 5:58 PM