I was recently asked during a political discussion at a Christmas party if I loved my country, as if advocating for an end to endless war and exploitative capitalism showed a hatred of American values and freedom itself.
My inner response was, “Of course I do.” But I did not say so because I know that it is easy to say anything, but doing takes more effort. So, I told him how during the Vietnam War I discovered that our country was doing a terrible harm to ourselves as well as the Vietnamese people. Because the goal was a continuation of colonialism (French or American), the war was without doubt immoral and a great wrong, so I decided to do everything I could to stop it. I spent almost three years and some months marching across and around the country, demonstrating, sitting in front of draftee buses, speaking, talking, arguing, being attacked, getting beaten, jailed, and jailed for a long time. We even ran an “Underground Railway” to move AWOL soldiers to refuge in Canada.
At first, the American people were solidly in favor of the War, but slowly the truth bested the lies of Johnson, Nixon, and the Pentagon. I don’t know how much our efforts made a difference. I do know that the soldiers over there played a big part in ending the war and the the draft. Still, I would like to think that what I and my fellow resistors did helped end the war.
Now, we no longer have a draft, so the Pentagon does not have the same soldier pressure. Nevertheless, just as then, our war-making and warmongering are wrong and causing great damage to the world and ourselves.
The government (Bush, Obama, Trump, it does not matter) tell us that America promotes peace, democracy, and economic well-being, while their hidden agenda smashes the target countries. Take Afghanistan. After 9/11 some hype was for us to “bomb Afghanistan back to the Stone Age”, not realizing that we had already done that in concert with our Russian and Mujahideen buddies (the jihadists we supported who morphed into the Taliban). American meddling transformed a social democracy into a wasteland, and Afghanistan is still a wasteland, even after billions of dollars have been spent in so-called Reconstruction.
Iraq has not been much better, although we got rid of a dictator that we did not like and replaced him with a dictator we liked.
If we look dispassionately at all the wars we have engaged in since the victory of WW II, the same pattern shows itself. We make aggressive war on any nation or people resisting our control, showing no interest in dialog or compromise. Historical records show that right after WW II, there was an opportunity for peace and cooperation with the Soviet Union, our bugaboo. That offer was rejected and the Cold War ensued, an event that enriched the weapons purveyors and impoverished the people. Look at North Korea. The Koreans have made a simple proposal: end the decades long war with a peace treaty and cease threatening war games and overflights with nuclear-armed aircraft. The offer was rejected.
I am a bit cynical, but in the end, our wars mainly serve the interests of money and pride. They are immoral, contrary to the spirt of democracy, and a violation of the values of human rights enthroned in the Constitution.

On the ICW, Sailing With Irma

September 11, 2017

Apalachicola, Florida

Getting ready for Irma, I spent most of the day either readying the boat or securing things on the dock or securing the Maritime Museum (we moved the museum’s Starfish tour boat upriver). I finally launched about 5:00pm. First, I motored to the river, then raised sails and began my journey to escape Irma.

I sailed along at a good clip, four or five knots, with the wind over my beam or farther aft (a reach, in sailing terms). I was very pleased with my new mainsail.As I neared Saul Creek, I saw there were many boats up there and decided to just keep sailing, maybe as far as Pensacola where my daughter and family had fled because it just felt so good to be sailing. 

I crossed Lake Wimico at dusk. The lake is a huge body of water, about five miles in diameter, and is quite shallow with a narrow channel cut in the middle—straying out of the channel was a guaranteed grounding. With limited light, though, I had to strain to see the channel markers, and it was not dark enough for the lights to go on. I was very glad to reach the other side, and soon found a nook in Searcy Creek to anchor for the night. At this location, there was almost no wind, but lots of bugs!

The next day I sailed/motored on, the wind not so favorable or strong. I passed White City and considered tying up at its dock for the duration, but went on until I just got tired and figured giving up the Pensacola dream journey was a good idea. 

September 12, 2017

Noon, on the ICW west of White City, Florida

Yesterday evening, I anchored, then tied together my dock lines and used my dinghy to tie to a huge Lob Lolly pine fallen on the sandy bank. This channel was cut to connect White City and Panama City, so the land is about twenty feet above the water with sheer sandstone cliffs on either side. I figured it would be sheltered from the storm. I set the anchor to the north of the channel center, and I figured my tie would keep me safe.

However, I soon found the wind shifting to push me into the bank and I hurriedly pulled anchor, untied my line, and motored out past the center to anchor again, this time setting it very carefully and letting out considerable rode.

