How Might North Koreans Live....

...if their government had gone with their last option as their first option?

Um....instead of leaving it for last.

“The North Korean government has tried all possible ways [for a planned economy] and failed, and it now has to resort to the last option,” said Koh Yu-hwan, professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul. “There’s been lots of back and forth in what the government has been willing to tolerate, and I cannot rule out the possibility of them trying to bring back restrictions on the markets. But it is hard for the government to reverse it now.”

Freedom works best where government governs least.  Or some such mangled idiot.

Black Panther Investigation Continues

This time via the US Civil Rights Commission.

I'm all for having the government ensure that people are not intimidated for voting...or not voting...or for how they vote.  A zero tolerance policy on voter intimidation is fine with me.

That isn't what Mr. Obama's administration has pursued.

John Stewart On Mr. Obama's Broken Promises

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Respect My Authoritah
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Link for those so inclined.

One small correction.  Rendition is a Clinton era policy that was continued by Mr. Bush and subsequently Mr. Obama.  Not a Bush era policy continued by Mr. Obama.

Of course, that doesn't fit the media narrative.

Found here.

From the comments:

But seriously: one of Sartre's great contribution to humanity is to point out that you are what you do, not what you say you are, or what you think you are.

So far, on the issue of justice, Obama is Bush, with better enunciation and worse policies.

A New Political Face

There is a growing level of attention being paid to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  Glenn Reynolds over at Instapundit links to videos of the Governor on a regular basis.

I like him.  I like where he comes from with respect to how elected office holders should behave.  I like that he challenges the media when they label him as being obstructive but give NJ state Democrats a pass for refusing to hold votes.  He is open.  He appears honest.  And you know exactly where he stands on the issues.

His best qualities are a sharp reminder of the things that made Sarah Palin such a popular and good Governor for Alaska.  He doesn't sound or act like he comes from the good ol' boy club.

I think we need someone like Chris Christie in our national politics.  I don't know if he is considering a run for the Presidency in 2012, but I think he would offer the nation a sharp and distinct set of choices about our future.  We can stay the course into a national debt laden hell.  Or we can change and hope to correct our national fiscal policies so that government is more correctly sized for the needs of our nation; fiscally as well as the number of federal employees.

It is a little early for any serious speculation, but I do think that Governor Christie bears watching.

Sometimes Bigger Isn't Better....

...or another tale of centralization failing to meet expectations.  The Okaloosa, FL county commissioners recently adopted a resolution authorizing their county emergency management team to take whatever actions they deem necessary to protect the coastal waters of Okaloosa county.  With or without permission for "higher authorities".

County commissioners voted unanimously to give their emergency management team the power to take whatever action it deems necessary to prevent oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill from entering Choctawhatchee Bay through the East Pass.

That means the team, led by Public Safety Director Dino Villani, can take whatever action it sees fit to protect the pass without having its plans approved by state or federal authorities.

...

While Martha LaGuardia, a commander with the Coast Guard, argued that moving ideas and plans through the chain of command was the proper way to do things, Harris made it known the County Commission was tired of the often tedious and sometimes unproductive bureaucracy.

“We’ve played the game. We’re done playing the game,” he said.

Perhaps a few more local agencies ought to take similar steps to remind those higher authorities that if their services are not effective at solving the problem, then their services are no longer required.

Nothing More To Add

Courtesy of one of the web's best comic strips, XKCD.

Adrift At Sea....

As my regular readers know, I have been following a series of 'round the world sailors on their voyages.  The first was Zac Sunderland who briefly held the title of "youngest sailor, solo circumnavigation".  Mike Perham of the UK relieved him of that title a short time later.

A few weeks ago, Jessica Watson of Australia took the big prize with "youngest sailor, solo circumnavigation, non-assisted, non-stop". 

Zac's sister, Abby Sunderland had set out a few months ago with the objective of relieving Miss Watson of that title.  The "non-assisted" and "non-stop" portion of that quest died in South Africa when she was forced to stop for repairs.  She left South Africa intent on acquiring the "youngest sailor, solo circumnavigation" title.

We have learned today that Miss Sunderland is now missing in the southern Indian Ocean.  The two most recent communications have been from emergency beacons.  One beacon can only be activated manually, so we know that she is still alive.  Fortunately, a third beacon that broadcasts in the event that her boat goes 15 feet below the water's surface has remained silent.

