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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733416590005634190Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:32:17 +0000ArticlesKayak Bill CampsTrip ReportsBlue HighwaysRandel WashburneKayak BillRandel Washburne CabinsGlenns GuidesKayaking HacksNSSKANSSKA ~ Adventure KayakersOuter Coast GuidesAbout Me 3meterswell Kayak trips on the BC Coast noreply@blogger.com (Jon)Blogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733416590005634190.post-2186846665322071379Mon, 19 Jan 2026 20:56:00 +00002026-01-19T12:56:02.324-08:00ArticlesBlue HighwaysMorning on Cockle Bay <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="; width="640" /></a></div>We bedded down for the night in the large Heiltsuk cabin on Cockle Bay.  In the morning, we planned for a short 9 mile paddle to Gale Passage where we would spend the night.  From there, Greg would leave and paddle 16 miles solo to catch the ferry at Bella Bella while Dave and I carried on to Port Hardy. Since our planned mileage to Gale Passage was modest I had anticipated sleeping late so I was surprised to be wakened by Greg before sunrise.  He had been up a while drinking coffee and relaxing on the front porch but was now bent over my bunk with a finger to his lips signaling me to be quiet.  He whispered that he heard something walking on the rock shelf in front of the cabin.  He thought it might be a wolf. I slipped out of my sleeping bag and we tiptoed across the rough, uneven floorboards to the deck where we sat in the dark and calibrated our ears to the pre-dawn silence.  Listening carefully, we could just make out the faint footfall of an animal walking on the shelf out of sight to the left of the cabin. Soon, a wolf came into view, head down, intent on scavenging the tide line.  We held our breath and didn't move yet the wolf sensed our presence, looked up at us and froze a moment before his posture changed to prepare for flight.   He glanced back from where he had come and then walked quickly past us looking back as he went.  We heard the soft sound of more paws on the rock to the left and another pair of smaller wolves stepped in front of the cabin.  They quickly spotted us and took off back the way they had come. The larger wolf sat on the beach 50 meters to our right and began to howl.  The smaller pair answered him.  I had heard wolves before but these didn’t sound like anything I had ever experienced before.  Back and forth they called in an eerie, otherworldly language.  We could hear the smaller pair calling as they moved through the forest behind the cabin.  Soon, they joined their alpha and went about their business. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2995" data-original-width="3994" height="480" src="; width="640" /></a></div> I've never had a single bad morning on Cockle Bay. <o:p> </o:p> 2026/01/morning-on-cockle-bay.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733416590005634190.post-7204297578120990527Wed, 30 Jul 2025 20:35:00 +00002025-07-30T13:35:01.390-07:00ArticlesBlue HighwaysMorning at Baker Point <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="; width="640" /></a></div>We crossed Caamaño Sound to Aristazabal Island beneath thick fog and rising winds that would hit 25 knots before day's end. Landing in the lee of Baker Point before things got too sporty, we scouted for a campsite and found a small forest clearing—coated in eagle poop and barely big enough for one, maybe two tents. None of us fancied sleeping in that mess, so we opted for the logs instead. The weather radio warned of sustained northwesterly winds at 25 to 35 knots for the next couple of days.  It howled through the night. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="; width="640" /></a></div>Around 3:30 AM I got up to pee and assess the weather.  Crawling out of my tent I stepped towards the beach and on to something soft and alive.  Looking down, my headlight illuminated more toads than I had ever seen before.  The ground was covered with them feasting on insects that had come out of the beach detritus.  Stepping carefully, I walked forward towards the water until I was in a no toad zone.<o:p></o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2995" data-original-width="3994" height="480" src="; width="640" /></a></div> I stood there and did my business while looking the four miles across Laredo Channel to where the mountains of Princess Royal Island were backlit with the dark rose promise of sunrise.  The sound of the wind in the trees and the chattering of the whitecapped seas provided the soundtrack as I looked straight up at black sky that was jampacked with stars. Suddenly a large yellow/orange meteor came into my vision from behind the trees on a NE heading.  It was colorful and shedding fiery debris, seemingly slow-moving and just before reaching the horizon, it faded and disappeared.  After that I couldn't sleep so I fired up my Jet Boil to make coffee.  At the sound of my stove Greg crawled from his tent as he can never pass up the possibility of a cup coffee.  <o:p></o:p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="480" src="; width="640" /></a></div>Perched on a log, coffee in hand, we spoke of wind and water and toads and meteors while watching the sunrise paint the morning sky.<o:p></o:p>2009/07/morning-at-baker-point.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2733416590005634190.post-5264830396071255753Wed, 18 Jun 2025 13:48:00 +00002025-06-18T07:20:06.789-07:00Glenns GuidesOuter Coast GuidesTrip ReportsWest Coast of Calvert Island with a Few Sites Near Cape Caution - A Field Guide for Paddlers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3630" data-original-width="2805" height="640" src="; width="494" /></a></div>   West Coast of Calvert Island with a Few Sites Near Cape Caution A Field Guide for Paddlers<o:p></o:p>   Why?<o:p></o:p> This is chapter three of an effort started in 2011 to fill in some gaps in the Wild Coast series of guides by John Kimantas.  The 2011 effort resulted in a guide for the west coast of Banks Island, and in 2012 we produced a guide for west coasts of Aristazabal, Price and Athlone Islands.  Like the two earlier guides, sites covered by The Wild Coast: Volume 2 are not included except by reference.<o:p></o:p> Who?<o:p></o:p> In 2013 we had ten paddlers, mainly from the Nanaimo Paddlers.  We started in Bella Bella near the end of July and finished in Port Hardy mid August.  We had remarkably good weather and calm seas for all but the last day or two and the water was noted to seem warmer than usual.  Nice for swimming and for making fog.  All members of our group contributed to the survey effort with most of the photos taken by Geoff Mumford, Karina Younk and Glenn Lewis.  Most of the post trip organization of information was done by Reale Emond and Glenn Lewis.<o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Overview of the Surveyed Area <o:p></o:p></h2> From the northwest corner of Calvert Island to the south end of Burnett Bay is a little more than <o:p></o:p> 50 nm, going more or less directly.  The entire distance, except for some of the south shore of Calvert Island, is entirely exposed to the open Pacific.  The area is well known for its large sand beaches that seldom get visited other than by the ever present wolves.  Many of the beaches have little shelter from swell, and our goal was to find places which allowed for landing without surf when conditions were suitable for paddlers of ordinary ability.  Except for the Hakai Beach Institute located in Pruth Bay at the north end of Calvert Island the entire survey area is uninhabited.  