After securing the boat, I looked for my dock line, but it was nowhere in sight. I figured I had gone upriver, so I rowed back about a quarter mile, but no line! Since the wind was strong, I used the sandy shore to pull the dinghy back to opposite the boat, and since the line was not downriver, it must be further up, so I walked several hundred yards. Well, the line was not there, but on my way back to the the boat, I saw a deer swimming the channel and it came out just fifty feet from me. Of course, it ran away in spite of my friendly sounds. The bank was too steep for it to climb, and it came back, stopping just a few feet away. We regarded each other, then it bolted.

My new anchor position seems to work, although winds have not reached 25 knots. There has been some rain, but not enough to swamp my dinghy. So, all is well.

I watched Oliver Stone’s Ukraine On Fire last night (nice to have a wind-powered TV and BlueRay player). Our government has its hands very red and our media feeds us lies. There was a coup, funded by NED, CIA, and State, abetted by US Congressmen, and the ensuing rightwing government has committed dastardly acts against ethnic Russian Ukrainians. There was no Russian aggression, either in Eastern Ukraine or Crimea—all stories of such merely propaganda. Stone produced his film right after the coup, so he does not follow up on the aftermath, but I understand that Ukraine either is or almost a failed state.

I have no cellular connection here, although somehow I receive texts and phone calls that I cannot answer. The only FM station is Fox News out of Panama City, and rather than listen to Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh, I thought to write this little story. They tell me that the worst of Irma is over, but they keep referring to ominous rain “in the north and the east and the northwest” without any location information. Not helpful. Right now the wind is dropping, though, and it is a good time for lunch.

September 13, 2017

Johnson River, morning

Yesterday was shattering. I left my anchorage in the morning with the wind against me so I could not sail. When I passed the Port Saint Joe cut-off, though, the wind shifted to my back, so I raised sails and motorsailed along. Now, the problem with single-handed sailing is the need to leave the tiller and go adjust things, fix things. I did so by moving the boat to the center of the channel, then lashing the tiller. I would go forward, keeping an eye on the bank, and rushing back to the cockpit when too close. I did this successfully many times. The last time, however, I was too slow and after I got the tiller loose and turned hard to port, I ran aground. I tried to power forward, then aft, but I was stuck. Looking around, I saw I was on top of a big cypress lying on the bottom!

I went below for a rest and a think, deciding I could put my little anchor in the dinghy, row out, drop the anchor, then use it as a kedge to pull me off the log. Just then, I heard a boat alongside. Rescue! It was a nice officer from FWC (Florida Wildlife Commission), who had been tasked to “find me”, I suppose by my son, Adam, since I had been out of cell range for two days. I told him I was OK, just grounded, and asked him for a pull off the log. He politely declined due toFWC policy.

I kedged and kedged but other than stretching the anchor line like a bow string, I did not budge off that damned tree! Well, the tide will rise and float me off, I thought, but I noticed that the water was dropping even after four hours. It turns out that this location was mostly free of tidal action, but dependent for water level on flooding. I was out of flood.

I had told the FWC guy he did not have to call SeaTow because I could kedge off (“Done it before,” I exclaimed jauntily). Well, I could not kedge off and with the water dropping, I would be here until the next hurricane. I got on the radio and contacted SeaTow. It took more than an hour, but the boatman managed to pull me out without damage, except that his rope broke three times and I managed to drop his $45 hook into the water). The real damage was the $1200 charge! I paid up with credit cards, figuring I could get a loan to cover the bill until my insurance reimbursed me. It was now about 6:00pm.

I motored and sailed, then the wind shifted to my front, so I dropped sail and continued on to Lake Wimico, arriving just at dusk, like before, only duskier. I could barely see the green channel marker lights, so I continued on, relying on my iPad’s navigation program as my Garmin GPS was not working. I soon found the problem with the iPad as after I checked my course, my night vision was gone. A quick look to check position, and I was blind for a good minute. 

I proceeded from green light to green light, trying to pass them close to starboard to avoid hitting the red (unlit) channel markers on the portside (all these markers are sturdily set on wooden posts, so hitting one would be consequential). Then, I got lost and found myself rubbing the bottom of the lake. I just could not see the lights. Finally, the iPad helped me orient myself, and I saw a red channel marker just to my starboard. I was able to crawl through the mud and back to the channel. The damn green lights would just disappear or move around. At last, I focussed on one, the brightest, and made my way along the channel.

However, even though I could see the light clearly, I noticed I was going backward! This was very disorientating, believe me. It seemed I was caught in a spooky force determined to keep me in Lake Wimico, perhaps forever. The only recourse was my iPad which assured my 1) I was moving forward at four knots, and 2) I was in the center of the channel (at least according to the chart). So, in spite of going backwards, I finally reached the end of the Lake and anchored in this spot, fearful of going on in the dark.

It is only about seven more miles to Apalachicola, so I will now up-anchor and go home, hopefully without incident. The weather is dead calm and cloudy, but winds are forecast for SW, 10 to 20 knots, so maybe I can victoriously sail into Apalachicola!

