|
|
 |
|
|
|
OCEANS FOUR
|
Don Ho, Beach Boys, Girl From Ipanema all backing effort
Lobby seeks to restore rosy image of seaside living
of TheColumnists.com
Washington, D.C., Jan. 17
Stung by last year’s devastating hurricane damage in Florida and the catastrophic tsunami in Southeast Asia, the all-powerful ocean lobby, APIA (an acronym for Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic Oceans) and commonly referred to in Washington as “Oceans Four,” is exerting its influence on the Congress and the media to support efforts to downplay the disasters and extol the pleasures of the seashore.
Wade Poseidon, APIA’s International Executive Secretary, in a letter to the President and Congressional leaders said, “The recent hurricane season and the Tsunami disaster has given our oceans a real black eye. That means billions of dollars in losses to beach resorts, waterfront housing developments and related recreational facilities. We urge you to exact news blackouts of pictures of coffins, bodies or the widespread devastation at oceanfront resort sites in Southeast Asia.”
The reaction by Washington officials and national media to this request was swift and heated. “The world and especially all Americans have the right to know about this devastation and causalities,” stated a Senate Committee Chairman, who asked that he not be named. His sentiments were echoed by dozens of editors and legislators.
Poseidon’s chilling proposal was defended by APIA spokesperson Sandra (Sandy) Shore, who claims she is the grandniece of the once celebrated singer Dinah Shore. “I know it might sound crass to some people, but all we are asking is the same courtesy that the press extends to the U.S. Military forces in Iraq: no pictures of coffins, causalities or widespread devastation. If the press is willing to play down the horrors of war, what’s so wrong about giving the oceans the same break?”
Ms. Shore comments were echoed by Noah Arquette, President of APIA-Americas, who explained that all the negative publicity about waterfront destruction and ruin is swaying people from buying beachfront properties or vacationing at seaside resorts. Even the Hamptons set is vacillating about the rentals for the coming summer, opting, it is rumored, for modest shared-kitchen bungalows in the Catskills. “Even if they want to buy, it’s tough to get insurance. We thought we had problems in 1975 when that guy Spielberg scared people all over the world with the movie ‘Jaws,’ but this is far worse,” he said.
There was no official comment on this matter from the White House. However, Oceans Four sources noted that the Bush family has owned valuable beachfront property in Kennebunkport, ME, for generations.
Ms. Shore urged the media to stress the positive aspects of the natural oceanic occurrences. “Surfers searching for the ultimate wave would be intrigued by a tsunami challenge if we could have adequate forewarning of these events,” she said. “Every little gesture of positive acceptance would help,” she added. ”We’ve asked the organizers of the upcoming Super Bowl game to cooperate and get all of the spectators to do ‘the wave’ at least once each quarter."
According to Washington
insiders, ‘Oceans Four’ is financed in large measure
by funds from the Atlantic City, N.J. gambling casinos and East
and West Coast beach resorts in both North and South America.
It is reported that among the key supporters of the campaign
is a diverse group of individuals and organizations including
Atlantic City casino baron Donald Trump, who also owns Mar-A-Largo
resort in Palm Beach; Don Ho of the Waikiki Beach Chamber of
Commerce; the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company; Waves Unlimited
Surfing Society (WUSS), the Acapulco Gold Growers Association,
Venice Beach Exhibitionists, Inc.; Atlantic Records; the Coney
Island Polar Bear Club: the Beach Boys; Tommy Bahama, and Brazilian
socialite Rosaria del Ondas Gigantas (better know as the Gal
from Impenema).
©2005 by Sid Frigand. The cartoon is from
IMSI's Master Clips Collection,
1895 Francisco Blvd. E., San Rafael, CA, 94901-5506, USA. This
column first posted on Jan. 17, 2005.
You
can comment on this column online. Please address your message
to either "The Editors" or Sid Frigand. To send an
email, click here: talkback@thecolumnists.com
|
|
|
Archives |
|
|