When crossing from Calvert Island to the mainland, paddlers might see a few sports fishers from Rivers Inlet, but this year even they were not in evidence.  There is a considerable amount of marine traffic using Fitzhugh Sound and the coast south of Calvert.  Paddlers will want to be aware of this situation and possibly keep in contact with Vessel Traffic Services during exposed crossings.  Coming home mounted on the bow bulb of a cruise ship would take some of the fun out of paddling in the area. <o:p></o:p> The area is generally flat near the coast but Fitzhugh Sound, Rivers Inlet, and Smith Sound can cause strong inflow/outflow winds and currents which can contribute to the challenges of rounding Cape Caution.  The southwest shore of Calvert Island is also prone to very choppy conditions, and the NW wind seems to access most of that area unimpeded.  Whether this situation is because of the low elevation of most of the western half of Calvert Island, because of inflows into Rivers Inlet in the afternoon or the relatively shallow water closer to shore, we don’t know.  One solution is to paddle half a kilometre off shore of the islands, another is to paddle inside of the islands, rocks and reefs.<o:p></o:p> The area was easy to paddle during our trip, but the lack of cover from the open ocean means that sometimes paddlers would need a much larger stock of discretion rather than valour.  There is a small cabin near the north end of Burnett Bay which appears to be well used by kayakers and a couple of camps abandoned by the late Bill Davidson.  Obvious evidence of past First Nations use is harder to discern than in the areas where beaches were more amenable to being shaped for harvesting purposes.<a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Weather<o:p></o:p></h2> The area is entirely within the Central Coast from McInnes Island to Pine Island weather reporting district.  Timing of the events in the forecast is made easier by referencing the West Sea Otter, East Delwood, South Moresby, and South Hecate buoys.  Also to the west are the remote stations on Sartine Island and Cape St. James.  The area includes lighthouses on Egg Island and Pine Island.  Radio reception for weather forecasts is good, mainly from the repeater on Calvert Island and then from the repeater at Port Hardy as one moves south.  Afternoon inflow winds are to be expected in Smith Sound during times of good weather, and the afternoon northwesterly, again during good weather, will limit some paddlers from being out much after lunch.  We think that a prudent paddler will leave a few extra days to be beached for weather as the entire area is essentially without any cover from southeast wind. <o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Currents, Tides and Boomers<o:p></o:p></h2> The west coast of Calvert is not subject to strong tidal currents and most of Calvert’s shore is not overly shallow.  Things change however once clear of Cape Calvert.  A substantial amount of water flows south out of Fitzhugh Sound and Rivers Inlet, and this needs to be taken into account if you are crossing from Calvert on an ebb and there is much swell.  At some point the two will meet.  Several years ago we got picked up at Safety Cove by the Queen of Chilliwack on a day when seas were more than four metres in the open ocean.  We were told by the crew that the ferry might be waiting for a while to avoid the unrest that can occur near the south entrance to Fitzhugh Sound when seas are significant from the southwest.  Also once along the shore of the mainland south of Cranston Pt. expect fairly strong currents.  We were surprised by the amount of current in Smith Sound both flooding and ebbing.  We had a very quick paddle from Extended Pt. to Dsulish Bay on such a flood.  The ebb out of Smith Sound becomes more of an issue at the south entrance to the Sound.  The worst area seems to be around Neck Ness and the outer rocks and reefs that provide some protection for Hoop Bay.  This is the area that seems to be principally responsible for giving Cape Caution its reputation as a place to be respected more than others.  A few years ago we paddled outside of Hoop Bay around Neck Ness in light wind and relatively low offshore swell and with an ebb we had seas about 3.5 metres with quite a lot of chop and disorganization.  This year we had almost flat water (.7-metre swells at West Sea Otter), no wind, and we were in the area just after low slack.  Inside of Hoop Bay was calm and the swells at Neck Ness were only about 2.5 metres with the usual disorganization that this shore seems to cause.  A solution for Neck Ness might be to paddle offshore a ways, and the inside route through Hoop Bay has much to recommend it if seas are calm enough to allow safe entry from the south.  As for Cape Caution itself, our experience is that it is unremarkable so far as sea state is concerned.  Paddle the area early in the morning during neaps and on the flood if you can to avoid the worst of the unrest and if something is causing the swells to build from off shore, be prepared to wait for quieter conditions.  Any significant wind is likely to make matters worse in the area near to Neck Ness.<o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Access<o:p></o:p></h2> Of the three areas we have covered in these guides, this area is by far the easiest to get to.  Burnett Bay is only about 25 nm from Port Hardy, albeit a crossing of Queen Charlotte Strait is required.  As this guide was being prepared for publication, B.C. Ferries announced an intention to stop the Queen of Chilliwack service to the central coast.  This is most unfortunate for paddlers as it presumably means an end to the wet launch and pick up service that has been very popular among those accessing the south central coast in a kayak or canoe.  It may mean additional, read faster, service to Bella Bella if the Prince Rupert ferry starts to stop there more often.  Our choice this year was to launch from Bella Bella (beside the ferry slip) and enjoy the paddle south to Calvert Island.  If you choose this route take into account currents that affect the northern channels and crossing Hakai Pass.  We concluded that given the amount of camping activity at Burnett Bay, paddling over from Vancouver Island to enjoy that area was a common choice for the southern part of our survey area.  Choices for crossing include via the Deserters/Walker Groups from Bell Island or paddle farther west from Port Hardy and cross from Nigei Island via the Storm Islands to Burnett Bay.  There are a couple of beaches on the Storm Islands that front Indian Reservation lands which can give paddlers a chance to stretch their legs.  The Indian Reservation lands are apparently not part of the Duke of Edinburgh Ecological Reserve which restricts access to land.<o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Charts<o:p></o:p></h2> Most of the area is covered by fairly recent charts (and surveys) that are of a 1-40K scale.  You will need 3934, 3935 and 3550 for the area we surveyed.  In addition the area from about Bolivar Island to Charley Island on the west coast of Calvert is not shown on a newer better-scale chart.  For this area you will need the older 3727 which is a 1-73K and based on NAD27 survey information.  Additionally you may need the charts to get you from the mainland back to Port Hardy and from wherever you start to the north end of Calvert Island. <o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Communication and Assistance <o:p></o:p></h2> VHF radio reception in the whole area is good with the usual exception of a few small pocket beaches.  