September 14, 2017

Cafe Con Leche, Apalachicola, FL

I made it back! First, I stopped at Apalachicola Marina, and bought 20 gallons of diesel, then motored to my slip. Mike Hosier from the Museum, who gave me about 100 feet of new nylon dock line, and Mike Young, my old friend, helped me tie up. Even though I was exhausted from so many days of running forward and back, climbing down and up, pulling anchors, and not eating so well, I spent the day tidying up and restoring my boat home. All is well.

Reflections: I was seduced by the joy of sailing and should have stopped. On the other hand, I loved the quiet and isolation of my hidey-hole, I loved moving along the channel either sailing or on power. I loved rowing to the shore and walking along the isolated beach. I loved seeing the ospreys and hawks fishing, the mullet jumping, and that little deer. Also, I realize that if the storm had hit Apalachicola, I would have been in much better shape than those tied up in Saul Creek. The other lesson is I either have to set up an auto pilot or find a companion for these boat trips, especially for sailing. My dream of being a “single-handler is just not viable, at least not now. So, if anyone knows Otto Pilot, or Ottilie Pilot, please let me know!

I want to encourage everyone who can to watch the new Showtime documentary by Oliver Stone, an interview with Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. I signed up for a 30-day free trial Showtime subscription, and I am sure to finish the four-part series well before the thirty days are up.

For more than a decade, we Americans (and Europeans) have been treated to a steady diet of Putin hating messages from government and the media, leading to the recent proclamation by General Mattis that Russia is the greatest existential threat to the United States and Putin is the greatest threat to world order. Of course, as we have been taught by the media, Putin is the most authoritarian and criminal despot in the world.

So, it is refreshing to look the devil in the eye, and like President Bush, see Putin’s soul. The man comes across as so resembling an ordinary human being that I have to scratch my head. Where are the horns? This is clearly a nice man, very intelligent, and cool, a man in control of himself. On the other hand, Oliver Stone comes across sometimes as kind of a jerk: obsequious, opinionated, crude. Nevertheless, Stone was brave enough to risk his reputation by offering a once-in-our-lifetime unbiased picture of Vladimir Putin and to allow President Putin to tell his side of the story.

I often ask the heretical question to Americans, “What has Russia done to you to make her your enemy? How has she hurt you?” Answers usually are confined to aggression in Ukraine or malevolent election influence, neither of which satisfy me (the Americans are as guilty of the Ukrainian mess as the Russians, and we have done a fine job ourselves of malevolently influencing our elections: think Koch brothers, George Soros. The real answer, of course, is that Russia will not knuckle under American leadership, clearly the greatest of crimes. Nevertheless, I am predisposed to be charitable to Vladimir Putin, and I believe that anyone watching the Stone show will be pleased by what they see.

Why the abortion wars? My thought has always been, "Not so nice, especially for the baby, but not my business," and, " I don't have the right to tell women what to do." 
But there might be more to this problem. The biological imperative is to reproduce, and we see in nature and countless frat parties, males frantically attempting to copulate and not only with women to fulfill their destiny. We see this imperative codified in religion, such as the “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..." verse in Genesis.
Well, that ship has sailed. The earth is well-filled and, although global warming is a bit of a hitch, subdued. From my cockpit, I watch not one but seven personal watercraft go by and wonder how long before the River is chock full of these things, their numbers doubling every seven years, their collective wakes increasingly rocking my boat. I saw the number of oystermen increase dramatically every year, fathers passing on boats to their sons, licenses costing only $100/year, while the oyster harvest diminishes due to the effects of global warming. Enough of this nonsense! We just do not need so many babies, and if that means that contraception or abortion is some flavor of murder, so be it. Otherwise, overpopulation will kill us all.

War On Syria

In 2013, a Sarin gas attack in Syria caused President Obama to almost invade Syria; he did not, in spite of Bashar Al Assad crossing a “red line”, and was lambasted by both right and left for weakness. Unfortunately, he never explained his hesitation to the American people that his intelligence people doubted the surety of Assad’s guilt. Seymour Hersh in the London Review of Books, Seymour Hersh showed convincingly that the attack was most likely a false flag carried out by Turkish intelligence and designed to draw the US fully into the war on the side of the so-called rebels, Al Qaeda affiliates. The result was an agreement to destroy Syria’s chemical arsenal by the UN.

