July 4th, 2010 Happy Birthday AMERICA!
The Surf Count of Waist High Or Better is now 18 out of 20 weeks...

OK, I really hate to start this Holiday weekend's column off by complaining about anything, especially since last week's column was all positive and uplifting. With my "Catch a Wave For Gus" 10 years ago, and the new "Catch a Wave For Molly." I wrote about the little boy Thomas who I met and took surfing. It was all good last week.

And with the Gulf Coast in dire straits, maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. But like Jimmy Dunn once told me, "You better not hold back in your writing. That's why we all read your column. " And recently when Brian Nevins added..."You never know what Ralph is going to say this time..."

Truth is, I can't help myself. I write when I'm happy and I write when I'm pissed.

Right now, I am so ticked off, that I want to scream. Let me explain. Earlier this week, I rode my bike down to the Wall to check the surf and get some exercise. It was early. Before 7:30AM. I stopped at 10th Street and walked my bike down the stairs, and then leaned it up against the new Wall. And make no mistake about it, the new Wall looks great. I had my camera with me, so I was going to walk along the water's edge and maybe snap a few empty wave shots.

As I sat down on the large rocks at 10th Street to take my shoes and socks off, my eye caught something just as I was about to put my hand down. Glass. And not just one piece of glass, but a whole bunch of broken jagged glass. It was from a beer bottle.
A Corona's beer bottle to be more exact. And this glass was sharp. In fact, the shards were extra sharp and pointed.

Long story short, I cut my fingers picking it all up.

But this is not about me cutting my fingers. This is about the potential of a small child cutting their feet and requiring a visit to the hospital. Trust me, it was that bad. Some
of the pieces were 3-4" long. And that glass was almost invisible to the naked eye. I was both horrified and pissed. The thought of some poor kid or mom getting cut like that at our beach is sickening. As a parent/surfer, and community leader, I was more than upset. I was furious. And had I had the opportunity to meet the person, or persons, responsible for that act, you would more than likely be reading about this in the newspaper, or on the nightly news.

"Hey look there's Ralph on TV! Wait, does he have handcuffs on?"

And I don't care. I was that pissed. I would of gladly accepted the repercussions for defending our beach and our lifestyle. Because try as I might, I just can't see the mindset behind doing something like this. How could anyone, Drunk or sober, knowingly break a bottle on the beach, and not do something about it? How do you let that glass lie there, knowing that someone could step on it and really get hurt?

How do you do that?

If anyone out there knows who did this, or knows of people drinking alcohol at the beach at night, and knowingly throwing and breaking their beer bottles on the rocks, please call me, or call the police. Or take care of it yourselves. We need to police our beaches worldwide. Broken glass on a perfectly clean beach is disgusting. I mean it.
If you are a young surfer and you know about people drinking at the Wall at night, and they are breaking bottles and you do nothing about it, you are equally guilty. And you will pay the consequences for your actions.

And speaking of paying. The fine for littering at any NH State beach is $120.00.
The fine once again is: ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS.

If I ever see a person breaking bottles on the beach, that fine will be forthcoming.
Make no mistake about it. Not to mention, if you are underage and drinking. But that's
a whole other case. Personally, I don't care if you are drinking and you are under aged. That's between you and your parents, and the police. My beef is with you freaking bonehead losers who break bottles on our beaches.

Yes I'm calling those of you who break bottles on the beach a loser.

And not just a loser, but a bona fide, boneheaded, idiotic, pea-brained, immature, shit for brains, going no where in life-LOSER. You break bottles on our beaches? You are without question, a loser of the lowest form. In fact, those of you who break bottles on the beach, are actually giving legitimate losers, a bad name.

You getting this? No of course you don't. You're a loser. And losers never get it.

The fact is, you more than likely don't read anything, other than the text messages your other loser friends send you. "Dude party at 10th Street tonight!" And you more than likely never read this column. Why would you? This column is for surfers and those who love the ocean and the beaches. My hope is, one of you who has knowledge of who might be doing these malicious acts at night, against our
beaches and our very health, might step up and say something.

There is a crime line in Hampton. You can call it at anytime and be anonymous. NO ONE has to know, and NO ONE will know. If you have a conscience please CALL
The Crime Line (603) 929-1222 or Call The Hampton Police directly at (603) 929-4444.
Don't let these idiots get away with this any longer. This must stop now.

Now where was I? Oh yeah...I was at the beach with my bike. The Navigator 200.

You know, I first surfed at North Beach in the summer of 1966. And this week, was the first time I ever rode a bike on the beach itself. It was dead low tide and I rode up and back the entire length of the beach on the hard packed sand. It was kind of neat. Though I'm sure it's not recommended by the bike guys and gals at Gus's Bike Shop in North Hampton. But I had to experience it at least once in my life. Will I do it again? Sure. It was fun and a whole different perspective for me. I passed all the early morning beach walkers and the dog walkers. The beach joggers and even the occasional biker like myself. I even passed the excited beginner surfers taking lessons...what is it you people call them? Oh yea, Kooks.

We all give each other the silent nod and smile.

