Doldrums

We are in the midst of another week of the doldrums. The cattle drive is over, and it's time to go into town for some razing. Some days it's so bad, you can't even get the glide on. Of course, I've heard of some local travels that turned up a couple of waves, but the price of fuel puts a damper on travel. Before the doldrums set in, we had a good string of south swell days complete with great weather and good tides. I surfed the Steps, Segundo Bol, and Tiburones - as did all my friends. No graphic altercations, several close calls, and plenty of DYSM. As I sat between sets during one session - on some days the wait was 20 minutes or more - and counted the mass number - I realized I could account for the LB session in terms of linear feet. Indeed, on one day I counted up at least 300 feet of LB clogging up Tiburones. Instead of critical mass, I'm talking in terms of critical length.

As I retrace my steps down to the Point, to work, and back home, others are treading new footpaths. A friend sent the pic of a recent trip.

It was also interesting to watch the internet swells show up - maybe not at the Point, but surely in the traffic, parking lots, and en mass. Thank Dog for the internet. Swells predicted, plans are made - must surf - must surf - must surf. Still - I love summer.

Notes From the Field.
It has happened in this country. For one reason or another, a person flips – mows down a teacher, lover, coworker – we have a saying regarding the situation - “going postal”. Usually, the misguided temporally insane individual takes his or her own life. Other times, they end up in prison – or death row. Recently, a Palestinian went “postal” and drove his bulldozer into cars, buses, and people. It was a tragedy for those who suffered injury or worse. He killed three Israelis. The event occurred in the Israeli-held portion of Jerusalem. What separates the Israeli incident from the US version is the government response. Like I said, in the US, if the perpetrator lived – it world be prison or death row. In the Israeli case, the perpetrator was killed on the spot; but that’s not enough. Israeli politicians are asking for the home district of the perpetrator to be cut off from the rest of Jerusalem. Additionally, they want residents of the district be stripped of their Israeli ID cards, they want the wall to be moved to cut the district off, and they want the home of the perpetrator, where a wife and children are left, to be demolished. Would that go over in the US? If this kind of collective punishment occurred anywhere else in the world, would the US protest?

“I am greatly concerned about the chilling effect that compliance with the committee's subpoena would have on future White House deliberations and White House cooperation with future Justice Department investigations," Mukasey wrote Bush. J H C! You’re got to be kidding me. Shouldn’t our elected leaders, our government, be chilled? That’s the point of transparency. The whole kit and caboodle should be worried anytime they break the law – just like the rest of us. And how do we know? - Transparency. They should be looking over their shoulders when they act in a way contrary to our interests. Chilled – seriously chilled.

“If rockets were raining down on my house, where my two daughters sleep, I would do anything I could to stop the rockets” – BO in Israel. Makes sense, but that’s not what’s happening. “Anything” is not happening – selective action is happening. Negotiation is not happening. Fair exchanges are not taking place. Humanity – on both sides – is not happening. Violence reduction is not happening. The elimination of oppression is not happening. “Anything I could” is restricted to military solutions, human degradation, collective punishment, isolation, and bigotry. It’s ironic that a black man, whose ancestors and comrades in SA suffered under oppression, accepts the suffering and oppression faced by Palestinians on a daily basis.

I didn’t say it – a BBC post from a world citizen ----Re: Obama backs Israel? Palestinian leaders need to adhere to international law? By far the biggest violator of international law in the entire world is Israel: extra judicial assassinations, routine torture, building a wall on someone else's land, attempting to annex territory acquired by war, transferring its civilian population to occupied territory, using human shields, firing artillery into civilian neighborhoods, denying Palestinians the right to freedom of movement...the list goes on.

