![]() Most of the crew had experienced typhoons before, and they were therefore not terribly worried, until two rogue waves hit the ship within five minutes of each other and caused her to heel hard to port. The depression strengthened into a storm that grew into a typhoon, and began to produce dangerous rogue waves. ![]() The loading of the rice had been supervised by a junior officer without much experience, and as a result, the cargo settled, then began to shift as the ship ran into increasingly rough weather. The ship was carrying a load of some grain – rice, I think – and its course carried it right into the path of a tropical depression that was also moving north. His physical training served him well on the particular voyage we are now considering – a voyage that took the ship from the tropics up into the North Pacific during the height of typhoon season. (At times while on watch, other crew members could hear him muttering scenes of the movie from memory.) Somehow amid all the clutter, he had also managed to stash 250 pounds of cast iron free weights, a couple of dumbbell bars and a barbell bar, all of which he used religiously. He also had a life-sized poster of Rush next to an old VCR with which he frequently played a battered copy of Birth of a Nation. Welch The Way Things Ought To Be and See, I Told You So, by Rush Limbaugh and Robert Lewis Dabney: The Prophet Speaks by Doug Phillips, along with several copies of The New American, a magazine published by the John Birch Society. Almost no one ever saw the inside of his quarters, but the one or two crewmen who were able to get a glimpse said that on one wall was a Confederate Rebel flag, and that there was a bookcase underneath containing books such as The Politician by Robert W. The bo'sun tended to keep to himself when not on duty or at meals, preferring to remain in his quarters rather than mix with the crew. This was unusual, since the three licensed officers on board were quite friendly with all the crew, figuring that pleasant voyages contributed to crew effectiveness. ![]() Aside from giving orders, he almost never talked to any other shipmates. Those who crossed him usually did it only once, as the punishment he dealt was swift and severe. The bo'sun was a fearsome sight to the deck crew whom he supervised as he directed sharp glances all around, swiveling his large head on his bull neck while barking commands, muscular biceps flexed as he rested his large hands on his hips. One of the strangest and most quirky characters was the boatswain (or bos'un for the nautical initiates), a big-boned, burly, sandy-haired, square-jawed man of indeterminate age. Its crew was a volatile mix of quirky, memorable types and experienced, wise, level-headed men. The ship was old, and had seen many voyages, some through very severe weather, both in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It took place several years back, aboard a double-bottomed, Handy-sized sea-going bulk cargo ship whose name escapes me at the moment. It is a very strange illustration of the potential for bizarre human behavior. The story I am about to tell you is one I heard a few years ago. So, God willing, the next two posts will tell needful stories, and the following post will have pictures relating to bicycle transportation. Also, I have taken a number of pictures of people over the last several weeks, promising those whom I photographed that I would post their pictures on future installments of The Well Run Dry. ![]() I'd like to take a break from considering alternatives to our present breaking corporatist economic and societal systems, in order to tell a couple of stories that need to be told. Hmm.what's that saying about insanity consisting of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?" And your solution is to keep promoting a supposed right to the very selfishness that got us into this mess. I'd like to say to such people, "So.we got into our present fix because some people found out how to get filthy rich at the expense of all the rest of us by dirty, yet legal tricks. Yet there are still credulous people pushing "libertarian" ideals and champions such as Lew Rockwell and Ron and Rand Paul. As I wrote in a recent post, American society has been unstable from the start, due to the emphasis by the Founding Fathers on "liberty" (as in the right to do whatever one pleases) without a counterbalancing emphasis laid on our duty to each other as members of a civil society. ![]() I think it's particularly relevant in light of some of the essays and comments I've seen circulating the blogosphere recently. I'm a bit tied up with an ongoing research project, so here's another repost from way back. ![]()
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