The nod acknowledging the beauty of the day, and the clean beach we were all enjoying. And I can virtually guarantee, that if any of those I passed on the beach that morning, had any indication of the glass that I picked up earlier, it would of ruined their day . Like it did mine. I know they would have reacted in the same manner.
(Well, maybe not as intense.) But they'd be pissed. And rightfully so. And look, you
do not have to do this alone. There is strength in numbers. If we all say and do something, it will stop. If we don't...well, watch where you step.

I know this is a hell of a weekend to talk about trying to keep our beaches clean,
with it being July 4th and all. But really, if not now, then when? Stand up for our Independence. Don't let undesirables ruin our beaches. Please. The last thing anyone of us wants to do, is to spend a few hours getting stitched up in the emergency room, when there's a fun summer swell running. That could easily happen. Unless we all step up and stop it.

I am open to any and all suggestions.

Maybe we form a sort of neighborhood watch group. Like down in Arizona, with a border patrol. Only we would be the WALL PATROL. We patrol the beach at night. Dressed in black. With black face masks. We could carry batons (like the New Black Panthers) and digital cameras. And maybe, we have designated shooters who carry Hi- Powered Tazers. We taze em, take their picture, and I post it here in a new section called LOSER OF THE WEEK. Then we lecture them (could be considered torture having to listen to me) and finally we set them free with a warning. Next time we call the police and you get to pay a $120 fine... ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS!

Look I'm kidding-NO I'M NOT! Yes I am, but only partly. I'll let you figure out which parts I was joking about.

Have a Safe and Happy Fourth, and remember...
Surfing heals all wounds (even glass cuts).


Now for some of my Weekly Global Observances:
The BP oil spill is still spilling strong. Over 70 plus days now. With no end in sight. A true tragedy beyond words and actions. Hurricane Alex did get dangerously close to the spill area. They had to stop the progress, or what little progress they were gaining. It's a mess. For a Full comphrehensive detailed report, check out ESM's website. They have more info than what I can provide.

OK, the big story of this week is the wacky Russian Spy Scandal story. What the hell...? Those Russians are crazy. That Cold war stuff is long over boys. The KGB is so whacked. You guys ever hear of the Internet? You can get all the info you need right at the click of your spy mouse's. Or, if you guys were really smart, you could of taken a page right out of the illegal alien hand book and never been caught.
Talk about crazy stories.

Ms Kagan is still on the hot seat and while it may be uncomfortable, there is little chance of her not getting the nod. So why bother with the boring questioning? It's
just a formality.

In other news, we have further signed on by joining other nations, with the MOST strict sanctions against Iran. President Obama has put his signature on the latest hard lined sanctions against the Terror supporting country. Does anyone think that this going to stop Iran from their ultimate goal of obtaining nuclear weapons? Anyone? Ask Israel what they think. What a joke, that little dweeb weasal President Ahmadinejad must be snickering his ass off at us. I say let the Israelis level some sanctions at Iran.

So, ex KKK member Senator Robert Byrd passed away this week. I believe he was 192 years old. Or close to it. Rest in Peace Senator. You better hope God is as forgiving as your fellow politicians.

Speaking of politicians, the charges against Al Gore could be something big in the next few weeks. First Presidential Candidates and actual Presidents...Bill Clinton and Robert Edwards get busted for sexual misconduct, and now the inventor of the Internet himself, Ex-VP Al Gore is allegedly involved in a sexual assault against a masseuse. What the hell is going on out there?... I don't know about you guys, but I can't get that famous kiss out of my head...Poor Tipper.

On the local good news department. Doc Rivers is coming back to Coach the Celtics for another season. The big question is, will Paul Pierce and Ray Allen join him? Doc wants them. The team wants them. The fans want them. Come on guys. You should end your careers in the green zone. Come on. You are CELTICS. REPRESENT!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rick Evans July 1st!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA July 4th 2010!
*Do what I do every July 4th...Call a friend in England and bust on em.
REMEMBER Those in Uniform Serving our Country on this day!
Thank you to ALL who commented and gave words of encouragement to my upcoming Surf Endeavor. CATCH A WAVE FOR MOLLY.
Starts July 26, 2010 ENDS July 26, 2011.
A Wave a day for 365 consecutive days.
*CHECK RULES AND TIPS PAGE FOR LIFEGUARD AND SAFETY TIPS
PLEASE Pick up your trash at the beaches.

CHECK OUT THE NEW/Old YESTERDAY PAGE! ALL OLD New England and beyond Surf Pics!*NEW PICS added each week!

*Check out the NEW updated DROPPING IN ON RALPH blog Section.
ALL Of June is up. *This is the blog section of this website where you can write in and comment. The only downside of this blog is, you actually have to use your REAL Name. No hiding behind some fake handle and name. If you want to comment, you have to man up, and be yourself. I will post all comments, both good and bad. You
just have to be yourself.

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to Ralph's Pic Of The Week
every week for the last 7 years. **Think about BUYING a Photo from any of the weeks on RPOTW as a GREAT Gift Idea. A nice framed photo of your favorite Surfer!

Remember my friends...Surfing Heals All Wounds....
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph