Philip Torrens wrote: > > >From: ralph diaz <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com> > >4. Security areas. It is easy to forget that some places are protected > >for security or other reasons. Here, the vicinity of the Statue of > >Liberty is one. We are not supposed to get closer than x feet. This is > >especially true around the back end or westernmost side where there is a > >landable beach of sorts. I have had park rangers come running over with > >hastily shouldered rifles when coming close in that area. > > Jeez Ralph, > I know my American cousins are trigger-happy, but what the hell is there on > Ellis Island that requires the threat of deadly force to defend? Or is this > one of those deals where if you tell us, you have to kill us? And whatever > happened to that motto on Lady Liberty "give me your poor... your gasping > kayakers yearning to take a pee?" (some paraphrasing may have occurred:-) Actually on one of the times that guards scurried out and helicopters started circling over us, I was in the company of several Canadians!!! Feathercraft's Doug Simpson and his wife, Sue, and at-the-time 4 year old son, Evan (the latest Feathercraft ads picture him and his son surfing in in a double Feathercraft). We Americans do fear a possible Canadian invasion. I am certain I am not the only one who read those two short novels back many years ago about hostilities between the US and Canada: _Ultimatium_, in which the US, in the midst of a fuel crisis, decides to annex Canada for its oil; and the sequel book, _Exxoneration_, in which you Canadians cleverly win the war against the invading American forces!!! So you can see that we are a bit skittish down here. Another actually. When Doug and family and I went around the Statue, there was, a few moments before, the drive-by shooting of a busload of Yeshiva students on the Brooklyn Bridge. The incident instantly put city and federal law enforcement people on alert for possible further terrorist attacks. We unknowingly paddled into the middle of all that. Sure had a lot of attention as we paddled near the Statue. I counted 3 helicopters hovering over us and all sorts of guards ringing the island. I am sure their suspicions were heightened by innocent-looking Canadians below. :-) ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Feb 21 2000 - 09:57:39 PST
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