Who cares who’s watching?

Re: Eyes everywhere: Is Orwell’s fictional ‘1984’ becoming reality? (May 6 issue). As a retired police officer and a sailboat owner/operator, who cares? If you’re not doing something you should not, don’t worry about it.
Mike

Government surveillance is group’s utmost concern
Re: Eyes everywhere: Is Orwell’s fictional ‘1984’ becoming reality? (May 6 issue). Thanks for covering the EPIC lawsuit about AIS. We do not object to the use of AIS for marine safety. Our concern is about government surveillance. Boaters shouldn’t have to choose between safety and privacy. A good policy would ensure that AIS data is used to protect boaters not to track them.
Marc Rotenberg, President EPIC

Privacy? What Privacy?
Re: Eyes everywhere: Is Orwell’s fictional ‘1984’ becoming reality? (May 6 issue). It’s all OK as long as you can always opt out (which you never can of course). Not if, but when, the system goes down and there are no more physical nav aids, well you figure out the rest. Also, everything is hackable so drug runners will hack the system and erase their ships etc. On the other hand, whatever … Our privacy was gone long ago, the government is just now letting the “Sheeple” know about it and of course, you have no power to do anything so bend over for more and more.
Mark

No Wild West on the water
Re: From harbor to shining harbor: The freedom of anchorages (April 22 issue). There’s also a free anchorage behind Island White at Long Beach, and inside King Harbor. Both have recently shrunk due to the introduction of mooring balls for rent. The free anchorage at San Pedro is very windy, and the checking-in procedure cumbersome. And let’s not forget Catalina Island, where free anchoring is also still available, although slowly disappearing due to ever expanding paid mooring ball fields. A few die-hards actually live at anchor on Catalina Island year round. Over the years, regulations have made it practically impossible to live at anchor in Southern California. There is no Wild West left on the water, just as there isn’t one in land-based campgrounds and RV parks.
Chris P.

On considering a boat purchase
Re: From harbor to shining harbor: The freedom of anchorages (April 22 issue). One major deterrent regarding purchasing a boat is the need for a temporary anchorage/mooring while on a waiting list for a more permanent space. I feel each city should have an accessible area for (say, up to a year) temporary anchoring/docking/mooring. For example, if I live in San Diego, and nothing is available, a space in Dana Point is not feasible. I think that any and all boat brokerages should be proactive in canvassing the local ports, and support new developments toward the anchoring/mooring situations in each area.
JJ

Free anchorages offer ‘last speck of freedom’
Re: From harbor to shining harbor: The freedom of anchorages (April 22 issue). Cool and the very last speck of freedom anywhere, even here in our great nation built upon personal FREEdom, (such as it is with regulations, limited stays and billions of other laws/restrictions etc).
Mark

What about our constitutional rights?
Re: Eyes everywhere: Is Orwell’s fictional ‘1984’ becoming reality? (May 6 issue). So what you’re saying, even though you’ve done nothing wrong, it’s OK to violate ones constitutional rights? This type of mindset is precisely what’s wrong with America. You have the right to travel without being impeded, detained, or harassed. Our rights as Americans are being depleted little by little.
Art

Tyranny in America’s future
Re: Eyes everywhere: Is Orwell’s fictional ‘1984’ becoming reality? (May 6 issue). Who cares? I do. Just being “good” is fine, until an unelected bureaucrat decides to change what is considered “right” and “wrong” without our consent, vote, or sometimes even our knowledge. Human beings are corruptible. Absolute power corrupts absolutely (every time), and those in power have proven over and over again that they should not be trusted with that absolute power. Today’s benevolent dictator will someday either become corrupt, lose power or die, and hand his or her power over to the next person in line. That person is almost NEVER benevolent. The statement: “Just don’t do something you shouldn’t and you’ll be fine” is a woefully ignorant piece of advice, and ultimately dangerous, especially to our kids and their kids.

A police officer may understandably not see the approach of tyranny because the screening effect of years dealing with society’s dregs, and this is more of the problem. Blind adherence to enforcement of unethical and constitutionally illegal laws by the police is happening now, and is scheduled to continue and expand.
Jason

From Our Facebook Page
Thoughts on the Long Beach breakwater

The Log: The potential removal of the breakwater just off the ‪#‎LongBeach‬ coast is good news for ‪#‎surfers‬. ‪#‎politicalcartoon‬. (re: The Log’s May 6, 2016 cartoon).

Jerry Clanton: Do these scientists also realize why it was built in the first place? Damage from tidal action, storm surf, tsunamis, all are destructive forces that have been mitigated by that breakwater … that’s why it’s called a breakwater!

Eve Clanton: That stuff only matters after the damage occurs. Then the damage will be the fault of the developers. Win-win for the “scientists.”