Nom de plume: Rivrdog

WillBoat AAR

The AAR is over on the WillBoat blog site, here.

WillBoat takes it on the road

WillBoat is headed for Springfield, OR this ayem, to attend the work sessions, then the big meeting tonight on the Waldo Lake motor-ban hearing.

The Paper of Sucking Up to the Left Oregonian has already written that the Sierra Club has won this round, but the pro-Gaia Oregon State Marine Board won't be able to take much comfort for very long. They, in turn, are about to lose a lawsuit over this very same rule in the Oregon Court of Appeals, and tomorrow morning, during non-agenda item comment time, your stalwart WillBoat CEO will inform them that it's now a two-front war as I lay the Americans With Disabilities Act on them and start the compliance clock running.

The Marine Board is a non-ADA-compliant outfit, as are most state and local governmental arms. They just haven't cottoned to the fact that Federal law now REQUIRES that all their rules, and all their facilities, be made accessible/friendly to handicapped people.

We have an awful lot of wounded warriors in this Nation now, many missing limbs and/or having other serious handicaps. The one thing that they all have is a lot of time on their hands. The one thing that they all need the most is some way to pleasantly divert themselves from their disabilities. Fishing and boating can provide that pleasant diversion, but as it's set up now, it's a diversion for healthy, whole people. Aside from a few handicapped-designated parking places at a few boat launches, and maybe a handicapped-accessible porta-pottie or two, nothing has been done to make the lives of our wounded veterans any easier if they want to fish.

That's about to change. My company is taking the lead  to use the ADA law, as a meat-axe if necessary, to force my State to make life a bit easier for the wounded veterans. One hopes that the Marine Board will graciously accept my opening entreaty asking them to allow motor use at Waldo Lake for handicapped people, but in case they don't, they are going to have to fight through the fog of pain as our wounded veterans do every minute of every day of their lives, because I am going to lay the wood on them.

We sent these men and women off to war and hurt them badly doing so. Now it is our solemn duty to offer them the respite of a grateful Nation after their sacrifice. I will not let any State Board fail in that duty.

This is my quest. No, belay that, this is my crusade. Yes, it is, in fact, my belief system, the Warrior's Code, and in my code, I am told that I may use some "persuasion" to help wounded warriors. I'm offering exactly ONE olive branch to the State on this one, and if it fails, I start dealing out some pain.

I'm one of the lucky veterans. Any war damage to MY body is taking me slowly, at the same rate as natural aging, so it's not particularly onerous for me. I know that I am one of the lucky ones, and that there are many more with grievous wounds, physical and otherwise, which they must bear for the rest of their days.

Can I enforce respect and fairness for wounded vets? We'll see. We'll see how the Sierra Club likes being on the wrong side of THIS issue, even as they smugly contemplate the victory of having the Marine Board in their pocket...

Happy Easter

As we celebrate either the Resurrection of Christ or the Passover this weekend, your blogger is at work trying to save, not the Chosen People, but the right of powered navigation on the second-largest natural lake in Oregon, Waldo Lake. Two days from now, the Oregon State Marine Board, which has no authority to force someone else's idea of what is beautiful (paddle boats) and what is not (motor boats) down my throat, will try to do that, again. They wrote this rule last year, but screwed up it's implementation, so now they have a do-over (at least until the court rules they don't, which is a distinct possibility).

I am meeting their emo idea with an emo 3-minute speech, to be given during the public testimony period. The lock-up-Waldo people will emote over the tranquility and scenic beauty of the lake, which somehow is trammeled in their myopic mind's eye by a motorboat making less than 10 mph (the old rule allowed motors, but imposed a 10 mph speed limit, which I'm okay with).

Download Waldo Lake Oral Testimony02

I will emote by citing the Forefathers, and why we broke from the English Crown (hint - it had something to do with land-holding and land uses). Your patient History teacher will try to show the Board that they have an older, more primary duty than trying to dance to the tune of the Sierra Club.

I've been told that I can jerk a few tears when I speak. We'll see, but in case the Sierra Club with their humungo email list succeeds (emails are running 3100 to 252 against me), there a guy in Eugene, sitting on a high bench, wearing a black robe, who will decide it all in a few weeks. I know the attorney who is arguing against the no-motor rule, and I know the deep-pockets guy who is paying for that lawsuit. I would not want to have to face either of them across the table, in poker or at law. The Marine Board shouldn't want to face them,either, but they will, and they will lose when they do. The Marine Board simply lacks the authority to write rules about anything other than boating safety, which is not an issue with OAR 250-020-0221. This stupid rule is all about hate. The paddlers hate the severely restricted motor-boats on "their" scenic and tranquil Lake, and the Marine Board has given their hate wings.

