[robmandel]

DF,

as the CRU emails that got leaked we now know (I've known for a long!!! time) that global warming is a hoax. always was. they hard coded that hockey stick for shit's sake. in the 70's, the fear was global cooling, and the onset of the next ice age. it's all BS. never was about the environment. it's about money (of course, it always is!!) and government power. look, al gore went from being woth a few bucks to becoming a billionaire, pimping his pseduo-scientific drivel, and investing in all those "green" companies. a fool? hardly. a scary demagogue and despicable liar? absolutely.

look at the latest cap and trade legislation. it's not about the environment, it's about destroying our free-market economy. it's a means to nationalize and socialize the economy.

the mlpa was about everything other than the fishes and the environment. the packard foundation through the RLFF didn't throw 10's of millions into the thing to close off a few areas to help depleted stocks and restore fisheries so commercial catch could recover. they don't, and never did, give two shits about the fish. period.

first, the enviros are relgious fanatics. 'bout the only thing that separates them from alqaeda is a turban and a cave. they hate us, everything about us, what we do, who we are, and how we live our lives. that hate fishing, hunting, and everything associated with it.

now, as for our political naivete. I'll say this. we were in against some major guns, and I am proud to have fought alongside the guys here, and the other sites. we were outgunned and never ever had even the slightest chance. we gave 'em hell and did so because we had no other option. "working with them" wouldn't have been much different than the judenrat. we had only one option, and fight for our lives. and we did.

there is nothing we could have done to alter the outcome in any way. it was a star chamber. it was a show trial, and didn't even need a walter duranty. it was a preordained outcome and the public part was done to put on a show to act like they got public input.

DF, what you seem not to grasp, is that we had nothing to give. NOTHING. there was no middle ground, there was no compromise. if they did nothing, we STILL DID NOT WIN. how could we "win" when there was never anything for us to gain? if they did nothing, then all we'd have is exactly what we started off with. so, asking us to give as an act of compromise is specious.

we fought because wihtout fighitng, they'd have probably taken 10x as much. oh, they will, but not right now. they can act like they left us something, so when they come back later, they have something more to take.

this was an extreme act by a dictatorial government. after the nov. 9th meeting, I felt something for the first time in my life. I felt like the government had committed a grotesque crime against me and my friends here and elsewhere, and I could not believe that I would ever see my country do that to its citizens.

these closures will have no impact whatsoever on the fisheries, and even if they do, for what gain? for what purpose are they closing them? to protect and preserve for what? and especially when one considers that the species in those habitats are not even close to being in trouble. we have some of the healthiest fish stocks and the justification for this travesty is non-existent.

now, as for coming in late and criticizing us, I and many many others here spoke from the heart at those meetings. we got up and told them exactly what they were doing to us. to tell us that we took the wrong path is offensive. we wouldn't have ever bothered them people in any way, but they picked the fight with us. they came after us. they are stealing from us. we didn't hurt anyone, we didn't cause anyone to suffer in any way. and they are punishing us for nothing.

so, I will say that I stand alongside my friends here and elsewhere. I know I can count them as true friends, and if I was ever in a tough spot on the water, or anywhere, I know I could count on them. it was an honor for me to stand beside them, fight with them, and continue on the fight. when I heard Tman's son speak, I thought of my own son (who was in carlsbad with me) and the times I've spent with him on the water. and I was so moved by his courage, and thought, damn, we need more like him. alot more like him!!! that boy's a fighter, and I have the world of respect for him.

we did what we had to do. the process was a disgusting display of the arrogance of power, corrupt government, and a government at war with its people. we fought. you always fight tyrrany. you always fight for liberty.

and when they come back again, they'll know they have a fight on their hands. what angers me is that if you think of the thousands and thousands of people who fish the ocean, and the fight was carried on by a handful of us kayakers and spearos, I am so proud to have been a small part of that.

just imagine if 5-10% of the saltwater anglers had shown up. could you even imagine what the scene then would have looked like?? there'd have been thousands of fisherman. and it would have been intimidating. but they didn't show. why??? I wish I knew. they had to resort to busing in school kids. I almost threw up at that spectacle.

I'll say this: they can draw their lines on a map. they can shade them in blue and red, or shit brown for all I care. I will fish the ocean. they made their laws...

just remember the words of lenoidas...molon lave.