So... staying on this boat on the Oakland estuary just inside the San Francisco Bay while visiting my home state of California from Argentina has been - splendid - to say the very least. Despite the cold wind-swept storms with the beautiful storm clouds bursting through and my bum knee and the damp-factor and no transportation to call my own, today is a lovely warm April spring day, the CA sun is shining and I'm stoked!
Years ago when Super Dave first bought his 29' Ericson next door, the Embarcadero Cove marina was a barren sailors hideaway. With Jerry Brown's mayorship of Oakland now past, his redevelopment legacy lives on - new walkways and parks are springing up all along the waterfront and the newest addition to this hidden marina is STARBUCKS coffee just onshore right next to us. Now, I've always hated Starbucks with a passion - over priced, over roasted consumerist coffee at best - but as I near my fortieth year I'm learning to love more than hate and have made amends with the WalMart giant of retail coffee.
Most mornings that I've slept on the boat, I've hobbled my crippled self up to the welcoming warmth of overweight Americans ordering ridiculous sounding 'specialty coffee drinks' - "I'll have a non-fat, four shot carmel machiatto with a chocolate scone. Did I say whip?" - you get the picture (or maybe not for those in Argentina, one of the very few countries I've been to with NO Starbucks- yet).
But the point is that its become a sort of coven for COPS! Not just local cops but cops from all over. On any given day, there will be agents from the Alameda County Sheriffs, Oakland Police Department (OPD), California Highway Patrol (CHiPs - like Frank and Poncherelo, from TV), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police, special K-9 units from god knows where, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA - NARCS), the fire department and on and on. But TODAY, there were these two rotund figures coming out of the trees and up the walkway towards Starbucks. At first I couldn't see them very well, and then realized they were in full green camouflage body warrior-type suites. One male, one female, just off of the Coast Guard zodiac parked at the next marina over - with the .50 caliber machine gun mounted up front - you know, for terrorists.
Just wanted to share this with you... the transformation of the USofA towards a full-on police state - thanks GW. Last time I flew into SFO there were military personal patrolling the airport with Humvees and M-16's!! If you need any more info on the loss of free speech in this country, please visit Josh Wolf's website to read about his 7 1/2 months in Federal prison for 'withholding evidence' from the grand jury. Wolf is the longest journalist to be held in contempt of court in US history WITHOUT BEING CHARGED FOR A CRIME! He was just released from prison on April 3rd, welcome back brother.
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2 comments:
Hey GR, didn't know you were back. I'm out of the loop. would love to meet you at the Starbucks for coffee & a chat... 415-515-6168 Fairlight
The cops probably hang out there for the yummy new chocolate tangerine donut like thingy they have now. Did you try it? If you haven't I suggest you do. Looks like a baby bundt cake.
Once you try it, you'll be hobbling up the gangplank three times a day to eat them!
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