There is a lifeboat station at Bella Bella, and by the time one gets to Burnett Bay, civilization is almost right next door.  There is a lot of heavy marine traffic in the area, including several cruise ships per day in the summer and frequent airplane sightings for both local travellers and the logging industry. Pleasure craft and fishing boats are fairly common, and around the entrance to Rivers Inlet one can expect guests of the lodges that operate in the area.  While the chances of fairly speedy assistance are better in this area than farther north, we remain of the view that paddlers should be able to get themselves safely ashore and be able to call for help if they want to avoid a poor outcome in an emergency.<o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Wildlife<o:p></o:p></h2> We were pleased this year to sight sea otters along the west coast of Calvert Island, in Smith Sound and in the Burnett Bay area.  To us, it appears that the group that established itself some years ago in Queens Sound is now connected in a fairly continuous way with the Vancouver Island sea otters.  The return of these animals, so important for the reestablishment of kelp beds, is a very good news story indeed.  Wolves are the main large predator and we had them everywhere along the way.  At several of our campsites wolves gave us a thorough inspection overnight while we slept.  The wolves at Burnett Bay were more comfortable with people than those we encountered in more northerly and remote areas.  One sorted through some things left out at night and carried a smelly water bootie a short distance.  At Red Sand beach in Smith Sound, we noted some very, very large bear tracks which we took to belong to a grizzly, and farther south at Burnett Bay bear tracks were also in evidence.  As expected we saw no tracks from cougars.  This year we encountered a grey whale feeding in Hoop Bay, which is farther north than we have come across greys before. <o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Leave No Trace<o:p></o:p></h2> With the exception of the small cabin at the north end of Burnett Bay and two abandoned Kayak Bill camps, and some headland trails along the northwest shore of Calvert Island, the area is without human development.  Evidence of logging is common in Smith Sound but otherwise the coast is so wind blown that loggers have not felt the urge to ply their trade in the area.  Most sites, except for Burnett Bay, are seldom visited and show little signs of use.  Please leave the landscape the way you find it. <o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Fishing<o:p></o:p></h2> We rely quite a lot on eating fish.  The west coast of Calvert was typical of the coast and delivered rock fish, ling cod and the occasional salmon as required.  Along the mainland shore and in Smith Sound, things were not so easy.  We were able to catch enough for our needs in Smith Sound, but it required a lot of effort, and from Hoop Bay to the south end of Burnett Bay the fishing was abysmal.  DFO closes most of the coast to shellfish harvesting apparently because they do not have a testing program for PSP.  If you choose to harvest and eat shellfish, show caution.<o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">First Nations and Conservancies<o:p></o:p></h2> Most of the shore that we surveyed is now protected as part of four conservancies which are co-managed by the Provincial Government and the relevant First Nation.  Only the area from a little south of Cranston Pt. to Extended Pt. is unprotected in this way.  The west coast of Calvert from the Surf Islets south to approximately Herbert Point (51°29') is part of the Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy which is co-managed with the Heiltsuk First Nation.  The remainder of the southern shore of Calvert Island (indeed most of the rest of the island) is part of the Calvert Island <o:p></o:p> Conservancy which is co-managed with the Wuikinuxv First Nation.  The beaches proximate to Cranston Pt. are part of a small conservancy that is not well described on the B.C. Parks website.  <o:p></o:p> The shore south of Smith Sound is part of the Ugwiwey Cape Caution-Blunden Bay Conservancy (comprised of two blocks) which is managed with the Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw First Nation.  The creation of these conservancies seems likely to ensure that the coast will be available for paddlers into the foreseeable future.<o:p></o:p> <h2 style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">The Survey<o:p></o:p></h2> Prior to our departure we had identified thirty possible beaches which might be suitable for landing and camping.  We did not include the sites described by John Kimantas in The Wild Coast: Volume 2, and those sites are amongst the most useful in the area and should be considered.  Unlike our experience farther north where a large majority of sites we checked were of no use, this year’s effort produced 20 locations.  As most of the beaches under consideration were large and sandy, the principal criterion was the suitability for landing without much surf and without rocks.<o:p></o:p>Headland trails join the large mainly sand beaches from North Beach (immediately east of the Surf Islets) with the large bay which has a southern limit at approximately 51°38’N.  Most of the beach along this stretch is suitable for camping, but the opportunities for a landing protected from surf are fewer.<o:p></o:p>Calvert IslandWest Beach 51°39.5'N  128°8.7'W—1 The large southwest-facing sand beach which is the first large bay about .8 nm south of the Surf Islets is the most easily accessible for power boaters via a trail from Pruth Bay.  This means that of all the beaches described below this one is where you are most likely to have company.  Landing in the north corner of the beach will be possible in most swell conditions.  Our preferred choice when in this area is to opt for North Beach or the beach a little to the south which is described below.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1296" height="474" src="; width="640" /></a></div>There is no creek but the folks at the Hakai Institute provided us with some drinking water. 51°38.7'N  128°9'W—2 The small north-facing beach is well protected by off lying rocks and kelp and has good camping opportunities on sand.  Much of the beach has cobble between about 2-3 metres of water, but there is a fairly clear area down to lower tides about 1/3 of the way up from the west end of the beach.  There is no water.  This beach is connected to beaches to the north and south by headland trails. <span style="font-family: "Walter Turncoat"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">51°38.55'N  128°9.06'W—3 This good-sized sand beach is our choice along this stretch.  The beach lies to the east of island ‘55’ and is well protected by offshore-lying rocks, reefs and kelp.  The north entrance to the half moon bay is also protected by kelp, making for a nearly surfless landing about a third of the beach south from the most northerly corner.  We have visited this beach on an earlier trip and found the water in the creek shown on the chart to be plentiful and of good quality.  This year, record lack of rainfall meant this creek, and most of the rest of them we had hoped to rely on, were without water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1288" height="478" src="; width="640" /></a></div>  51°38.35'N  128°9.25'W—4 A small south-facing sand pocket in the northwest corner of the large open beach entered along about 51°38.2' is a choice.  