Posted on 09/01/2004 4:59:15 AM PDT by Mia T
A typical scenario for this boardhead is to be skimming back and forth across the lake on Misty, my aging Mistral Competition, in a 12 knot breeze gusting to 15. I'm hanging onto a 7.6 rig, riding a gentle natural swell occasionally punctuated by the man-made chop excreted by jet skis and stinkpots. In my adolescent ears are a symphony of boardsailing sounds: the vit, vit, vit of the board, which sometimes becomes a throbbing hum, the luffing of the sail, the gurgle of Misty's wake, the yahoos of other longboard sailors and the basso growling of those who are sinking on their nine-foot boards. Like other pubescents who suffer the embarrassment of unexpected arousals from such miscellaneous sources of excitement as vibrating school bus seats, I find that an especially enjoyable ride has produced a certain spontaneous tumescence and decide to stay far away from the onlookers ashore until fatigue has tamed it down. Hands up all those who have experienced the same! Sorry, didn't mean to make you wipe out. You could have just nodded.
Back on shore I look up trustingly into Al's face as he explains to me how to rig without breaking my new camber inducers. He is an aging boardsailor of about 29, and is much more experienced than I.
"By the way, Bob," he says. "You really ought to sign up for the Seniors' Race next month."
"Huh?" Is he talking to me? I realize that he is. Suddenly , I'm looking down at him because I'm six foot three, and he isn't. I look further down at my glabrous thighs. Where did that hair come from? Oh yeah, that's right. Shucks! I grew up...about forty-five years ago. I forgot.
Weird? Not really. Eric Berne, the psychiatrist, explained it all long ago. The idea that a grownup is sort of a triple personality consisting of the Child, the Parent, and the actual self: the Adult. We are constantly switching among these three modes, and communication tends to get confusing to say the least, when one's Parent, for example, is talking to someone else's Child or Adult. Just thinking about windsurfing puts me into my Child mode.
Several factors help to keep me there. I was fifty-six when I acquired Misty and became friends with an assortment of boardheads who, while born later, started windsurfing up to fifteen years sooner. To a wet-behind-the-ears beginner who was still sailing out and swimming back, they all seemed Methuselahs of wisdom! Consider too that the delicious lightness I felt as a child when my dad would grab me by the arms and swing me around as I shrieked and giggled, surrendering to his awesome power. That's how I feel when I'm barely in control of the rig. Dad used to throw me into the swimming pool. Getting launched is just like that. I fear it. I try to avoid it, but when it happens, and my body is spanking over the waves ahead of the board, I love it.
Non-windsurfing friends add to the effect. "Windsurfing?" asks one friend who is twelve years my junior, "Isn't that dangerous?" She sounds like my mom telling me not to go too near the edge of something. Talk about Parent to Child! How can I possibly feel sixty-five?" "Doesn't it take an awful lot of strength?"
Well, they are younger, but here's an encouraging social phenomenon. They have accepted me unreservedly. Back in the Sixties, Tom Wolfe wrote an essay, The Pump House Gang, about some California surfers (the ones without sails). Anybody over the age of 25 was a persona non grata, "a old black panthuh," meaning he probably wore black leather shoes on the beach. This would result in a "Mexican standoff" in which both parties squinted at each other until the geriatric 30-year-old found a stretch of sand elsewhere. Surfing was a cult of youth.
Not so in windsurfing! Let no senior citizen desirous of the instant rejuvenation I have heretofore described hesitate a moment in approaching his or her local windsurfing group. My search for the wind has taken me from my local lake on the Outer Banks and to Greece, Austria, France, Germany, Aruba, Guadeloupe, and the British and American Virgins; and I have encountered nothing but friendship and respect. Young guys have said to me things like, "Sir, I hope and pray that I'll be able to be active and adventurous like you when I get to be your age!" That sort of thing gives me a warm glow, once I've shifted into Adult mode.
Certain things contribute to the false impression that boardsailing is mainly for youth. Windsurfing films and publications concentrate on the spectacular, so one mostly sees record-breaking champions upside down and high above a wave big enough to destroy Japan. You don't see the vast majority of windsurfers: those who are quite ecstatic if they have just completed a waterstart, have nearly completed a carve jibe, or have just managed to stay on a plane. Equipment catalogs tend to stress the boards which sink unless a beach evacuation is in progress, and rigs which stand up to being towed behind a Boeing 747. Sometimes finding the stuff that meets my modest needs is like looking for a mule at the Kentucky Derby.
What probably jars me the most as a senior windsurfer is the music on most windsurfing videos. No matter what the boards are doing, the music goes kablunka, kablunka, kablunka, kablunka. I am no cool cat, so I don't even know what to call such sounds, but they are exactly the same as the soundtrack of a porno film.
