"Prepare for the Future"

This is a fitting title as we watch and read the news of the Gulf oil disaster. The toxic effects on such a large area of ocean and coast, and on the people living there is fairly paralyzing. Like the Gulf residents are deer in the headlights. It affects us far removed folk the same way. BP injured everyone on this rock by virtue of our commonality.

We constantly hear that BP is covering up the damage, with the Coast Guard's help. Sounds like Coast Guard ops in Alaska. They'll cite a boat owner for not having a survival suit for a tot, but won't cite trawlers destroying the ecosystem and livelihoods of thousands of Alaskans. And they call picking on small boats for minor infractions "Sustainable Fisheries Patrol?"

We wonder more all the time what kind of a future are we facing. I missed the big multi-year class reunion in Petersburg this Fourth of July, but saw some reports on the goings-on. Sounds like a good time was had by all, in spite of the rain. A poem by one of the attendees was distributed. Good work, Mike. It reflects how ill prepared we are to deal with these disasters, and maybe especially we who grew up so sheltered on a small island in Alaska.

Sure, we roll with the punches. What else can you do? War has had a profound effect on the ones who served in the military, especially in-theater. But it affects all of the rest of us as well, ie., family members, news viewers. My son, Jesse, served in Iraq for two tours of duty and is now out and trying to make plans. He and I went to Alaska last winter to prepare the old State ferry 'Chilkat' for sea last.

Low level bureaucrats can and do scuttle anything new, unless there is enough perceived power on your side to make them think twice about their own job security. Well, that brings up the subject to those new to my blogs, that the PSPA (The shore-based processors, when I was there.) used to go around the agencies in Juneau and threaten jobs right and left.

It's not by the rule-book anymore. Hasn't been for a long time. Education? I remember the Whitney-Fidalgo Seafoods VP for Southeast Alaska telling me that he didn't think the President of the company even knew he had a college degree. Would your college tell you that you should expect to change your entire career five times in your life? And that secure pensions in industry are a thing of the past?

Resource extraction industries are just that. They extract all the resources, whether fish or oil or minerals, then lay everyone off and everybody goes home. Leaving the world a poorer place, of course. So, should we plan for a barren planet?

I think there might be a future in underground construction. They say the water is so toxic in the Gulf of Mexico that it is eating up boats. There might be trading to be accomplished with alternative energy powered vessels, if they stay afloat. And the technology is there. Rest assured the oil producers won't have any qualms about charging ten dollars a gallon for gasoline if they thought they could get away with it.

Where this is going is, looks like planning for change is the way to go. Like they are saying, "Change is occurring at a faster and faster rate all the time." Be resilient. Be adaptable. Be mobile. Funny I should say that, because there is an old saying that in the last days people will be moving around alot. Well, it might be necessary, so get a good fuel efficient way to travel around.

The sage advice of our grade school principal, and you know who I mean, is even more valid; "You need a good woman and fourty acres." Jesse and I climbed to the very rocky pinnacle of Mt. Ashland the other day, and what strikes you is that there is a lot of good quality vacant land out there. Of course anyone who has flown across Alaska is struck by this fact as well. Not that a lot of it is very high quality land though.

Well, don't take any wooden nickels, but certainly don't be the proverbial frog in the slowly warming pot of water. It will boil eventually. I would say any bank money you take is a wooden nickel. The games are much more subtle than the difference between wood and metal. Any more it's like a loan is a pipeline to suck the life out of you.

And speaking of pipelines, I wouldn't vote for someone promising anything regarding a pipeline. I've been working for reason in the fishing industry for decades and it just gets more crooked all the time.

The physical Pastime Cafe was located about across the street from the old Mitkof Hotel. It was the third seat in from the door that my father jumped off and ran to enlist in the Navy when the news of Pearl Harbor came. Seems like he sat in the same seat when I ate breakfast with him before going deer hunting as a kid.

I think Dad was pretty traditional. Same as the rest of us I suppose. He fought for profitability in the fishing industry and so did I. He fought for the same fishing business models, and I for the family fisherman. But, unknown forces change everything for us whether we like it or not. Some say it's just the times, some say it's a money cartel based in London, the old home of the most successful Rothschild sibling. Some say it's a backlash against a greater joy and awareness going around.

Whatever is going around, visualize the future you want for yourself and plan accordingly with good intel. And plan to be in good health. Just don't get your intel here. You get what you pay for. And don't hit the 'snooze' button, no matter how tempting. We really are all connected, so don't let me down.