On Sun, 11 May 2008 16:46:56 +0000, Larry wrote:

Good morning (it is here) Larry,
I always enjoy your postings.

Yes, it would be very easy to sail right inside your ports and waters
without being intercepted. The Coastguard claims the right to
intercept and board any foreign yacht in any waters even many miles
from US territorial waters but I could still take my chances if I were
either an illegal or a terrorist as I don't wear a turban or a
Talliban like beard. I look like a "normal Joe" and thus I never seem
to have any problems with either Customs or Immigration. I used to
have an office within Parliament buildings in Wellington. The powers
that be decided to institute an photo ID security tag system complete
with guards at the doors. I was away when this was put in place and
thus I merely walked briskly past the three security guards carrying
my briefcase with a smile and a cheery "Good Morning" and headed off
down the hall. Amazingly they did not stop me but responded with a
'Good Morning Sir". They had no clue who I was (nobody important).

As an IT worker it was always easy (now getting harder though) to gain
entry to secure office buildings. All you had to do was tailgate
someone with a pass and say something like "Thanks, I left my pass in
my jacket" or simply wait until someone came out and then said much
the same thing. If you look the part, nobody questions you.

Grenada is admittedly need not fear terrorists or illegals but when I
passed through there on my way from Trinidad I anchored in Prickly Bay
amongst the other boats and rowed ashore, walking past the Customs and
Immigration office. I called in and asked for the correct time,
received a reply and wished them a nice day. I was there for 5 days. I
just wanted to try it. I can imagine that, once inside US waters and
mingled with other boats it would be a cake walk to go where I wished,
especially with a BGB US stars and stripes of the size used in car
sales yards (the biggest I have yet to see) quite un-noticed unless I
was stopped by some official on mere chance.

Scarey but frustrating, especially if you are doing all the legal
things. Just doesn't make sense at all.

BTW, I had no idea that the DHS has juristiction over cyclones
activity. This week's New Scientist magazine has an article which
describes the DHS's decision to not try to prevent cyclones from
occurring by such as seeding the clouds with halide but they will try
to steer the cyclone away from places in the USA where it can cause
damage.

Next thing, the Departments of Health, the Treasury and National parks
will come under the DHS aegis. Who knows; Osama and his colleagues may
train European Black Bears as suicide bombers and smuggle them into
Yosemite National Park. From there it is only a few day's wander to
the iconic Golden Gate bridge and another landmark will be destroyed.
Muir Woods is even closer.

Keep up the information regardless of the negativity. That is what
democracy is about - dissent and healthy dialogue and discussion. You
are too young to remember my great uncle Solon. He was the one who was
tasked by the citizens of Athens to change the harsh laws instituted
by Draco where many crimes carried the death penalty. Solon then left
Athens in a self imposed exile for a number of years to prevent the
citizens from trying to get him to change them. The trouble is that
there seems to have grown a 1950's chorus of "un-American" outcries
against those U.S. citizens who rightfully state their minds on
important issues. It is not only the "commies" who brainwash and
indoctrinate their citizens. You and others like you are lucky that
Greece does not export Hemlock juice and there are (currently at
least) no laws against impiety which is how they got my other great
uncle Socrates.

As`an aside, you should know that all Greeks are descended from the
famous ones. My Cretan Grandfather always impressed upon me as a small
child that I was also a direct descendent of Helene (of Troy). Great!
thought I until I started to read and discovered that she was a slut
who eloped with Thesus at the age of 11 or 12 and seduced Paris after
a number of others whilst she was married. I have since altered my
blood-line.

cheers
Peter,

I am truly surprised that neither that little man (Bruce's friend) nor
his kin have salvoed me with the standard "you hate us, don't you"
this time.


Wow...I didn't know about these paper restrictions. What ****es me off,
being on the receiving end of anything bad, is that there is NO GUNBOATS
AT THE HARBOR ENTRANCE! We're never challenged in any way coming in from
sea on sailboats....even if we show no flag. Noone seems to care. You
could sail right up to the City Marina dock, right past the Coast Guard
Base Charleston, with a stolen Russian suitcase nuclear weapon and noone
would say anything to you unless you wanted to rent a slip or you set the
damned thing off. I think you, or anyone in any boat, ought to be
challenged at the SEAWARD end of the jetties! There's NOTHING THERE!
Noone calls you to even see if you speak English (or Spanish, now that
half our population are illegal Mexicans). I've tried to get noticed by
making calls in Farsi and Arabic on Channel 16 and got no response, at
all!....(c; You'd think at LEAST someone would say SOMETHING when you
called for Googoosh (a famous Iranian Pop singer that makes Iranian men's
blood boil) on CHANNEL 16 in FARSI! Nothing, nada....

So, we'll let the bombers in the harbor, probably rent them a slip for
$US100/day ($AU or NZ 50 by now) but only hassle our BEST ALLIES trying
to do the right thing running the paperwork monster. It makes no sense
at all.

Of course, we have a long history of Naval Stupidity, you know. It took
us nearly 3 years to figure out that those were GERMAN U-BOATS sinking
ships and tankers off the SC Coast that NOONE TRIED TO SINK right after
Dec, 1941. We didn't respond to the U-Boat threat, either, making U-Boat
crews just happy as hell for a long time. We wouldn't even put the
DAMNED LIGHTS OUT along the coast so it made it harder to target the
ships against the coastal lights!

We have 5 law enforcement bureaucracies riding around like a bunch of
cowboys in flak jackets disguised as PFDs harrassing local small boaters
inspecting fire extinguishers and whistles and PFDs, but no gunboats
protecting America from the WMDs on the deck of 1000' containerships
until the container is offloaded onto a trailer and driven past the gamma
detectors just as it leaves the port terminal behind a truck.

How stupid the Illuminati Government of the US is.....or are they? They
don't care about US, they care only about THEM and their MONEY.

I'm a little disappointed in Folbot after researching the website. The
"new" Folbots have no sail rigs available, which was a real blast on mine
with its little rudder linkage and fore-aft tiller. Now you have to
worry about the salt water eating the LAWN FURNITURE METALS the damned
frame is made out of. The old Folbots Mr Kissner made were highly-
compressed, laminated wood just like the finest snow skis WERE made of.

$US2000 for a Folbot? They gotta be kidding! Lawn Furniture covered
with seat covers?....(c;