Kawanka, kawanka, kawanka, kawanka. The performers fornicate with a dogged workday persistence which has nothing to do with romance. Kawanka, kablunka, kawanka, kablunka. this music is for prurient, frustrated youths who have not yet found real love.
Misty dances to the music of the Romantic Period, no less! She doesn't do the bump and grind, she waltzes to Strauss. When I'm coasting down a long swell, I hear a glorious, sweeping Tchaikovsky ballet or a surging Rachmaninoff concerto. When Misty is planing on flat water, it's the rushing, galloping Symphony. Often she's in sync with the flow of Smetana's Moldau. Fleeing ashore ahead of blitzing cumulonimbus, it's not Beethoven or Rossini of course. And if ever I learn to lift high off a wave, it will be to the soaring strains of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. If that stamps me as an old mossy-back, so be it! Kawanka forsooth!
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John Kerry
"I listened to what Senator Kerry had to say in Boston, and, with all due respect to the Senator, he views the world as if we had never been attacked on September 11th. The job of the Commander-in-Chief, as he sees it, is to use America's military strength to respond to attacks. But September 11th showed us, as surely as anything can, that we must act against gathering dangers - not wait for to be attacked. That awful day left some 3,000 of our fellow citizens dead, and everything we have learned since tells us the terrorists would do worse if they could, and that they will even use chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons against us if they can. In the world we live in now, responding to attacks is not enough. We must do everything in our power to prevent attacks -- and that includes using military force."
Dick Cheney
"While I don't agree with Bush on a single domestic issue, they are all trumped by the issue of terrorism, where he has enunciated the Bush Doctrine and proven his ability to fight this war.
The Democratic Party just doesn't have the stomach to go after terrorists."
Ed Koch, a Democrat
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The Left's Fatally Flawed "Animal Farm" Mentality
eorge Soros could not have more clearly enunciated the lethal danger that he and John Kerry and the clintons and the rest of his leftist cabal pose for America.
Yesterday, at the "progressive," i.e., ultra-extremist left-wing liberal, "Take Back America" confab, Mr. Soros confirmed the obvious: 9/11 was dispositive for the Dems; that is, 9/11 accelerated what eight years of the clintons had set into motion, namely, the demise of a Democratic party that is increasingly irrelevant, unflinchingly corrupt, unwaveringly self-serving, chronically moribund and above all, lethally, seditiously dangerous.
"All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Apparently missing the irony, George Soros chastised America with these words even as he was trying his $25,000,000, 527-end-run damnedest to render himself "more equal than others" in order to foist his radical, paranoic, deadly dementia on an entire nation.
"Animal Farm" is George Orwell's satirical allegory of the Russian Revolution; but it could just as easily be the story of the Democratic Party of today, with the
its porcine manifestation.
GEORGE TSURIS
Soros' little speech reveals everything we need to know about the Left, to wit:
Soros is correct when he states that each of the two pillars of the Bush Doctine--the United States maintenance of absolute military superiority and the United States right of preemptive action--are "valid propositions" [in a post-9/11 world].
But when he proceeds from there to argue that the validity of each of these two [essential] pillars is somehow nullified by the resultant unequalled power that these two pillars, when taken together, vest in the United States, rational thought and national-security primacy give way to dogmatic Leftist neo-neoliberal ideology.
What is, in fact, "inviolate" here is the neo-neoliberal doctrine of U.S. sovereignty, which states simply that there must be none, that we must yield our sovereignty to the United Nations. Because this Leftist tenet is inviolate, and because it is the antithesis of the concept of U.S. sovereignty enunciated by the Bush Doctrine and the concept of U.S. sovereignty required by the War on Terror, rabid Leftists like Soros conclude that we must trash the latter two inconvenient concepts--even if critical to the survival of our country.
It is precisely here where Soros and the Left fail utterly to understand the War on Terror. They cannot see beyond their own ideology and lust for power. They have become a danger to this country no less lethal than the terrorists they aid and abet.
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ping
the shark would do kerry a favor if it made a meal of his shorts... ;)
While his campaign for President goes down the toilet, John Kerry is losing touch.
bump
good morning
bttt
Girl, you have a fine - and I mean f-i-n-e - mean streak. Mr. Kerry would wet his wet suit if he met you in a dark alley.