Israel says it’s not going to negotiate the fate of Jerusalem until next year. Of course, the fate of Jerusalem is one of the cornerstones of any Palestinian solution. Face it – Islam’s connection to Jerusalem is just as strong as that of Judaism. Israel’s decision coincided with another demolition of a Palestinian residential building in East Jerusalem. Israeli officials say the owner hadn’t obtained the proper permits. Israel has demolished hundreds of Palestinian homes over the last decade. And we gripe about red tags. Just imagine Santa Cruz County bulldozers razing your house on a permit issue.

U.S. total operable refining capacity per day = 17,593,847 barrels => utilization = 88% - 10,000,000 barrels per day import, 5,000,000 barrels per day domestic production – 21,000,000 barrels per day US consumption - U.S. Motor Gasoline Consumption = 9,286,000 barrels/day (390 million gallons/day) - adding more oil to the numbers does not work out to more gasoline and lower prices. But what motivation does Big Oil have to increase refining capacity? Supply and demand favors the status quo. Note that last quarter ExxonMobile posted the largest profit for any corporation in history. Drill? A good election sidebar - and since most of the country does not live next to the ocean - fuck it.

The Olympics suck. A glutfest of digme videos. I'm over it.

Well, I'm sure the natives are restless, with no swell and all. And at the first sign of waves, the word "packed" just won't describe the mayhem. But count me in.

The US government's mission statement was set down in the Constitution by the Founding members. I think it's a good place to start when evaluating a candidate for a government office - like president. So - please read.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. -Patrick Henry, revolutionary (1736-1799  ¶ 12:14 AM 0 comments

 

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 1 comments

 

Anyway

It's been lightdays since my last post, and mainly its because I've been busy at work. After composing for hours on some work product, my concentration for posting evaporates. Plus, the stuff I write for work is enough to turn one to stone. An example:

"In accordance with the sampling procedure, a drill rod will be driven to the target sample depth using direct push technology. The lead drill rod will be equipped with a PRT adaptor that will allow soil gas sampling . The sampling procedure will entail drawing a soil gas sample through an expendable point holder, the PRT adaptor, sample tubing, and into a sample manifold. The sample manifold will be outfitted with stopcock valves, vacuum pressure gauges, a one-liter Summa® sample canister, and a six-liter Summa® purge canister. Initially, the Summa® canisters will be at a vacuum pressure of 15 inches of mercury (inHg). The sampling manifold will be pressure tested and approximately three volumes of gas will be purged from the manifold and boring prior to sampling. During sampling, 2-propanol will be used as a tracer to test for leaks. This is accomplished by placing gauze soaked with 2-propanol along the drill rod, and around valves, joints, and pressure regulators"

Wake up - look at the pic, and snap yourself out of the stupor you were falling into. Indeed, hours upon hours of such drivel. What about surf. Well, I've been somewhat lucky finding "the illusive window" that opens as tide, wind, swell, and humanity come into alignment and create relatively open waist- to head-high walls at Primero Bol and Segunda Bol. A few trips to Tiburones have paid off, but sometimes its seems like the masses have converged on the bullet train right without having a ticket. And how about the water temperature - a balmy 49F. Combined with the wind and extra long wait for waves, the chill factor definitely played a role in my sessions. Ultimately, we are still waiting for the first solid south swell of the southern hemisphere season. And some warmer water.

The prezican campaigns are getting into the middle innings, and the slime is beginning to ooze out from the under the podiums. It's true, I am concerned about what a candidate will do after attending church sessions where ravings may be heard between bouts of deep sleep. Or what a possible prezican will do when he finds himself alone, with no one nudging him in the ribs to remind him of the facts. And who's going to answer the phone at 3:00 am? It's all one can do to get a pants suit on. In the end, if you listen close, you will hear nothing - not even a harmony - just the same note blending into the shallows of SPB.

On the world stage I heard an interesting quote from the Israeli Defense Minister's spokesperson. Regarding the Gaza situation, it was stated, "It's unacceptable that people in Sderot are living in fear every day and the people in the Gaza Strip are living life as usual." What is life as usual? Mass retribution, travel closures, shortages of food and other goods. Fuel and electricity - maybe. Cooling, refrigeration, and clean water - maybe. Air attacks, armored bulldozers, tanks, incursions, your house gone, your children gone - hot, hungry, and alone. Low tech bottle rockets are unnerving, a risk to life and property, and indiscriminate. But what has been the damage? Low tech rockets are definitely not the way to move the situation forward, but with no outlook on going forward, the reaction is no surprise. The heavy-handed, unbalanced response from the Israeli government has no payoff except to perpetuate the situation. While the pundits in the States dis President Carter as an old fool, I'm glad he's old enough not to give a shit. He's over there trying to get people talking. Rejecting violence and instead taking up the mantle of negotiation - fair negotiations. Not someone sitting on your chest dictating terms. Thats real - something the Whitewash has no sense of.

Last Word
The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there. -Yasutani Roshi, Zen master (1885-1973)  ¶ 8:35 PM 1 comments

 

Falling Off The Cliff

Just like falling off a cliff , just like a steep tide change, it seems winter is plummeting into spring. Not long ago we had a big winter storm and victory at sea; now we've got those beautiful days that usher in spring. And the surf has been non-stop. I've heard several of the boyz complain (brag) about how tired they are, or lament about how many consecutive days they've spent in the water. Not a bad thing. Surf at the Steps has ranged from solid overhead to waist high, and for the most part, tides have been cooperative. Speaking of cooperative, both surf and tide combined to create great conditions for the Valentine's Massacre. I came down to watch as some great surfers hopped on some 30-year old rockets and ripped the Steps. Ya know - 30 years ago I don't think the boyz quite rode the boards of the day like they do now. Although use of the Steps for weekend contests is out of hand, the Massacre provided some solid entertainment. Surprisingly, we've even had some early south in recent days, and Tiburones showed signs of coming back to life after the winter hibernation. A couple days ago, I surfed some solid south walls - it even brought JH down from Bol Segundo.

Know which presidential candi you want to vote for yet? The choices are slimming down - war or war. Speaking of which, I read the US just launched a new warship partly constructed of steel from the World Trade Center. Seriously, it makes me ill. Are we so small minded and void of creativity that we can only focus on fear, revenge, and power. I would have been happy to hear about some use that promoted world peace - the first of a fleet of floating hospitals we would operate to promote peace through increasing the quality of life for ourselves and others by addressing things like malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and water borne disease. It's obvious that bringing populations to their knees does not build good will, promote world citizenship, or increase the quality of life for anyone. I use the concept of "quality of life" because it was an economic term I learned about while in school that served to convey the concept of a perfect economic condition - a relationship where both parties engaged in a transaction equally increase their quality of life. It does not seem to me the US leadership is interested in optimum.

Well, today's news suggests that the Bush legacy-push with regard to peace between Palestinians and Israel has evaporated. Too bad. He'll just have to be known for lying the US population into war, breaking the law and trying to retroactively make his indiscretion lawful, the clusterfuck called New Orleans, reversing the health-based policy regarding arsenic in water, selling off our public parks to oil and gas exploration and associated environmental degradation, using anti-science to silence the discussion regarding global warming, diverting public funds into the war machine instead of investing in the US, making torture acceptable, generally acting like the idiot he is, and erasing the separation of powers that makes our nation unique. Wow! And there's more.

The featured photo shows Capitola getting some swell.

A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side. -Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE)  ¶ 6:48 PM 1 comments

 

Mandolin Wind

The mandolin wind blows in the morning, but by 10:00 the winds hit their normal pattern, and for the most part, there have been plenty of waves since I last checked in. A great west swell showed just today - but that's not it. Surf today was thinking about a beautiful day, fresh air, bottom turns, friends faces, talk story, pack-it-in life. I'm feeling for Paul - aka "Hot Dog" and his loss. His father passed young in years- no warning - a sneaker set. And just minutes after I hear the news, my father calls and tells me about heart trouble, hospital, stints, and everything is fine. Thats why I did more than just surf today. Tomorrow's not a sure thing, but sometimes I forget. Sometimes it's a freight train of news that wakes me from my stupor - hits me hard. I know something about loss, and every time someone I know suffers a loss, I do too. Just a little bit more each time, because I don't think I will ever get over missing those I love, those that have gone before me. I'm sorry Paul.

