"mr.b" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 09 Mar 2007 07:44:09 -0500, Roger Long wrote:

Here is the beginning of the end of boating as we know it in the US of
A.

http://www.marinelink.com/Story/Coas...it-206253.html

A large part of the problem rests with a populace that is cultured to
avoid thinking at all times. Why think when you've got cheap beer, NASCAR
and "Fox News"? (sic). It's easier to manipulate the prejudices, biases
and fears of stupid people. It's easy to get them to believe whatever
horse**** the fuhrer wants to substitute for the truth. A scary part for
non-Americans is the degree to which even seemingly smart people in the US
completely swallow, then regurgitate the pap that passes for "truth" in
the former "land of the free". The real question is whether there are
enough "smart" Americans to stop what from the outside looks like a
dangerous slide into facism.

Hey, I've got it! Let's require every boat, regardless of size, to file a
float plan with the Coast Guard, which will issue a "Voyage Permit" for each
trip. Doesn't matter if you're going out to fish for a couple of hours,
daysailing, or cruising for a few days, weeks, or months. Get caught without
your "Papers," and your boat is confiscated and you spend some time in the
pokey, getting pokied.

"Land of the Free" my hind leg. This suggestion may seem far-fetched now,
but I'd about guarantee that something along these lines will be proposed,
and possibly adopted.