THE HOT DEBATE OVER THE WINDSURFING AD [09/23 11:54 AM] There is apparently much debate about the windsurfing ad over at the Corner. Here's the CNN summary of the charges and countercharges so far: Underscoring the Bush attacks was a new television ad showing Kerry windsurfing to the strains of the "Blue Danube" waltz. A narrator reads a list of what the Bush campaign contends are the senator's vacillating positions on the Iraq war, education and Medicare. Thought one: There's a quick and easy way that Kerry can stop the ads that are calling him a flip-flopper: Stop flip-flopping. Thought two: If you don't want the Bush campaign to run ads featuring footage of John Kerry windsurfing, stop inviting television crews to record Kerry windsurfing. Thought three: If the ad is so "juvenile and tasteless", why does the new Kerry ad not show the picture of John Kerry windsurfing? Could this be because some focus group somewhere concluded that windsurfing looks like a pastime of the idle rich? Your humble correspondent wonders if the Blue Danube waltz was the wrong music for the commercial. Maybe Doris Day/Mari Wilson/Lila Downs "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps": You only tell me 'Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.' UPDATE: About a billion Kerry Spot readers point out that the Kerry campaign is complaining about a lack of seriousness right after their man has done interviews with Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Dr. Phil, and Regis. Kerry Spot
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NEW virtual john kerry can bore + snowboard at the same time series (viewing movie requires Flash Player 6, available HERE) thanx to jla for the audio johnkerryisdangerousforamerica.blogspot.com |
Windsurfing in the Persian Gulf
WHY JOHN KERRY IS DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA
Similarly, Kerry's statements about the Iraq War hint at cognitive and ethical, if not corporeal, absence; they tell us more about John Kerry than simply what his Iraq-War politics may be. WINDSUCKER
Windsurfing, like war, transcends the particular in its revelations about John Kerry. Although windsurfing is delicious metaphor--witness the recent Bush-Cheney ad--windsurfing in its most literal, technical sense is what best exposes Kerry for what he is--a wussy, opportunistic fraud. RIGGED Kerry's gear is the dead giveaway. Kerry sails on what boardheads call "light air,"--one just cannot escape the metaphors here-- i.e., a gigantic sail estimated at 11 square meters, and a humongous board providing redundant flotation. According to expert windsurfer, Paul Kotik:
A windsurfer friend of mine, Rod, adds this observation, "Long boards typically have something called a centerboard or a daggerboard which acts as a fulcrum for turning large boards like [Kerry's]. Daggerboards are for total weenies." Visible in Kerry's Nantucket windsurfing photo-op video is what appears to be evidence of a daggerboard--the knob on top of the board that controls dagger position. Rod continues, "Up-hauling is another weenie windsurf situation. If... you [can] stand on top of the board and pull the mast up out of the water to begin sailing, there is very little wind. Water starting is... what keeps most people out of the experienced ranks... It is the only way to start in high wind/deep water conditions." Conversely, according to Rod, some wind is required in a water start. "In a water start, you are not standing on anything, just floating in deep water. You 'fly' the sail, controlling it just inches above the your head and the water, moving your feet onto the board; the sailor pops the sail up filling it with wind, which pulls [him] up onto the board in one maneuver and propels the board forward." Kerry's gigantic sail suggests a deliberate wind-avoidance strategy and, hence, an up-hauling, not water-starting, boarding technique scenario. Indeed, given Kerry's reflexive avoidance of high wind/deep water conditions over the years, weenie up-hauling is the only credible scenario.
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election update!
JOHN KERRY IS UNFIT~THE SERIES
WINDSURFER WATERLOO
why the surfboard--not the snowboard--is (to mix war metaphors) Kerry's Achilles' heel
Windsurfing in the Persian Gulf
John "One Position on Iraq" Kerry's 1971 Replay
YOO-HOO DAN RATHER!
KERRY'S BELATED "HONORABLE" DISCHARGE:
Is a less-than-honorable discharge and clinton "pardon" behind Kerry's refusal to sign form 180 to release ALL of his records?
RATHERGATE IS ANOTHER WATERGATE: The Nexus
CARL BERNSTEIN: RATHERGATE MAY BE ANOTHER WATERGATE
CLUELESS: O'REILLY AND PODHORETZ ON RATHERGATE
THE KERRY-RATHER-BARNES FORGERIES DECONSTRUCTED
HEAR THE FIRST VEEP DEBATE NOW! (the whole ball of wax)
CHENEY WARNS AMERICA: THIS ELECTION IS ABOUT OUR SURVIVAL
KERRY-EDWARDS TRIES TO SHUT DOWN DEBATE
KERRY'S VIETNAM FIXATION
PART 1: advice from bill
Kerry's new W offensive
YOO-HOO! UNDECIDEDS + "PERSUADABLES"
HEAR THE SPEECH JOHN KERRY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO HEAR
(WHY INFORMED, RATIONAL DEMOCRATS WILL VOTE FOR BUSH)
DECONSTRUCTING ZELL MILLER
EXPLOITING MAX CLELAND
Kerry is UNFIT #21: THUMBSUCKER SERIES
BOARDHEAD TO THE RESCUE
The Left's Fatally Flawed "Animal Farm" Mentality
(Why America Must NEVER AGAIN Elect a Democrat President)
Kerry is UNFIT #20: THUMBSUCKER SERIES
PREEMPTION-(the whole ball of wax)
CONTEMPLATING KERRY'S "GUT"
A PRESIDENT KERRY MAY BE ABHORRENT
...BUT IS IT EVEN CONSTITUTIONAL?
getting kerry's goat
john kerry lacks presidential temperament
Two Psychologists on Kerry: Dangerous on National Security
YOO-HOO! followthemoney.org. . .