I don't have much room for anything else - no rant today. Just be thankful, breathe deeply, surf hard, and enjoy it all - everything.

Life consists in what a man is thinking of all day. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)  ¶ 10:34 PM 1 comments

 

It's a Beautiful Day

Not the band, the day. The first day of 2008 was beautiful and was equal to any summer day - including the lack of surf. The surf not withstanding, I sat on the beach for awhile and soaked in the winter sun. Saw the Fin Hunter combing the upper edges of the tide pools and ran into a couple of Bros spending family time at the juxtaposition of sea and sand. Leading up to the new year I scored some fun surf at the Steps and Tiburones. The swell kicked in, dissipated, and reappeared. Day before yesterday I caught the Steps waist to head high with off shores grooming the lines. I went out in the late afternoon and surfed until dark - a beautiful sunset introduced the celestial sphere. At the end, four were left - Peter and a friend of Peter's on thrusters, me on the quad, and Heday on his fish. As we left the beach a set pushed through - looked like Rights at the Ranch. Thought I would try to repeat on New Year's Eve, but no dice - El Viento Diablo scalloped what would be solid chest to head high lines into close-out junk. It didn't stop Hot Dog.

I look forward to a great year, clean surf and a spirit to match. We have so much; how fortunate for us? Beyond the mountains - so much shit. The prezicans going off and the rest of the globe going through growing pains while an abusive step father looks to control every move. Corpgov recently got permission to consolidate their holdings on media - thereby assuring more control over what the masses hear and see. At a time when education is so important, and must be delivered at accelerated pace to keep up with the times, SPB will be left with a minimum of providers who will look to the bottom line before they serve the interests of the people - and remember - they will be using a public resource to get their propaganda out to the masses. Also keep in mind, there is only Corpgov - not just corporations and not just government - privatization rules.

Let's take it back to the basics - the mission statement for Corpgov - and see how they measure up. To form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity -
Establish Justice - prisons overloaded via the drug war, warrantless spying, held in captivity without charges, torture, preemptive war - others?
Domestic Tranquility - does the current tax system and pay structure contribute to general tranquility - does working all the time and worrying about the next day figure into your idea of tranquility? I'm fortunate - most are not.
Common Defense - doesn't mean starting and fighting foreign wars based on resource acquisition and cultural differences. Nor does it mean spending vast sums of money at the expense of the other elements of the mission statement.
Promote General Welfare - Medical expenses and health insurance - need I say more?
Secure the Blessings of Liberty - Some can afford to do this - I am thankful for the chance.

Our Supreme Father Prez is now attempting to shore up his legacy - good luck. A cartoonist laid his own plan - Bush's grave mustn't become a gathering place for extremists; therefore, Bush's DNA must be destroyed so it can never be cloned. First his carcass must be reduced to millions of tiny bits, the pieces must be dissolved in boiled holy water mixed with cloves of garlic and silver pellets. The residue will be smeared on the pope's crucifix, exposed to the Dali Lama's crystal eye, and wrapped in the Prophet's cloak. Then, it will be shot into the sun - no, he could pollute our sun, the source of life in the soloar system - send him to Alpha Centauri.