Search and rescue attempts are under way.  Fortunately, she is well equipped with safety gear and adrift in a boat meant to survive in the open ocean.  Unfortunately, the Indian Ocean is a large, empty, and dangerous place.

This report from ABC suggests in its title the unnecessarily pessimistic idea that she is lost at sea.  There are boats that are currently 40 hours from her location.  She has enough food and water to easily last that long.  She is in a boat that is designed to stay afloat in spite of major hull damage.

I suppose it would have been too much to ask for an expression of hope from the media instead of foreboding of disaster.

Miss Sunderland's family knew the risks when she left.  From an earlier report on her journey:

"Could there be a tragedy?" MaryAnne Sunderland said. "Yeah, there could be. But there could be a tragedy on the way home tonight, you know, or driving with her friends in a car at 16. You minimize the risks."

I can appreciate the perspective expressed by Jesse Martin, another former "youngest sailor, solo circumnavigation".

"If I never came back it would not have been a tragedy ... a tragedy would be someone who dies at 80 and spent 80 years not being satisfied," Martin said in the documentary. "I was out there doing what I wanted."

How one spends...and potentially expends...one's life matters.

Miss Watson's perspective is also right on the mark.

"I am actually going to disagree with what our prime minister just said," Jessica told the crowd of well-wishers. "I don't consider myself a hero. I am an ordinary girl who believed in a dream. You don't have to be someone special to achieve something amazing. You just have to have a dream, believe in it and work hard."

I will add only that it is truly sad that we have arrived at a point where children are so protected, so cloistered, that they not only fail to dare to dream big dreams, they don't even know that such big dreams exist.  In a world that gives a ribbon to everyone for participating, we often forget that there are much loftier goals out there that few will attempt and even fewer will conquer.

Zac and Jesse and Jessica and Mike and even young Abby are a refreshing revolt against the idea that safety and mediocrity are more desirable than seeking to master large goals and coming up short.

I dearly hope that Abby will be rescued from whatever trouble that has cut her trip short.  I also hope that, after some rest and recuperation, she makes another attempt.  Of course by then she won't be able to include "youngest" in her list of sailing accomplishments.  That is only one category with so many, many more remaining.

An Update:

Abby is fine.  Her boat is afloat, but the rigging is down.  Rescuers will be there in about a day.

An Unusual Fascination

As someone who it critical of America's fear of nipples, I naturally take note whenever breasts enter the American political consciousness.  It appears that Sarah Palin's critics have turned their attention downward; south of her chin and north of her navel.  The question currently occupying their little minds?  Are Mrs. Palin's prominently perky pair purely the product of her progeniture or has she opted to fan her fame with phony foobies made of flubber^[1]

I suspect that her critics are just trying to make boobs of themselves.

Tigerhawk adds some perspective.

First, does the left enhance -- and I use the word advisedly -- its appeal among the electorate by suggesting that we ought to ridicule women for getting breast implants? The boobery need no further reminder that the left disdains their sense of aesthetic, but if liberals want to beat them over the head with it, fine. This may, in the end, be Palin's greatest contribution to conservative political fortunes: She suckers the chattering left in to reminding everybody that they are, well, snots.

 [1] Yes, I know I'm reaching.

I'm Not Impressed

Recent calls for a more 'emotional' response to the leaking BP oil well from Mr. Obama have been and remain inappropriate.  An effective leader solves problems.  An effective leader also motivates with emotion.  Despite all that Hollywood has to say on the matter....it is a rare occasion when an effective leader can solve problems with emotional displays.  The article from the NYTimes puts is succinctly.

So maybe we should just accept that we’re stuck with a presidential system — and with a ruminative and slightly boring president who tries to solve problems rather than fulminate about them.

Recent indications of Mr. Obama seeking the proper ass to kick have denigrated the office of the Presidency.  They haven't done much for Mr. Obama personal reputation either.

There are a lot of fingers to be pointed.....   

• at BP for their screwy well design
     
• at the Bush administration for not ensuring that the regulators were regulating
     
• at the Obama administration for not replacing the Bush administration regulators
     
• etc.

We do not need an emo-in-chief.  We need a leader.  We also need to understand that the lack of a passionate display does not necessarily mean a lack of caring. 

It was that way before 2009.  It remains that way after 2009.

Now We Know...

Just in case there is any doubt left regarding the intent of the now defunct ACORN's voter registration initiative, now we know.

The intent was to aid and abet voter fraud to the greatest degree possible.