At lower tides it is nearly as surfless as one might expect from looking at the chart.  However, at higher tides the surf has access to the beach from the west, and a few years ago this confluence of events resulted in the unhorsing of two of us while trying to land.  The big beach to the east of this pocket is accessible by headland trail from the recommended beach a little to the north of this site. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1487" data-original-width="2037" height="468" src="; width="640" /></a></div>The south corners of the large beach have good camping opportunities but they are exposed to surf.51°37.8'N  128°8.92'W—5 A small WSW-facing beach entered at approximately 51°37.7'N is a nice little pocket which on our day (low swell) was without surf on landing.  This little beach is unusually steep for a sand beach and is without a water source.  Camping opportunities are on sand at the top of the beach. A very private and pretty place. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1282" height="464" src="; width="640" /></a></div> 51°37.4'N  128°8.63'W—6 A very protected pocket entered along  51°37.4' N.  The way into this beach is to stay close to the north shore of the entrance until past the rock shown on the chart and then pick your way through further rocks until you are in a little bay with a nice beach.  The rocks and kelp absorb virtually all of the energy from the swell.  We were there on a calm day and entry was relatively easy, but we expect that with swell much in excess of a metre the entry could be quite exciting. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="1296" height="478" src="; width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Good camping on a sand beach but there is no creek.</div>51°36.6'N  128°8.58'W—7 This good-sized west-facing beach is our choice south of the beach behind island ‘55’ and the last reliable opportunity to land without surf until the beach northeast of Blackney Island. The entrance to this bay is narrow and shallow with the result that most of the energy dissipates before it gets into the bay and then the large beach further spreads what is left. The best camping and all tide areas are in the northeast part of the beach. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1292" height="410" src="; width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">There is likely to be water during normal years but the small stream was dry when we were there.</div>The bays north of Dublin Point that have not been referred to are generally rocky and poor for landing.<o:p></o:p>Three-Mile Beach51°34.5'N  128°7.24'W—8 This largest of the beaches on Calvert Island is approximately 1.5 nm in length and not obviously three miles from anywhere. We planned our trip to maximize the chance to land in one corner or the other of Bolivar Island when it is tomboloed to the shore, which happens at tides lower than about 1.5 metres. On our day, the swell was from the WNW and was reported at about 0.7 metres at the weather buoys. There was no wind and when we arrived the tombolo was in place. We thought we had a perfect day but it didn’t matter. The north corner of Bolivar Island provided no protection and the shallow water seemed to ‘square up’ the surf into the south corner of Bolivar Island, making it worse than the north corner.  <o:p></o:p>We understand that at times Bolivar Island can create a sheltered corner for landing, and we think that this might happen when swell is from the south of west. <o:p></o:p> The option for us to crash ashore in surf was positively vetoed by our group.  Whether landing in the creek mouth/estuary at high tides is a decent choice was dependent on us getting ashore to have a look.  Someone else might know whether this is an option. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1287" height="396" src="; width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div>East of Blackney Island <span style="font-family: "Walter Turncoat"; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">51°30'N  128°5.5'W—9 The beach east of the north end of Blackney Island is likely a stop for everyone venturing past this way, and it is both a very nice place and good for landing.  Entrance to the beach from the south can be affected by the reef that extends from the north end of Blackney Island to the south end of the beach on Calvert, but the large amount of kelp in the area will probably reduce any difficulty except in very rough conditions.  Entry from the west north of Blackney Island is how most will approach the beach if coming from the north.  The shape of the beach and the rocks and reefs that protect it mean that in the very northwest corner of the beach, immediately south of the big rock, there is likely to be little if any surf.  The beach gets more difficult to land on as one moves east and south along its length.  The NW corner has excellent camping on sand which is protected from the afternoon northwesterlies.  There is no creek at this beach but there is a good source of water, even in our dry year, about a 45-minute walk along the beach to the north (creek shown on chart) and a less reliable smaller water source about a 10-minute walk south of the south end of the beach. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1289" height="474" src="; width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1780" data-original-width="1284" height="640" src="; width="462" /></a></div> Note that for sites 9, 10 & 11 positions on the chart will be approximately .2' farther west due to the older survey information.<o:p></o:p>51°28.22'N  128°2.5'W—10 About 1 nm west of Stafford Point there is a south-facing bay to the north of Jennie Island.  There is a side bay on the east side of this bay and in the southeast part of that side bay is a small pocket sand beach which can provide a very protected place to land.  We did not land to check out camping possibilities, but from the water there appear to be options higher up on the beach among the driftwood and logs.  The chart provides little detail of this area and we recommend having a look at the Google satellite images. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1283" height="478" src="; width="640" /></a></div><div s

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Phil Lo Greco – 3 More Rounds Boxing News 24/7 Sat, 21 Apr 2018 23:59:33 +0000 en hourly 1 Phil Lo Greco – 3 More Rounds 32 32 39578991 Khan stops Lo Greco in 1 /khan-stops-lo-greco-in-1/ /khan-stops-lo-greco-in-1/#respond Sat, 21 Apr 2018 23:59:33 +0000 /?p=1608 Amir Khan made quick work of Phil Lo Greco on Saturday night, by scoring a first-round stoppage at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Khan wasted no time in throwing his straight right hand and left hook, stunning Lo Greco right away and putting him on the canvas seconds later. Lo Greco beat the count but Khan unloaded again and drilled him near the ropes, sending Lo Greco down again. Lo Greco, who was badly hurt, would be slumped over the ropes, prompting the referee to waive it off. After the fight, Khan called out Kell Brook, who was at ringside as a commentator. ]]> /khan-stops-lo-greco-in-1/feed/ 0 1608 Khan more confident with Goossen in his corner /khan-more-confident-with-goossen-in-his-corner/ /khan-more-confident-with-goossen-in-his-corner/#respond Sat, 21 Apr 2018 17:28:53 +0000 /?p=1597 (Photo: Lawrence Lustig / Matchroom Boxing) Former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan returns tonight against Phil Lo Greco at the