"Gogarty" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

An interesting comment from someone posing a Coastie. So what would you do
if boaters resisted boarding by presenting arms of their own?

Oh dear. Another one who would (has already) trade liberty for security.

Excuse me? That is a ridiculous statement. I find it outrageous that our
"Coast Guard" finds it either necessary or acceptable to play Rambo on our
waterways. However, I'm not suicidal enough to go up against their automatic
weapons and superior speed and maneuverability.

As I
recall, the boys in the RIBs or even 40 footers had no trouble stopping
and
boarding any one they wished to carrying only side arms, if that. No need
for
an overwhelming dispay of firepopwer.

Yeah, go ahead and call us "gutless" for choosing to remain among the
living.

Gutless does just fine. I never regard a man with a weapon big enough to
blow
away me and my boat as especially friendly. The Coast Guard has and has
always had the resources to deal with any situation concerning smuggling,
people, drtugs, whatever. It's not the Navy and was nedver intended to be.
Now it is part of the incompetent and bloated Department of Homeland
Security
(Gag!). The Coasties were just about the only competent people during
Katrina
or almost any other natural catastrophe that has fallen in to its purview.
They didn't need two mounted machine guns on an outboard-driven RIB to do
that. The nature of people and big weapons is that one day there will be a
misunderstanding between the crew of a yacht and an armed RIB and people
will
die.


And everyone who doesn't die is gutless. Right.

I think that since cigarette smugglers carry mac10s, the coasties are
smart to discourage their use, even their carriage, by exhibiting a
couple of .50s. I just hope they don't point them at me while I am
trying to explain what "heave to" means.

Smuggling smokes is one thing, smuggling aliens or terrorist bombs is
another. Targets have a responsibility to defend themselves.

Be reasonable and polite, these guys will not long enjoy boarding
CL18s to check for pot under the porta pottie, and will revert to
their previous gainful employment. Who wants to boat amongst such a
crowd as to bait enforcers?

I hope they catch every drunk out there, and I hope their bosses catch
on to the fact that soft soles are cheaper and safer on boats. I get a
kick out of watching town cops in RIBs with parade shoes trying to act
like experienced sailors, on lookout for beer bottle ******* and wake
offenders and I am glad to see them out there, giving tows and free
gas to those idiots who need it. It's also fun to hear them bellow
"Heave to!" to 16 foot power boats. I can't wait until some dummy to
windward tells me to do so in my 29' sailboat. I will immediately
round up into him to backwind the jib and then go to court if we
collide. After all, I am obligated to obey peace officers, no?

It seems sad to me to think that rock concerts have better security
than airliners, let alone toy boats. Where is this so-called threat?
With the WMDs?

Terry K