The documents include handwritten notes from FBI investigators interviewing canvassers working with Project Vote, an ACORN affiliate. Among the highlights from the FBI handwritten notes:

• [ACORN] “Told employees not to talk to the FBI. ‘FBI trying to intimidate you.’”
• Fraudulent cards:
  • To cause confusion on election day to keep polls open longer
  • To allow people who can’t vote to vote.
  • To allow to vote multiple times.
• Project Vote will pay them whether cards fake or not – whatever they had to do to get the cards was attitude.
• Constantly threatened
• Staff restricted on what to say to FBI
• “Poverty pimpin” (sic) ACORN
• ACORN HQ is wkg for the Democratic Party.
• PV [Project Vote] pays ACORN $6.00 per card…Said “You treat the cards like (cash) $”
• Some [names] went right from the phone book and made up the rest.
• Canvassers: homeless, volatile, drug users, drunks…
• Anyone who was against PV (Project Vote) or ACORN’s goals “right wing”
• She thought if she used a completely fake name it would be less like ID Theft…”Yeah, it’s against the law, I know.”

The sad part is that the Obama administration closed the investigation rather the pursuing these criminals with the urgency that such crimes require.

A cover up for ACORN.  A cover up for the Black Panthers.




Barack Obama - potentially the left's electoral equivalent of Richard Nixon?

Israel Did What?

Most people should be aware of the recent attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.  There appears to be two narratives to those events.  I'll restrain from any of the more obvious identifiers.

It may be worthwhile to read a report filed by a Kuwaiti reporter regarding those events.

"The Israeli navy gave repeated warnings to the ships [of the flotilla], which tried to break the blockade on the terroristic Hamas movement in Gaza, and also invited them to enter the Ashdod port and unload their cargo of 'aid' supplies, so it could be thoroughly examined by the security [forces] before being delivered by land to the Gaza Strip. When the flotilla failed to heed these warnings and requests, the Israeli navy had no choice but to take over the ships. [In doing so], the IDF troops encountered violent [opposition] that had been planned in advance: the flotilla participants assaulted them with firearms, metal pipes, knives and clubs, and grabbed the rifle of one of the soldiers. The weapons had clearly been prepared in advance... and the soldiers had no choice but to respond, including with live fire.

"The Israeli navy operation was conducted according to orders and instructions of the highest political echelons, [and aimed at] stopping the ships and keeping them from breaching the naval blockade and reaching Gaza. The warning message sent by the Israeli navy [to the Mavi Marmara] was as follows: 'To the captain of the [Mavi] Marmara: You are approaching an area of hostilities, which is under a naval blockade. The Gaza coastal area and Gaza Harbor are closed to maritime traffic. We invite you to enter the Ashdod port, from whence the aid supplies will be delivered through the formal land crossing [to Gaza], after which you can return to your home ports."[2] It should be noted that, according to the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel retains control of a 40-kilometer strip of water off the Gaza coast."

At the end of the article is the response to the invitation to offload the aid supplies in Ashdod.

"Negative, negative. Our destination is Gaza."

Kabuki theater at its finest.

Everyone Is Smart At Something?

I guess some folks just aren't good at economics.

Who is better informed about the policy choices facing the country—liberals, conservatives or libertarians? According to a Zogby International survey that I write about in the May issue of Econ Journal Watch, the answer is unequivocal: The left flunks Econ 101.

I'm not real keen on the use of gratuitous pejoratives to describe other groups.  We libertarians take more than our fair share of dirt in that regard.

And I think I would challenge the bias of the survey.  The questions were somewhat loaded to get a particular response.  More enlightened respondents might have more readily acknowledged that increased regulatory burdens must increase business costs and thus increase the costs to consumers.  The question is whether or not those increased costs result in other benefits to citizens.

Mandating the use of pollution control equipment on smoke stacks keeps our air clean.  There are obvious costs and obvious benefits.

Mandating state licensing of barbers restricts the number of new barbers.  Moderate competitive protections for existing service providers increases costs while occasionally providing negligible public benefits.

At the same time, the story does highlight one of the troubles with engaging some leftists in a conversation about sound public policy.  For some people, the word "corporate" is synonymous with "evil", "corrupt", and a host of other pejoratives.  The same folks generally do not understand that government regulations cost money and that it is consumers that end up paying for those regulations in the end.