Years later, there is another chemical weapons attack, followed by an American air attack on a Syrian airfield. Intelligence is shaky (no one seems to know what kind of chemical), but the assumption is that Assad did it, although some commentators express wonder that Assad would attack his own people. Well, the answer to that wonderment is that Assad probably did not order the attack, and it is highly doubtful that some ground commander would order the attack. Next to consider is the legal doctrine of cui bono, who stands to gain from this attack. It is not Assad. He had already come fearfully close to the full wrath of the mighty US air force, which, like in Libya, surely would have sunk his regime. Furthermore, there were UN inspectors in the country at the time. Finally, to believe that Assad hid weapons from the UN inspectors in 2014 is just more of the same fancy that caused Trump to order the attack.

American and NATO air forces were very successful in bringing down Gaddafi in Libya, much to the joy of neocons everywhere, and French bankers as well as Western oilmen in particular. They did not care that Libya would be riven by factions including Al Qaeda and ISIS. This is the same desired result for Syria which would bring joy to neocons, Wahabists, Israel, and Western oilmen. The chemical weapons attack is just a provocation for terror, land, and gold.

Why is Russia our enemy?

What kind of threat does Russia pose to the U.S.?

I read a PBS interview, "President-elect Trump has said he would like to improve relations with Russia. But his choice for defense secretary, Gen. James Mattis, views Russia as America’s number one threat. What’s the reality of the White House-Kremlin dynamic? Steve Inskeep discusses with Evelyn Farkas, a former Defense Department official, and Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia."

I received this link in response to a Facebook question I posed, "I am baffled by the constant refrain (meme) of Russia as America's vital enemy. Can anyone please list any proven action by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union that actually harmed or threatened our nation or our people?"

In response I wrote: First, anyone who uses the term, Russia "invading Ukraine", is not to be trusted because this meme ignores the historical and geopolitical reality of the situation. Ukraine is far more complex than the good-guys in white hats, bad-guys in black hats scenario presented by these people in the Deep State and their media allies. Ukraine was undone by a US-sponsored coup by anti-Russian Neo-Nazis (very unpleasant people, the real guys in black hats) and oligarchs. The Kiev government is now busy undermining the life and welfare of the Ukrainian people while at the same time perpetuating the civil war (that they started by attacking the ethnic Russian population) by reneging on the Minsk Treaty.

When Kiev sent militia against Crimea (and NATO officials were salivating at the prospect of taking over Russia's Sebastopol base), the Russian soldiers at the base defended the Crimean people who had voted to secede from the illegitimate Kiev government and return to Russia, which they were a part of until Khrushchev 'gave' Crimea to Ukraine. Aiding the separatists in Eastern Ukraine is not an 'invasion' by Russia, but a natural response to encroachment by NATO (and it is very doubtful that Russia shot down any airlines).

Russian cyber warfare is problematic, but I have not seen much evidence of that, nor has anyone else, but the Russian 'hack' of the election seems to be confined to releasing emails to Wikileaks, and we have never seen any real evidence of that, either, just assertions and allegations. There is enough evidence of a 'leak' to make me dubious of official claims. Also, McFaul lies through his teeth saying that the US has not interfered in Russian elections.The key here is McFaul and others of the Deep State see Russia as a rival that will not submit to US hegemony, will not play by the Imperial rules, so Russia becomes our mortal enemy and Putin must go--precisely the line that Hillary took.

I recently read an article claiming that "If you were Russian, you would love Putin." This is because Putin undid much of the damage wrought by Yeltsin (aided by, guess who, the US) at the fall of the Soviet Union. This is perhaps Putin's singular sin and the reason our hegemons hate him so.

Trump's Russian Extravagance

Since Putin kicked out Yeltsin in 1999, the West has been on an anti-Putin, anti-Russia terror. Not only have careers been made, but entire industries created in the service of seeing Russia as enemy. This has only increased over time with vicious and mendacious propaganda attacking Putin and Russia. Examples would be the characterization of Aleppo as a "war crime" (see: http://www.globalresearch.ca/media-disinformation-war-crimes-and-the-liberation-of-aleppo/5562729) and Russia's absorption of Crimea as an "invasion"(see https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Russia-annex-Crimea). Furthermore, various military figures claim "Russia is an existential threat" (see: https://www.rt.com/usa/355053-airforce-secretary-russia-threat-us/). So, NATO gets expanded, troops move into Estonia, missiles into Poland. Lots of money gets appropriated.

Along comes Trump, who wants to deescalate the conflict and restore relations. Now, sanctions dropping will surely benefit Exxon, but Trump's policy scares the Washington Consensus into desperately exerting their considerable powers to delegitimize Trump and stop his foreign policy. Billions of dollars in defense and thousands of careerists are at stake. Extraordinary efforts have gone into neutering Trump. I don't buy it.

Trump appears to be a disaster generally, but his foreign policy in regard to Russia seems sound, and it is a major improvement over what he now have. However, if the spooks and ideologues destroy this aspect of his foreign policy, we all lose.