sold-out Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, and Khan (31-4, 19 KOs), who has been out of action since his knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez in 2016, is feeling more confident than ever with new trainer Joe Goossen in his corner. “I’ve always liked the way that Joe trains his fighters,” said Khan after the weigh-in on Friday. “He’s trained some great fighters like Corrales and Casamayor. They’re fighters with a similar style to me so I thought Joe would be a good fit and we got in touch, got on and chose to work with him for the rest of camp and it’s worked well. “Every coach is different. Joe has wanted to get my fundamentals right. He wants me to box how I used to, be smart and not make mistakes. Why give the opponent a free chance to hit you? Joe has been telling me to keep the hands up and when I throw a shot to always remember defense while making sure the offense is firing too.” Khan has gone 5-1 since his 2012 loss to Danny Garcia but his former trainer Virgil Hunter recently became ill and Khan needed to look for a new head trainer. “The Amir Khan you’ll see is the one that boxes at a high pace with lots of combinations – but now when I throw them, there’s going to be better defense behind them. I feel better now than I did at 28. I’m 31 now, the peak years of my career, and I’ve made my mistakes and they’re in the past, I don’t want to make them again, so we move forward now and make the right choices.” Khan’s fight against Lo Greco will air live via the new ESPN+ service through the ESPN app, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT. ]]> /khan-more-confident-with-goossen-in-his-corner/feed/ 0 1597

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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11932117Sat, 26 Sep 2026 14:34:21 +0000YouTube Tuesdaypop culturepoliticscultureKansas CityFriday BlogthingbloggingsportsKansasHeadlinesReal LifeBest of 3AMHumorTales from the IdiocracyRandom PhotofamilypolicyscienceJohnson CountyfoodmusicmediatravelarteconomywildlifeKansas Guild of BloggersnatureTVtechnologyhistoryliteratureLarry Moore hatin'healthbusinesscube lifeMovie Mini ReviewThe More You Knowalcoholarchitecturememetechnical help3 A.M. pollBullitt ListGrosscoffeenot awesomemedicineracetaxBook ReportFWDAmelie gameFriday FeastTop Ten Thursdayguest posthome improvementtravel.Awkward PieIranMonkey NewscrimeofficereviewMinneapolisReflective RuminationsTrumpcivil rights3AM ObservationConstitutionFormsprings EternalHBOMAGAblogcastfascismCharlie KirkICEJerry MoranMarch MadnessMitch McConnellNCAA TournamentPosted OnRead ThisSecond AmendmentTy MastersonVinylbasketballchessclassfree speechmoviephilosophypolice shootingsatirewordleThree O'Clock in the Morningnoreply@blogger.com (FletcherDodge)Blogger1470125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11932117.post-5258793394595195574Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:26:05 +00002026-09-15T10:26:05.550-05:00Mitch McConnellpoliticssatireWeekend at Mitchie's <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="596" height="425" src="; width="479" /></a></div> 2026/09/weekend-at-mitchies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (FletcherDodge)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11932117.post-3938953521593720616Sat, 12 Sep 2026 20:27:52 +00002026-09-12T18:21:30.950-05:00Kansaspoliticspop cultureScenes from an Italian butcher shop<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="828" height="276" src="; width="463" /></a></div> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1476" height="204" src="; width="242" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><div style="text-align: left;">I’m lookin’ at this shit in the <a href=" about this Senator… Doc Roger Marshall</a>, down in Kansas. The fake outrage in the media. It’s somethin' else, it really is. The guy’s an OB-GYN, right? He delivers a kid. A beautiful, pristine, miracle of life. And what does he ask for in return? A little respect. A little vig. Eighteen percent.</div> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="988" height="192" src="; width="153" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Eighteen percent on a C-section? T, that’s stiffer points than what we hit Davey Scatino with for the sportsbook layout. That's fuggin' shylock numbers. <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1378" data-original-width="1380" height="240" src="; width="240" /></a></div>Hey! Watch your mouth! You’re missin’ the whole concept here! This man took an oath! The Hippocratic Oath! You know what that means? It means you pay your fuckin’ earners. You think medical school is free? You think those cute little ultrasound machines just fall off the back of a truck in Great Bend? (Takes a loud, raspy sip of Chianti) He sued seven hundred of ’em. Seven hundred! That’s called follow-through. That’s called runnin’ a tight crew. Today, everybody wants a free pass, a fuckin' UBI. "Oh, Doc, my deductible is too high." "Oh, Doc, my insurance didn't cover the epidural." Whaddya want me to do, cry? I got a family to feed, too! You got money for a baby stroller, you got money for the eighteen percent. <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="1258" height="240" src="; width="212" /></a></div>Word on the street is he had eighty-one of ’em locked up. Cops show up, put the silver bracelets on ’em for missin' a court date. Heh-heh. That’s real old school. That’s how we handled that deadbeat from the drywall union back in ’98. No court, no payout—straight to the can. <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="728" height="188" src="; width="237" /></a></div>Exact-a-ly! It’s about caporegime level discipline! A guy delivers your kid, you don’t duck his phone calls! You don’t make him send some stunseed collection agency like he’s a jerk-off! He’s a United States Senator now! He understands the business! You let one broad slide on a hundred and one dollar balance, word gets out to the other deadbeats. Next thing you know, the whole waiting room is walking out with free diapers and a sense of entitlement.<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="858" height="235" src="; width="165" /></a></div>They’re calling him a loan shark in the press, T. Sayin' he’s practically a shakedown artist in a white coat.<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"> <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1008" height="173" src="; width="262" /></a></div> A loan shark?! He’s a pillar of the community! He’s charging eighteen percent. You know what bank rates were back then? It’s called inflation adjustment! He’s a businessman! The guy’s out there, workin' with his hands, doin' heavy lifting in the delivery room, and people wanna treat him like he’s a mobster because he garnishes a checking account? (Puffs his cigar, blows a thick cloud of smoke toward the ceiling) Whatever happened to Gary Cooper? The strong, silent type. The kinda doctor who hands you a baby, hands you an invoice with a compound interest clause, and if you don’t pay, he takes your Buick or gets the sheriff to lock your ass up. That’s what built this country. Not this... this soft, maggott' Ova whining about "medical debt." You owe the man his taste, you pay the man. End of story! <p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="560" height="239" src="; width="320" /></a></div> Get Sil on the horn. See if we can get this Marshall guy down for a seat at the executive card game. I like his style—guy knows how to crack a kneecap without ever taking off his surgical