Last Word
Be good and you will be lonesome. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)  ¶ 8:23 PM 1 comments

 

The Solstice Approaches

It's the middle of December, and I'm looking forward to the solstice. The days are getting shorter- but soon the days will be getting longer. The winter swells have come and gone with no single swell lingering more than a few days. Some of the best have started out over-head from the west-northwest and finished chest-high as the swell direction shifted to the north. When conditions allow, I surf the Steps - a good take-off, fun down the line, and a blast at the finish - Tres Bol. Tiburones continues to work pretty good while the west in the northwest shows, but as the north takes over, the quality falls. Even so, sometimes it has to do. For me, the combination of local pros, kids, and the masses hanging at the fringes makes the wave at the Steps a remote possibility at times. No problem - a few bottom turns at Tiburones and I'm good until the next time. Well - actually more easily said than done.

The day before yesterday, the view from the cliff looked good, but the Steps was already holding saturation at 1:00 pm. It didn't look like many guys, but the crew was skilled and there weren't many waves getting through. I looked down toward Tiburones and saw possibilities. Meager, but possibilities. I suited up and paddled out. With Poncho on the outside, I decided to hang on the edge of the reef and catch the little walls that hugged the reef while moving down into the cove. I caught a few, looked around, and discovered there were over fifteen guys out. There were definitely not enough waves to support the hungry crew - and no chance of feeding the multitude by miracle. I found myself getting grumpy about the situation - foolish.
To save my stoke, I got out and sat on the beach to watch. Soon I was back in the groove of sun and surf. I don't often make the right choice, but this time I left the beach happy.

Yesterday the swell dropped a bit, so I tried the inside at First Peak. Got some fun waves, but the waves were long on shoulder and short on wall. Today, the swell picked up from the north-northwest, and while Segundo Bol was saturated, Tiburones offered some fun bowls. I surfed until dark and followed up with a long hot shower. One thing for sure, over the last couple of weeks the water temperature has been very chilly.

The comments from the last post suggest we have some brainiacs out there ready to opine on the Red Tide. While I tried to hit an emotional nerve, the marine scientists brought reason into the discussion. Indeed, the Red Tide had been swirling around the Bay for months. And it's true that runoff from agriculture and other human endeavors probably provides the nutrients necessary to build the Red Tide bloom. But attacking a point source versus a non-point source is so much more satisfying. You can only point a finger in a single direction. For example, it's much easier for the public to be coerced into hating Arabs or "Terrorists". A single finger pointed in a single direction. No confusion. So much simpler than having to educate people about culture, history, language, social dynamics - and allowing them to come to their own educated conclusions. I'm sure you can come up with your own examples.

Speaking of education - If you can, find and watch "Battle of Algiers", 1965. The story involves the "terrorists" (Algerian Freedom Fighters) battling to push the French colonialists out of Algeria. It's uncanny how the movie mirrors the news of the day concerning Iraq. The movie is done with actors, but it seems like you are watching a documentary - from the terrorists point of view. The story - down to the scenes of the French torturing captured Algerians - could have been depicting our present situation. The movie provides special insight into the whole dynamic, and should be required watching for the whole of Corpgov and the Whitewash. There would be no question about motivations, what constitutes occupation, and what defines torture.

Just a note on government – Size of government - Military Spending

Category; 2006 (in billions of dollars); 2006 percent of federal funds budget
Current Military Spending; 571.6; 28%
Cost of Past Wars; 263.5; 13%
Total military percent - 41%

Health Research & Services; 393.5; 19%
Responses to Poverty; 241.0; 12%
Interest on Non-Military Share of Federal Debt; 211.5; 10%
General Government; 84.6; 4%
Community & Economic Development; 112.1; 5%
Social Programs; 97.7; 5%
Science, Energy, & Environment; 50.8; 2%
Non-Military International Programs; 29.8; 1%

So while the prezcans espouse how they will decrease the size of government in one breath, and go on to state that they intend to increase the size of the military in the other, ask yourself, "what the heck are they talking about?" - "Religion?"

The picture shows the Ranch during the Big December swell. Merry Christmas.

Last Word
Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right. -Laurens van der Post, explorer and writer (1906-1996)  ¶ 8:00 PM 0 comments