This is the group that advocates a luxury tax on yachts and jewelry and then is surprised when American yacht builders lay off their workers and close their doors.  Then they complain when yacht building businesses blossom all across the Caribbean. 

Some level of regulation is clearly needed in the world.  There is no level of regulation that will result in the fantasy world that the economically illiterate believe will result from just the right level of stifling regulations and confiscatory taxation.  A modest amount of economics literacy would make it easier to discuss the former and dismiss the latter.

Where Were The Protests?

One of the current criticisms of the Tea Party folks that drives me nuts is when people ask why the Tea Party folks didn't protest George W. Bush when he was creating the initial round of bailouts.

Who knew?

At the time we were treated to all sorts of economic horror stories.  Free market economies experience recessions.  The are an unpleasant but necessary part of any healthy, growing economy.  The only way to experience the boom is to have the bust.  It is hard to defend free markets in the middle of a deep recession.  You get called all sorts of ugly names.

Who knew that the problems at AIG might have been addressed some other way?

Who knew that healthy banks would snap up the bankrupt ones right away?

Who knew that Morgan Stanley Goldman Sachs and many European banks would benefit from Congressional largess?

Who knew that part of the problem was federal regulators with the authority to stop the worst abuses were actually spending their time downloading porn?  On Mr. Bush's watch, in case you weren't paying attention.

We were faced with "do this and do it now or else".  Who knew that there were other options?


The ugly fact of the matter is that recessions come and go.  And while some small portion of the money spent in the early days of the recession might have been defensible, the larger part of that money has been summarily wasted.  We would have a healthier economy now if we had simply let the contraction continue until the markets really stabilized.  At least then we would know where we were.

As of right now, we sit with a hole of unknown depth below us as we wait for the next over inflated market to collapse to its true value.

Seven Years Later

And it seems that information supporting the conclusion that Iraqi WMDs went to Syria continues to flow.

Much more evidence exists that the WMD went to Syria, as documented here. Obviously, it is impossible to prove and we do not know exactly what went to Syria, but the history books on this issue shouldn’t be written just yet.

One of the most significant issues that Mr. Bush faced was the cadre of State Department and CIA officers that were using their positions to undermine the administration's objectives.  If they could no longer support our government's stated objectives, then the only correct option was to resign, or perhaps to transfer to the Department of Agriculture.

In any case, I hope the quest for truth won't be overwhelmed by rhetoric.  We need to know...one way or the other....what materials went to Syria.

Don't Make It Easy

I struggle.  And some folks just aren't willing to help.

I generally work not to have an "those [fill in the blank] people are all [fill in mindless insult]" attitude.  The person most recently demonstrating an unwillingness to help being Sir Paul McCartney.  He had some mindless twittery to offer relative to former President George Bush and libraries.  Had Sir Paul actually known anything about Mr. Bush, he would have kept his yap shut.

This response seems to have it just about right.

In mocking the [supposed] boorishness of a former U.S. president, Sir Paul, and those who roared at his remark, unfortunately demonstrated their own.

More at the link.  The extra word is mine.

Having a passionate disagreement about policy is one thing.  Being petty and insulting is quite another.  Classless twits have a hard time hiding their classless twittery.

Everybody Draws Mohammed Day

As any person with a moderate level of political and social awareness should know, some guy started a Facebook page encouraging "everyone" to draw a picture of the prophet revered by the world's Muslims.  The reasoning behind this stunt is to push the belligerent and extremists among the world's Muslims into doing something stupid.

It isn't too far afield from the several "protests" held in the United States where people walk, ride bikes, go to work in the nude as a way of protesting....something.  Their reasoning goes that if you are offended by the sight of female nipples, then the protesters are going to bombard you with lots of nekkid female nipples until your brain ess-plodes or you develop some tolerance for having nekkid female nipples within your field of view.  Or penises.....penisi....

Or the Vag.

In any case, that is the logic...such as it is...behind that Facebook page. [now shut down.....Google is your friend]

Mark Steyn isn't enthused with the idea, but he does commiserate with these agents provocateur.

I'm bored with death threats. And, as far as I'm concerned, if that's your opening conversational gambit, then any obligation on my part to "cultural sensitivity" and "mutual respect" is over. The only way to stop this madness destroying our liberties is (as Ayaan Hirsi Ali puts it) to spread the risk. Everybody Draws Mohammed Day does just that. Various websites are offering prizes. I only wish we could track down those sicko Danish imams* who drew their prophet as a pig, and send them the trophy.