At WillBoat, we're all about clipping those wings.

BTW, when we win, we beat the Obama-led US Forest Service, too, which body started all this back in Jimmah's day when they tried to stuff Waldo Lake into a Wilderness Area, but failed. Clinton tried it again during his term, and failed again, so the Lake has never been locked behind those Wilderness Walls, and likely won't ever be, but the Forest Service keeps trying. In Oregon, the State owns all the water, even if the lake or stream it's in sits on Federal land, so the Marine Board may write boating rules pertaining to boating safety and now invasive species as it's scope of regulation allows, but the Board lacks authority to write this rule, which is based solely on esoteric values of some users, and nothing else.

Realistically, I will probably lose this battle on Tuesday, because the Board indicated this week, in an open meeting with the Oregon State Aviation Board (which is involved, because the stupid no-motors rule also banned seaplanes, and the Marine board lacks the authority to write rules for seaplanes), that they have a majority of the Board already convinced that the rule should stand as is.

Then I play the ace up my sleeve. Think the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires that persons with disabilities MUST be given equal opportunity, even if it means making special provisions in regulations and facilities for them. Think handicapped parking, wheelchair ramps, etc. Now think that the Marine Board can be forced to accommodate handicapped people who can't row or paddle at Waldo Lake(as they have already done at other water bodies). My gudwife is handicapped, and can't row or paddle, but she likes to boat...the Marine Board WILL write an exception in their rule for her, and they WILL build, at their expense, a fully handicapped-capable boat launch, or the US Attorney will FORCE them to do that. There won't be any PUBLIC testimony on my ADA demand on Tuesday, but I will pass the word that it's coming. That Word might just give the Board the pause it needs to reconsider the entire rule.

Fried Board? Nope! Think NUKED Board. I can and will beat these altar-boys of Gaia at their own game.

 

WillBoat news

WillBoat is still churning the water.

Next week, the Oregon State Marine Board will re-hear their Waldo Lake no-motors rule, down in Springfield (125 miles south of here). There are two days of hearings, so I'll be a guest at the Rivrsis' Rivr cottage in Cottage Grove, another half-hour south.

Incentive for coming to the 4/10 hearing (6 pm, see the events section of the WillBoat website): you'll get a spiffy new (New Era) embroidered WillBoat hat, just in time to shade your eyes from summer's glare (summer is scheduled between 5 July-15 August this year in Western Oregon). 3 hours of hearing from the Gaia folks as well as we motorheads, then I'll probably buy a round or two of suds after the hearing, too. Maybe a slice of pizza to keep you going on your drive back.

The next day, the Marine Board has their quarterly meeting there, also. It's scheduled to be an all-day affair, but these usually break up in mid-afternoon.

So, check out the website and Twitter ( @WillBoatPDX )

The small businessman's Evensong

"Now I lay me down to sleep,

I've sold enough to pay for the Keep,

Should I die before I wake,

I pray (why the Hell didn't I finish that bottle of  '03 Ravenswood Sonoma Valley Cabernet)

It's been a good day for WillBoat.

Goodnight Chet, Goodnight Ed, Goodnight, World (and back when those words were uttered on NBC every night, it WAS a Good Night, because USAF General (CinC SAC) Curtis LeMay and his successors saw to it, and stalwart men held the thin nuke line, but it was good enough to keep the USA safe, and still would be (had not Bill Clinton closed out SAC). I was on that thin nuke line late in those days, and I'm proud to have done my part.

A very strange dance

Yesterday was the big day for the Willamette River Strategic Recreational Use Plan of 2012. It was presented to the Portland City Council in somewhat of a formal ballet-dance.

The very bored-looking Mayor and three of the four Councillors were there on the dais, and the room was about half-filled with (mostly) supporters of the Grand Plan, WillBoat people (there were four of us including my wife) being the sole exceptions to the dance aficionados.

This type of ballet features a lot of mutual back-slapping. The audio-visual presentation was quite good, though, and the A/V person mixed the screen images well so that there was no perceptible delay when the speakers changed or a Councillor asked a question of a speaker. Any slides were seamlessly presented.

