A Dry Year

For anyone noticing the ocean scenes on this blog page: Slash, the 16-ft Great White, and Me, the Diver hoping to avoid the menu, it might surprise you to hear that I haven't set fin in water in 2011.

Not that I didn't want to, but something always seemed to pop up to stop me. Absence of my Dive Buddy, failure (or out of maintenance window) of critical equipment, or bad weather all interfered. Business travel had its effect, too, as did my other passion of motorcycling (for which 2011 was a very good year). But none of these things were sufficient excuses to go a whole year without visiting the fish.

So for 2012 my resolution will be to get Me and my SCUBA equipment in better shape, and stay as wet as I can.

May the New Year be wet, real or metaphorically, for all who need it to be.

Mitt, Newt, and other Four-Letter Words

On the cusp of 2012, with an uncertain future facing our country (and much of the rest of the world), it's a pity we are provided with such poor choices for the next four years.

I read today that the GOP side of things will likely be Mitt vs Newt, a battle between the four-lettered. For the Dems the news is of a possible change-up between Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, with the current Secretary of State becoming the VP candidate. I hope (4 letters) I'm wrong, but this move seems more political than practical.

Can the President be that worried about Mitt or Newt? From what I've seen so far, there isn't a hope in hell (4 letters) of either taking the national vote (also 4). In fact, it's likely this campaign will leave the career of one or both dead (4) in the water.

Political theater aside, what do we citizens have to look forward to? Either 4 more years of DC deadlock, or rule by a Mitt or a Newt ( or Mitt and Newt, egad!)

The prospect brings to mind several four-letter words (feel free to imagine your own) ...

Riding the Gift Horse into 2012

The economy has had some good news lately: 'Black Friday' sales were strong, and 'Cyber Monday' tallies were even better. There is reason to hope for a decent holiday buying season to follow. The unemployment rate is even down a notch or two. And there haven't been any recent scary reports about Europe.

The cost of gasoline, and (more importantly) diesel has eased from the hurtful highs of the summer. Things are looking up a bit, for sure.

But wait ... is this the dawn before the dark? A false spring before a renewed winter of discontent? One last breath of ease before the world ends in 2012?

Or are we really on the road to a sustainable recovery?

At this stage it's anybody's guess, but I'm not holding my breath. With an election ahead that seems to have no good end no matter which party wins, coupled with the specter of a deadlocked Congress lasting past mid-decade, who can dare to be positive about our future?

Still a little good news is welcome after all the bad that has rained down on 2011's parade. And we don't want to look too closely into the gift-horse's mouth.

A Little Clarity Please

I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around recent events. After all, it's not every day you have a bill (Defense Appropriations) in Congress containing a provision threatening to take away legal due process for American citizens. Especially when that particular piece of the bill seems to be supported by the democratic administration.

Good thing for us all that the republicans have added other verbiage unpalatable enough to the demos that passage is unlikely.

I am also grappling unsuccessfully with the concept of the 'Occupy' movement opting to close down the Ports of Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, and Seattle. True, powerful corporations profit from the Port traffic, but then so do thousands of blue collar workers. In balance, I think the workers lose more than the moneyed interests in any closures, so why do it? I guess I just don't get the 'Plan' - unless there is no plan and we are just seeing a revived anti-globalism for which Ports are seen as smuggling routes for foreign carpetbaggers and their domestic allies.

And I still don't see any cogent reasoning behind the GOP presidential candidates. When is the REAL candidate going to step forward? It CAN'T be Newt. Is there anyone behind the curtain? Can that evil wizard Karl Rove have lost his touch? Or has he been drowned in Tea and banished from Oz?

As it stands now President Obama should have it easy come the election, but easy isn't what this country needs. We need a tough dialog and comprehensive debate between two strong candidates, not something akin to a protracted SNL skit.

My wish for this Holiday would be to have some clarity arrive with the new year. Statesmanship and fruitful compromise seems unlikely, so clarity is about the best we can hope for. Fingers crossed, everyone ...