Mutual respect should mean just that.  An understanding that there are actions that are offensive and a mutual desire to avoid stepping on the other person's toes.  Listening to NPR a little bit ago, I learned that the Muslims of Pakistan not only approved of their government's blocking access to Facebook, but they also view such things as acts of terrorism that require the immediate creation of international laws to protect their delicate eyeballs.

So we know freedom of expression isn't high on their list of priorities.

Ann Althouse is a bit more firm in her opposition to EDMD.  

I have endless contempt for the threats/warnings against various cartoonists who draw Muhammad (or a man in a bear suit who might be Muhammad, but is actually Santa Claus). But depictions of Muhammad offend millions of Muslims who are no part of the violent threats. In pushing back some people, you also hurt a lot of people who aren't doing anything (other than protecting their own interests by declining to pressure the extremists who are hurting the reputation of their religion).

The trick, IMHO, is to get those millions of Muslims that do not threaten violence to perceive their "own interests" to be best served by actively opposing the few belligerent extremists instead of simply remaining quiet and on the sidelines.  The intolerant are not deserving of tolerance.

That generates the larger question of when it is appropriate to do such things.  I recall our beloved daughter telling the story about a class she took at UNLV where the subject of flag burning was discussed.  Most of the class thought that flag burning was a right.  She stood fast in her belief that you shouldn't burn the flag because of the emotional pain caused to those that possess a deep respect for the flag.

Stop for a moment and read that again.  Those kids were having two different conversations.  One wanted to talk about rights.  The other wanted to talk about responsibilities.

We seem to do a lot of that these days.

In any case, I firmly support the right of anyone to burn the flag, show off their nipples, or to draw the so-called Prophet Mohammad.  At the same time, such things shouldn't be done for purposes as low as "because I can".

Mostly.

The recent Facebook stunt seems to fall pretty well within that limit.

A Fact Free Debate

Sadly, that seems to be what some folks want to have these days. The most recent evidence of that is this recent story in the Washington Post that suggests that the Texas state school board's curriculum changes are harbingers of the end of our Republic.

The WaPo editors and writers are apparently unconcerned about the lack of facts and outright errors in that article. Error number one occurs in paragraph number one:

The Texas state school board gave final approval Friday to controversial social studies standards that minimize the separation of church and state and say that America is not a democracy but a "constitutional republic."

We are a "constitutional republic". That is a very specific form of democracy that is designed to limit the size and scope of government. We are not a democracy and we would rue the day should we ever become one. The tyranny of the majority occurs in the 51st voting percentile.

Ann Althouse has a great run down on the other errors in the WaPo's hit piece.

I'm not wildly in favor of all of the changes to the Texas curriculum. But most of them do seem to be aimed at restoring some historical accuracy that has been lost over the years.

This hit piece of the Texas curriculum reforms is ridiculous:

"In this kind of world where knowledge is growing, we should be paying more attention to how to help students deal with knowledge, helping them understand it," he said. "There's nothing in the standards that would help someone Google search George Washington... how do I know which is the good one? That's the kind of skill I think we have the opportunity to teach and we're missing the opportunity."

Well, perhaps if schools taught enough factual information about George Washington, then students would be able to recognize a good search result as opposed to a bad one. But no, instead of History Class focusing on actual historical figures, lets have History Class be about the proper uses of Google.

Is it too much to ask that this sort of media criticism actually cite the offending passages? Is it too much to ask that they link to the entire document?

Or.....not unlike the recent imperfect immigration legislation passed in Arizona or the Citizens United Supreme Court decision....is it enough to simply "feel" that a decision is bad without actually bothering to read it? At what point did it become acceptable to launch into criticizing public policies without first reading, comprehending, and analyzing them?

Investment Advice

Buy crickets.  The insects.

I know...I know....You can hear crickets on just about any summer's evening.  You don't even have to pay for them.  They just show up all on their own.

But believe me, demand is outpacing supply by a large margin.  The price of crickets must be going through the roof!

In other news, the Obama administration recently gave a no-bid military contract to Halliburton's KBR subsidiary.  Purveyors of hate filled rhetoric aimed at the GW Bush administration apparently were not available for comment.

Have I mentioned the demand for crickets lately?

Arizona And Immigratrion

The short version is that like Robb over at Sharp as a Marble (via Archive.org), I'm not sure the legislation and implementation of the recent Arizona law regarding immigration is the best option.