That was the good part, but now Portland is stuck with a new policy which means nothing because it is unfunded, and given the current economic conditions, unlikely to ever BE funded.

No, I'm not dead, again

Update to "I'm not dead" #1.

Preparing to go to "war" in the City Council chamber of Portland two days hence.Willboat vs. the High Priests of the Green Religion which is almost totally established as a State Religion now, in defiance of the Constitution's Bill Of Rights (First Amendment). The City Council will hear the First Reading of their Grand Plan to boost paddling and supress motor-boating on the Willamette River. This Grand Plan is an important item on the Green Agenda, and it's defeat would mark an important turning point in the fight to restore the Constitution in these parts.

I note with delight that Fox News has picked up on this Establishment of a State Religion, and I've heard it two days in a row on their morning show. Perhaps I can lend my modest forces to the fight to save this important part of the Constitution.

I will do my best.

No, I'm not dead

...just feel like it. Fido's Ass, or something. Picked up a nasty cold at the Show and it's kicking my butt.

I'm OK to sit at the computer though, but the various nostrums I'm taking have reduced my ability to reason and given me too much patience with the Left to be an effective blogger.

I do have some business I drummed up at the Show to follow up on, so I'm doing that. Just might be able to declare my first victory in a few days, that being causing a locality to reverse an outboard motor ban down on the coast. We'll see, this involves some diplomacy, since I have to get a small city council to repeal their ban.

On another beef that Willboat has going, the City of Portland's whacky Grand Plan for boating has been modified and will be presented to the City council in a little over a week. I have to digest it, prepare my remarks, and prepare to testify in person to defeat it.

Then there will be industrial solicitations. The future of Willboat lies in convincing folks in the boating and related industries to support my company, and I have a lot of names to call on now.

Spring is fairly well used up for me, that's for sure.

Willboat's last show day

Heading into the last day of the Sportsman's Show, some conclusions: the dollars for my new company are not going to come from individual members at first. I will hit the corporate donation trail starting tomorrow. I HAVE gotten a lot of interest going, though, and that's a good start. I've gotten hundreds of "attaboys" and not a single "f##k off".

Ok, doors just opened, time to put the "sell face" on and get back to work.

WillBoat update 2-11-12

There's a world outside of this trade show? The show that only SEEMS to be in it's fourth month, not fourth day?...Well, excuuuuuuse me!

Seriously, there's not as much moolah coming in as I'd have liked, The show will NOT pay for itself, but the job of presenting Willboat to the public was always Job One, and that's going well. Lay the goundwork properly, the moolah will follow, says the business plan.

Have had only a few express any opposition, almost all the hundreds each day who visit my booth express "about time someone stood in that breach", and "best of luck, we need what you're doing". I've had plenty of volunteers, and Volunteer Frank has been the rock of all of them. He's been there every day so far, is a retired USAF M/SGT, was in the Audio Visual career field for 22 years, and he KNOWS his IT and his presentation equipment. Remember the movie called "War Game" from about 20 years ago? A lot of it took place inside Cheyenne Mountain in NORAD's War Room. Well, Frank was one of the guys behind all that equipment, at other locations in the USAF. Can I say VALUABLE? Yes, I can.

Today will be the Big Day. The most visitors. Today's challenge will be to recruit those members out of the huge crowd. I draw them in with a huge basket of salt-water taffy and a quick PowerPoint presentation of my own layout on the 32" flatscreen. They stop, and I give the basic pitch:

"Do you fish from a boat in Oregon, Sir? Yes? WillBoat is here to keep you fishing. We handle the politics of keeping you on the water, and you reel in the fish, that's our offer. Please look our brochure over, and if you see fit, sign up and we'll fight for YOU!"

There are hunters at the Show, and fishermen. I'm getting pretty good at differentiating between them as they walk by, and I pitch to the fishermen.

So it goes. If the old body holds together for one more 10-hour day and then an 8-hour day (followed by frantic tear-down of the booth), I'll survive this. Then, I'll take everyone out to dinner and we'll talk about how to refine what we just learned. Then comes the next big task, one which make or break WillBoat: pitching to corporations. That's where willBoat's REAL support lies, and I have to decide how best to unlock THAT treasure chest. I'm thinking of going to the service clubs first...