gloves.2026/09/scenes-from-italian-butcher-shop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (FletcherDodge)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11932117.post-6547200712381538184Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:57:19 +00002026-09-10T09:30:48.333-05:00HeadlineshealthKansasMAGApoliticsHippocratic OafThere are certain phrases Americans keep polished and mounted above the fireplace because examining them too closely might ruin dinner.Public service. Family values. The sanctity of life.And that magnificent old chestnut:  First, do no harm.A noble idea. Clean. Reassuring. The sort of thing I imagine women want floating around in the mind of a man standing between their knees with a medical degree and several thousand dollars' worth of stainless-steel instruments.But apparently the warranty expires somewhere between the examination room and accounts receivable.Because Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall — Republican, physician, longtime OB-GYN and professional defender of the sanctity of human life — has suddenly found himself staring down one hell of a medical chart.According to a new <a href="; target="_blank">New York Times investigation</a>, Marshall and his medical practice filed lawsuits against more than 700 former patients over unpaid bills.Some debts ran into the thousands. One was $101.The practice routinely charged 18 percent annual interest. That is the kind of number that makes you wonder whether your OB-GYN accepts Blue Cross or whether you should just ask for Tony Soprano. At least Tony would have the professional courtesy not to call it health care.Wages and bank accounts were garnished. And 81 patients were eventually arrested after failing to appear in court in connection with the collection lawsuits.Sweet Jesus. You could lock a team of political satirists in a Topeka motel with six cases of Red Bull and a whiteboard and they would not improve those numbers.700 lawsuits. 18 percent interest. 81 arrests. $101.This isn't a scandal. It's a billing statement from the Republic. First, do no harm. Then calculate the APR.<h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="334" src="; width="334" /></a></div></div>The Miracle of Life, Plus Interest</h2>Marshall spent more than 25 years practicing obstetrics in western Kansas and has made his medical career an essential part of his political identity. He has proudly noted that he delivered more than 5,000 babies.Five thousand.That is a lot of first breaths, tiny fingers, exhausted mothers and terrified fathers.It is also, apparently, a hell of a customer base.Marshall's spokeswoman says he treated patients regardless of their ability to pay and argues that the lawsuits must be understood in the brutal economics of rural medicine — keeping the doors open, keeping doctors available, keeping the hospital lights burning.And there is truth buried in that defense. Rural medicine is in crisis. Hospitals do not run on prairie virtue. Doctors deserve to be paid.But then you hit the 18 percent interest rate and the wagon starts losing wheels.Eighteen percent. On medical debt. In rural Kansas.This is where the country doctor story starts growing loan-shark teeth.According to the Times, roughly half the lawsuits were filed under Marshall's own name and the remainder by Heartland Regional OBGYN, a practice he owned or co-owned. Many defendants lived in Barton County, where poverty and lack of health insurance were more common than nationally.Some of the debts arose from childbirth.Which gives us one of those uniquely American transactions that would be dismissed as heavy-handed dystopian fiction if it hadn't actually happened.You have a baby. You go home bleeding, exhausted and terrified that this seven-pound creature will stop breathing if you look away for thirty seconds.And somewhere across town, a clock begins ticking.The miracle of life has been delivered successfully, now please remit payment.The Times reported that Kellie Clutts was sued in 2015 over a $129 postpartum bill. Her baby was nine months old. Her bank account was eventually garnished.Over one hundred twenty-nine dollars? Members of the United States Senate can spend more than that on dinner without remembering what they ate. But out on the plains, apparently, $129 can become a legal proceeding.<h2>Easter in Kansas</h2>Then we reach Joe Vasquez and his wife. Mrs. Vasquez underwent an emergency hysterectomy. The couple owed $4,561. Marshall sued.They missed a court appearance. Then came Easter weekend, 2007. Their grandchildren were preparing for an egg hunt when police arrived.Grandma and Grandpa went to jail.They stayed there for two days until their son could borrow enough money to post bond.Stop there.No embellishment.No metaphor.Just look at the picture.Plastic Easter eggs scattered around a Kansas yard while two grandparents are hauled away after medical debt became litigation, litigation became a missed court appearance, and the missed appearance became a warrant.Let's be clear that, according to the law, they were not arrested merely because they owed Marshall money. The warrants resulted from failures to appear in court during the collection proceedings. That distinction matters legally and factually.Morally, however, it reveals something uglier.Look at the machine: A patient cannot pay a medical bill. Roger Marshall sues. The legal machinery starts grinding. The patient fails to appear. The court issues a warrant. The police arrive.And suddenly everybody involved can point toward the previous cog and announce that none of this was really their decision.The doctor didn't make the arrest.The lawyer didn't issue the warrant.The judge didn't perform the hysterectomy.The sheriff didn't set the interest rate.Everybody's hands are clean.It's a miracle.The machinery has somehow produced handcuffs without anybody ever touching the controls.This is the great genius of institutional cruelty: responsibility disappears one procedural step at a time.<h2>The Eighteen Percent Question</h2>Marshall's former attorney told the Times that Marshall was not personally involved in deciding when attorneys sought warrants, arrests or garnishments. He left collection tactics to the law firm.That fact belongs here. It matters.But then comes the other fact: According to the same attorney, Marshall set the 18 percent interest rate.And there it is. The doctor may not have been driving every vehicle in the convoy, but apparently he helped set the speed limit. Eighteen percent is not a clerical error. It is not something that crawled out of QuickBooks at midnight and began reproducing. Someone decided on it.And medical debt is not ordinary consumer debt. Nobody comparison-shops an emergency hysterectomy.Nobody says, "Doc, the bleeding is pretty bad, but your financing terms are murder. What can you do if I put twenty percent down?"Nobody walks into an obstetrics ward because the Labor Day sale looked irresistible.The transaction begins with vulnerability: You are pregnant. You are bleeding. You are sick.You are frightened.You need help now.Then the crisis passes, and the invoice arrives. Then interest. Then lawyers. Then court. Then garnishment.Then, for some people who fail to appear, warrants.A lawsuit over $101 is a moral Rorschach test.You either look at it and see something grotesque or you begin explaining administrative overhead.