But I absolutely agree with the intent.

Our immigration system is broken.  It needs to be fixed.  It also needs to be enforced.  People that violate our immigration laws and expect to stay should be deported. 

The path to American citizenship begins at an embassy other diplomatic office that is located overseas.  Anyone that skips that all important step does not deserve to stay in this country.

And if the federal government will not enforce federal laws.....and make no mistake, the Arizona legislation is based on enforcing federal law....then the states will have to find a way to make that happen.

Here is another view of the subject that is well worth your time.

Trip Report - 4/5/2010 - Vineyard Lake

Not having anyone else to run rivers with, I decided to run out to Vineyard Lake.  They have a county park on the north side of the lake.  The other advantage was that I have been looking at making the run from Vineyard Lake down to Norvell on the Raisin River.  The park makes a good starting point.

I decided to take Wolf Lake Road south of Austin Road even though it isn't paved.  It turns out that Wolf Lake Road goes over the part of the river where I was paddling a few weeks back.  I had a good chance to scout out the rest of the Raisin below the Brooklyn Dam.  I had not seen that stretch of the river before.  For the most part it is wide open with the river running free.  There maybe some dead falls closer to town.  What I could see looked like a great paddle.

The boat launch at the county park is serviceable enough.  Pay attention to where the deep spot is when you leave as it will make your return that much easier.

I immediately headed for the southernmost part of the lake.  The paddling was easy enough until I cleared the peninsula.  Then all hell broke loose.

The wind was blowing enough to make a few whitecaps on the lake.  This is not a big lake.  It takes a bit of wind to make anything happen.  So it was really blowing that day.  Even though most of the waves were not whitecaps, they were large enough to make paddling difficult when they kept hitting you from the side.

The waves were hitting me from the side.  Paddling was difficult.  You had to time your stroke so that you were dipping into a wave instead of air.  Paddles are more effective when you put them in water.

From time to time I had to stop and wait for the waves to get into the right pattern.  And I slowly made my way south.

I eventually decided that I had received enough abuse.  I turned to the west and the houses at the end of Rosa Rita about the time that the houses ended on the eastern shore of the lake came to an end.  At least that way I had a chance of taking the waves head on instead of from the side.

That worked reasonably well until I got to the western side of the lake.  I thought I would be protected from the wind on that side.  For a while I was protected....until the wind shifted around to coming from the north.

Sigh.  Did you ever get the feeling that you was being watched?

Paddling up the west side of the lake, I saw a few muskrats and a couple ducks.  The amazing sight was the flock of swans.  There were ten swans swimming in a group.  I had intended to pass on the outside of the flock, but they had other plans.  Instead they swam right into my planned course.  So I shifted to the left and passed between the shore and the swans.

Eventually, a couple of them got perturbed enough that they took to the air.  Swans usually look so quiet and graceful.  But when they are taking off they are the most gangly and uncoordinated looking bird.  Their wings flap not quite at the same time.  Their feet flap so that it looks like they are running on the surface of the water.  Their heads bob all around.

Just before they really get into the air, you would swear that they are about to say "screw it" and plop back into the water.  But eventually they get free from the water and their quiet grace returns with a few flaps of those mighty wings.

There were a couple more swans at the northwest end of the lake.  I think I counted 12 to 15 swans during my paddle.

There is a small marsh that separates the larger lake from the small portion to the northwest.  I think I scared up a couple of nice sized lunkers while I was skirting the edge of the reeds.

Up in the smaller portion I found a nice sized flock of Canadian geese.  I don't think any of them had eggs, as they all left their nests on the shoreline as I passed.  But boy were they noisy.

I'll probably be the subject of discussion...again....at the next meeting of the United Brotherhood of Waterfowl.

The outflow of the Raisin is located at the north end of the lake.  The channel there is pretty narrow.  The water was up when I made this run, but later in the year it may be hard to get through some areas.  I checked out the outflow from the bridge after I was done paddling.  There is a very short dam.  There was enough water flowing over it on that day that I could have coasted over it smoothly.  It probably isn't that easy later in the summer.

The return trip along the inside of the lake was mostly uneventful.  A few waves where I was exposed to the wind and easy paddling when I was downwind of the peninsula.

Total time for the trip was 1 hour 50 minutes.  I estimate the mileage at 4.2 which makes my speed about 2.3 mph.  Not bad given all the wind.