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EDITORIAL

This weekend is a somber time as we remember the 10th. Anniversary of 9/11 a "day of infamy" actually worse than the attack on Pearl Harbor, HI.

As regular readers will know NAUTICAL LOG is very concerned about the plight of our fellow seafarers held captive by pirates ashore and off the coast of Somalia.  We are particularly disappointed in the lack of support from the other maritime themed blogs in placing a comment at the end of their posts as NAUTICAL LOG does.  Therefore we have to decide how to proceed, the first step was to not make comments about Posts in other blogs.  The next step which, we have now taken, is to close our maritime consulting interests and that heading has been removed from the Blog.  The last and final step is to consider closing down NAUTICAL LOG entirely.  To this end we are going to make an assessment of the lack of response to the piracy situation both by other maritime themed blogs and the International Maritime Authorities between now and the end of 2011.   Depending on those results we may discontinue publishing for 2012.  

During this week there have been disturbing scenes at the Port of Longview, WA and while normally NAUTICAL LOG does not comment on Union affairs there was a post in MARINE CAFE BLOG by Barista Uno.  Of all the maritime themed blogs this particular blog is closest as an activist maritime blog to ourselves.  The Post was disappointing in that it was completely biased and one-sided on behalf of the Union.  When one is an activist blog a Post is often triggered by an issue that has really "rattled your cage".  But there is still the duty to be fair, balanced, temperate and show all sides of an issue.  Frankly we were quite shocked to read a totally gratuitous and indeed pointless sentence in reporting the detention of Union members which said "this sort of thing happens all the time in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave".   Since weekend being the 10th. Anniversary of 9/11 sarcastic anti-American remarks are not particularly appreciated, perhaps Barista Uno can explain how this sentence is relevant in a report of Union mob violence.   Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port's security, overwhelmed it and entered to begin smashing equipment and the Port facilities.  These actions were away beyond a legitimate Union protest on a labor issue.   Following the Rule of Law the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has had a Federal judge issue an injunction against further Union violence.

Before making such shoddy remarks about America MARINE CAFE BLOG might want to consider the many Americans who help make life better for many Filipinos.  People like Marie Rose Abad killed at work in Twin Tower #2 who has a Manila village, converted from a sordid slum, named for her by her Filipino husband.   NAUTICAL LOG believes that on review MARINE CAFE BLOG owes an apology to all Americans for that sarcastic remark.


Good Watch.

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