My West Coast Trip Highlight #6: Sea Lions

Beautiful Day on San Francisco Bay within View of Alcatraz

I only got to spend a day-and-a-half in San Francisco, but I enjoyed it immensely. We had extraordinarily good weather. (I even managed to get a sunburn in Oakland watching the ballgame, and I'm told that's only possible about 10 days a year.) Now since I live about two blocks from Times Square, usually I go out of my way to avoid touristy areas, but I had to see the Sea Lions down near Fisherman's Wharf. Showing up on a Saturday, it probably couldn't have been much more crowded, but it was well worth it. Since the earthquakes in 1989, sea lions have taken up residence near Pier 39, and now they're a major attraction. (See video below.)

We stayed in a great place near Chinatown, had fancy cocktails at the Fairmont Hotel, and ate at some great restaurants, but watching these guys snoozing on the pier was my favorite part of my visit. My next vacation is definitely going to involve more time just snoozing in the sun.

You Can't Handle the Truth

The news headlines today read "Bush says China must End Detensions, Ensure Freedoms." This bit of news comes out the same day an American military tribunal in Cuba found Osamba Bin Laden's driver guilty of war crimes. Yes, in Cuba. Another country. Another country whose government is opposed to the U.S. and everything we stand for. But that raises an interesting point. What do we stand for anyway? George W. Bush is off in Asia lecturing the Chinese on human rights violations while we continue to operate a modern day Alcatraz -- a fortress outside the borders of our country where the detainees can barely get legal representation. (Wasn't there a biblical passage about people living in glass houses? Maybe we shouldn't remind George. He'll build glass houses and put detainees in them.) Interestingly, we do still appreciate the rule of law in the States since every time one of these guys brings a case to the U.S. Supreme Court saying they need to have access to U.S. Courts, they win. Nevertheless these military tribunal hearings continue. I wonder what it must be like to be someone living in a country that is neither China nor the U.S. and watching the U.S. president walk around taking the moral high ground. It pains me to say this, but I don't think we have the right anymore to lecture people about human rights. Just imagine what we would say about China or Russia or whomever if they maintained a military base on the territory of another country, flew in prisoners from halfway across the world, and held secretive military trials. At least Harold and Kumar were able to escape from Guantanamo.