<h2>And Then the Doctor Went to Washington</h2>Had Roger Marshall retired from medicine and disappeared onto a ranch somewhere, this might be merely an ugly artifact from the subterranean history of American health care.But Marshall did not retire into obscurity. He went to Washington.Marshall won a House seat in 2016 and later became a United States senator, carrying his identity as a Kansas country doctor all the way to the Capitol.The physician-legislator. The man who had seen American health care from the inside. And in 2017, he joined the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.Well, that résumé reads somewhat differently now. Because there are several ways to acquire "firsthand experience with America's health-care system."You can learn what happens when a working family gets crushed by medical expenses. Or you can learn precisely which forms need to be filed to collect them.Both technically qualify as experience. Only one looks good in a campaign commercial.Marshall's campaign says this reporting unfairly transforms the financial realities of rural medicine into an election-year scandal. His spokeswoman argues that he treated people regardless of ability to pay and was trying to keep rural medical care alive.Fine. Put that defense on the table. Let Kansas voters inspect it.But while we're inspecting things, perhaps somebody can explain exactly how many $101 lawsuits are required to keep the hospital lights on.And whether the bulbs get noticeably brighter at 18 percent APR.2026/09/hippocratic-oaf.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (FletcherDodge)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11932117.post-6627933139956114240Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:00:27 +00002026-08-07T11:58:55.577-05:00Make America Glum Again Losing 23,000 jobs in July is just part of the grand economic strategy. You don't have to worry about high gas prices or inflation destroying your paycheck if you simply no longer have a paycheck. 4D chess. 📈🧠 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="361" height="240" src="; width="274" /></a></div> ;2026/08/23000-jobs-in-july-is-just-part-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (FletcherDodge)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11932117.post-654378083165263546Wed, 29 Jul 2026 23:45:00 +00002026-07-29T18:45:00.113-05:00economypolicypoliticsA Tale of Two Balance Sheets There are two ledgers in America now. One belongs to the Republic (that is, you, me and the rest of us non-billionaires). The other belongs to the Ruling Family.The first bleeds red ink by the trillions of gallons. The other has discovered that foreign sovereign wealth travels first class.Our country now carries nearly $39 trillion in national debt—a figure so immense that people react to it the way we react when <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Patrick Mahomes</a> stays on the turf a beat too long. For a split second, everyone feels genuine terror. Then the cameras cut away, the crowd convinces itself he just needs to walk it off, and the game goes on as though panic itself were unpatriotic.But, just when the federal government has ostensibly embraced austerity as its defining political virtue, billions of dollars in state-linked foreign investment have flowed into business ventures associated with the Trump Crime Family.Those two stories—if they are reported—typically appear on different pages. They should be in the same sentence.Trump returned to power promising nothing less than a controlled demolition of the administrative state. Through the <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE</a>, because apparently every Trump initiative must first survive the branding department—it pledged to slash contracts, eliminate waste, and reduce the civilian workforce by roughly ten percent. Trump told Americans that somewhere inside the federal bureaucracy lurked the secret villain responsible for the nation's fiscal crisis. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="; width="320" /></a></div>Unfortunately, like most marketing campaigns, DOGE offered more snake oil than substance.The 21-year-old interns in DOGE focused overwhelmingly on discretionary spending—the comparatively small slice of the federal budget devoted to agency operations and personnel. The principal engines driving long-term debt, including mandatory spending programs and rapidly escalating interest costs, remained largely untouched. Meanwhile, ill-considered mass personnel layoffs generated substantial near-term costs through severance obligations, while reductions in IRS staffing are projected to reduce future tax collections by hundreds of billions of dollars.The theory seemed to be that enough pink slips could somehow frighten a $39 trillion balance sheet into behaving itself.Arithmetic, however, has never shown much respect for political messaging.So, let's try some missiles.Military operations against Iran introduced tens of billions of dollars in expenditures that were never in what passes these days for a fiscal plan. Those operations, like so much of modern American governance, were financed through additional borrowing. The conflict also contributed to renewed pressure on <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">global energy markets</a> at a moment when inflation remained stubbornly above the <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Federal Reserve's target</a>, complicating the path toward lower interest rates and increasing the government's cost of financing new debt.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1128" height="217" src="; width="320" /></a></div>Our leaders are remarkably adept at borrowing money to pay interest on what they borrowed to finance promises made before creepy <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Ty Masterson</a> had discovered hair gel.Through the first three quarters of the fiscal year, the Treasury accumulated roughly $1.4 trillion in additional debt. Net interest payments now exceed $20 billion every week, making the cost of servicing yesterday's borrowing one of the largest expenditures in the federal budget.This is the bleak status of the public ledger. But don't worry, at least the private ledger tells a happier story.While the public piles up debt to pay for debt, businesses connected to the Trump Family have attracted billions of dollars from <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">foreign sovereign wealth funds</a> and state-linked investors. Public reporting has documented substantial commitments to Trump-branded real estate developments, investment partnerships, and cryptocurrency <strike>ponzi schemes</strike> ventures involving capital originating from governments or government-affiliated entities in the Gulf region and elsewhere.Apparently "America First" comes with a caveat that foreign capital remains perfectly acceptable, provided it arrives through the correct Trump-affiliated revolving door.Whether every transaction is ultimately lawful is one question. Whether every arrangement reflects sound constitutional judgment is another.The framers of the Constitution understood the difference.