OVER HERE!
"bombastic ass" is not the antidote to "boorish ass"
(or why Keith Olbermann Cannot Do Cleanup for Chris Matthews)
UNFIT #19:
JOHN KERRY'S "MORE SENSITIVE WAR ON TERROR"
THE COMPLEAT JOHN KERRY
WHY JOHN KERRY IS DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA
Kerry, NOT Bush, paralyzed by 9/11 attacks
Hear Kerry admit he could not think
THE DEMOCRATS ARE GONNA GET US KILLED (kerry, clinton + sandy berger's pants) SERlES 3
UNFIT #10: 9/10 mindset
THE DEMOCRATS ARE GONNA GET US KILLED (kerry, clinton + sandy berger's pants) SERlES 2
KERRY-DEMOCRAT CONTEMPT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY[annotated]
THE DEMOCRATS-ARE-GONNA-GET-US-KILLED (kerry, clinton + sandy berger's pants) SERlES1
dox in sox on lummox in box on fox
THE REAL "REAL DEAL"
(what Kerry's commanders and crewmates REALLY think of him--with transcripts)
Did John Kerry pick a running mate or hire a lawyer when he selected John Edwards?
THE MAN FROM HOPE: been there, done that
"Hope is on the way!" (the scoop)
THE TERRORISTS' USEFUL IDIOTS
all the usual suspects
A Vote for Kerry is a Vote for the Terrorists
ELECTION BOTTOM LINE:
TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER or TERRORIST ANNIHILATOR
JOHN KERRY IS UNFIT SERIES: 8/10/04 UPDATE!
taking the measure of a would-be commander-in-chief
JOHN KERRY IS UNFIT SERIES:
taking the measure of a would-be commander-in-chief
UNFIT #9-JOHN KERRY: DEADLY OPPORTUNIST
SELF-CONFESSED WAR CRIMlNAL MORPHS INTO SELF-PROMOTER WAR HERO
UNFIT #6: The Deadly Kerry-Hollywood Axis
HOW CAN YOU PUT YOUR CHILDREN'S LIVES IN ITS HANDS?
UNFIT: taking the measure of a would-be commander-in-chief
#1-making the tough choices in a post-9/11 world
UNFIT: taking the measure of a would-be commander-in-chief
#2-understanding the job description
UNFIT: taking the measure of a would-be commander-in-chief
#3-sang-froid and the "nuclear" button
UNFIT: taking the measure of a would-be commander-in-chief
#4 - Kerry champions tolerance for terrorists
sanitizing evil
Kerry Cabal Censors Nick Berg Decapitation
"Loose Cannon" Kerry's AWOL/PURPLE-HEART FRAUD
pro-islamofascist-terrorist radical chic
USEFUL IDIOTS
MOORE IS LESS--THE MOVIE
The Cycle of Violence:
NOW WITH HYPERLINKED INSTRUCTION MANUAL
JOHN KERRY'S RECKLESS TET-OFFENSIVE-GAMBIT REPLAY:
the left's jihad against America is killing our troops, aiding + abetting the terrorists and imperiling all Americans
bill clinton, boy "genius," unwittingly bares all on BBC
deconstructing clinton "just because I could"
vetting missus clinton...
The Parallel Universe of Jamie Gorelick
nepotism + tokenism = a nancy pelosi
(or a hillary clinton)
Kerry's Belated Condemnation Focuses on Process
Kerry Lacks Moral Authority to Condemn Content
"CRY BUSH" + Iraqi-Prisoner "Abuse"
What are the Dems up to?
DON'T BELIEVE YOUR LYING EARS (The Perjurer Returns)
(Clinton: Claims I Turned Down Bin Laden are 'Bull')
The Mary Jo White Memo:
Documentation of clintons' and Gorelick's willful, seditious malfeasance
What is the REAL Reason for Gorelick's Wall?
giant sucking sound
KERRY MAKES DUKAKIS LOOK CONSERVATIVE, SMART + JUDICIOUS- Q ERTY6 utter failureBUMP
- Lib Author Regrets Voting (TWICE!) for clinton
"Sickened" by clinton's Failure to Protect America from Terrorism
MUST-READ BOOK FOR DEMOCRATS:
How clintons' Failures Unleashed Global Terror
(Who in his right mind would ever want the clintons back in the Oval Office?)
The Man Who Warned America
(Why a Rapist is Not a Fit President)
UDAY: "The end is near this time I think the Americans are serious, Bush is not like Clinton."
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