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="; width="320" /></a></div>Having watched European courts convert political influence into commercial opportunity, they knew corruption rarely looked like a sack of gold labeled "Bribe". It wore finer tailoring. It arrived bearing partnerships, investment opportunities, and mutually beneficial business deals. Human nature, they understood, has always hired excellent accountants.They wrote that concern into the Constitution itself. The <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Foreign Emoluments Clause</a> prohibits federal officeholders from accepting benefits from foreign states without congressional consent. The <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Domestic Emoluments Clause</a> limits the president's financial compensation from governmental sources beyond the salary established by law.Whether Trump's shady business deals ultimately violate those constitutional provisions remains unresolved. Previous emoluments litigation largely ended on procedural grounds before courts reached the constitutional merits. The legal questions remain open.But the ethical questions don't disappear just because the legal ones are unsettled. They become more difficult.Luxury developments in Qatar, Oman, Dubai, and Vietnam promise licensing income and management fees associated with projects backed by foreign capital. <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners</a> has secured billions of dollars from Gulf sovereign wealth funds, generating substantial management revenue regardless of short-term market performance. None of these arrangements automatically establishes a constitutional violation. They do create the appearance of overlapping financial interests that the framers regarded with profound suspicion.And it is super suspicious that we have a Trump administration telling us that sacrifice is unavoidable, agencies must shrink, efficiency requires layoffs and your services are going to be drastically reduced...... And on the other hand is at the center of an expanding constellation of luxury developments, sovereign investment funds, licensing agreements, management fees, and private equity partnerships quietly demonstrating that austerity is apparently a policy preference rather than a lifestyle.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="850" height="240" src="; width="236" /></a></div>Perhaps the overlap is entirely coincidental. Maybe every foreign policy decision has been made wholly independent of private financial considerations. Maybe Trump doesn't care at all about money.  Those extremely hypothetic possibilities don't eliminate the conflict. They define it.The founders understood something the Trump Family wants us to forget:Influence rarely arrives kicking down the front door. It books a reservation. It attends conferences. It hires prestigious law firms. It invests through sovereign wealth funds.It purchases penthouses overlooking immaculate skylines while everyone insists that business and politics use separate elevators.Corruption might change its wardrobe, but it rarely changes its business model.America has survived wars, depressions, constitutional crises, and financial panics because it has generally insisted upon one stubborn principle: public office exists to serve the Republic, not the balance sheet of those fortunate enough to occupy it. The <a data-preview="" href="; target="_blank">Emoluments Clauses</a> were not drafted because the framers believed every officeholder would become corrupt. They were drafted because they understood that republics do not collapse only through dramatic acts of treason. More often, they erode gradually, one perfectly legal transaction at a time, until no one can remember where public duty ended and private opportunity began.2026/07/a-tale-of-two-balance-sheets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (FletcherDodge)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11932117.post-638364271237840854Sat, 07 Mar 2026 09:30:00 +00002026-03-07T15:32:59.080-06:00fascismHeadlinespolicypoliticsTales from the IdiocracyTrumpNoemland insecurityThe Department of Homeland Security is not a campaign ad. It is not a cable-news green room with a bigger budget, or a vanity social media propaganda app. It is a 260,000-employee nerve center responsible for border enforcement, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, FEMA coordination, and disaster response. It is where managerial errors echo in real time. And yet, in Convicted Felon Donald Trump’s second term, DHS has become the latest example of a governing philosophy that prizes loyalty over competence. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="674" height="234" src="; width="320" /></a></div> Kristi Noem’s tenure as secretary started out turbulent and only got worse. Immigration enforcement operations drew national scrutiny. In one widely criticized episode, victims killed in a fatal encounter with ICE agents were characterized as “domestic terrorists” before facts were established — a rhetorical leap that undercut credibility (a vanishing commodity in this administration) at a moment demanding precision. As Noem flailed, the department entered a partial shutdown amid congressional dissatisfaction with its strategic direction, and its own inspector general accused DHS leadership of obstructing oversight work — an extraordinary charge for an agency entrusted with safeguarding constitutional order. <div> </div><div>At the same time, morale plummeted as enforcement priorities appeared increasingly driven by headline numbers rather than targeted, sustainable strategy. Noem was removed earlier this week. It should have been a moment for recalibration — a pivot toward technocratic steadiness, toward a leader with deep experience in national security management or emergency coordination. Instead, the felon-in-chief signaled his intention to nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="; style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="608" height="240" src="; width="316" /></a></div> Mullin’s résumé includes small-business ownership and a Senate seat. What it does not include is executive leadership in counterterrorism architecture, intelligence coordination, border command structures, cybersecurity infrastructure, or disaster logistics — the core machinery of DHS. Hell, his résumé doesn't even include a bachelor's degree.  The through-line is allegiance, not administrative qualifications. Presidents are entitled to appoint leaders who share their policy views. That is democratic governance. But when blind loyalty becomes the primary credential for overseeing complex security institutions, the cost is self-inflicted vulnerability and avoidable national risk. DHS is not built for improvisation. It requires fluency in interagency coordination, statutory limits, operational chain-of-command discipline, and crisis logistics. It demands respect for oversight, not friction with it. It demands credibility with career professionals who keep the system running long after political cycles end. When leadership is selected for loyalty first and fluency second, agencies deform. Career staff learn that posture outweighs performance. Oversight becomes adversarial. Messaging drifts ahead of evidence. Mistakes are defended instead of corrected. Homeland security can't and shouldn't function on personal devotion. Noem’s malfeasance exposed the limits of appointing political allies to manage sprawling security institutions. Doubling down with another figure whose principal qualification is proximity to presidential power suggests the lesson absorbed was not “we need deeper expertise,” but “we need tighter loyalty.” That is a dangerous substitution. Border security, cyber defense, counterterrorism, disaster response — these are systems that either operate with disciplined competence or fail under pressure. The American public doesn't benefit from theatrical resolve. It benefits from steady, qualified leadership. Loyalty may be useful in politics, but it's not a homeland security strategy.</div>2026/03/noemland-insecurity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (FletcherDodge)

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