Santa Barbara surf school owner accused of
killing his young children in Mexico indicted on two counts of
foreign first-degree murder; eligible for death penalty.
By Chas Smith
“There are no words to describe the profound grief
that envelops an entire community when a child is murdered."
Just over one month ago, we learned the
nightmarish story of Matthew Taylor Coleman. The owner of a popular
Santa Barbara surf school, it was alleged, loaded his two children
in a van, drove to Mexico and killed them with a spear gun. When
authorities arrested him, as he returned across the border, the
interviewing agent revealed that Coleman had confessed to the
killing and said he believed his children were going to grow up to
be monsters because they possessed “serpent DNA.”
Late last week, Coleman was officially indicted in San Diego,
where he will stand trial, of two counts of foreign first-degree
murder of U.S. nationals. The charges carry the death penalty
though the Attorney General has yet to decide if he will seek
it.
“There are no words to describe the profound grief that envelops
an entire community when a child is murdered,” Acting U.S. Attorney
Randy Grossman said in court. “The Department of Justice is
determined to achieve justice for these victims and their loved
ones.”
“The murder of a child is difficult to understand under any
circumstances,” Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge
of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, added, “I’m proud of the
quick investigative efforts by FBI Agents, the Santa Barbara Police
Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and our Mexican
counterparts which led to the arrest of Mr. Coleman as he entered
the United States, and I look forward to delivering justice for the
young victims and their family.”
Coleman has yet to speak publicly and the date for trial is yet
to be determined.
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Shocking: World Surf League appears to mock
Brazilian Gabriel Medina by releasing a limited edition
hair-regrowth jersey after mocking him by hosting a one-day
surf-off!
By Chas Smith
Revenge.
But how much mocking can one man take?
Brazilian Gabriel Medina has had a season for the ages. Dominating
the competition from the beginning of the year and building and
impenetrable lead. Crushing. But this is not just any year. This is
the year that the World Surf League decided to throw 40 years of
precedence out its Santa Monica window and, instead, host a one-day
surf-off that will likely commence on Lower Trestles’ cobbled stone
early tomorrow
morning.
Surf feminist hero clashes with big-wave
legend in explosive online exchange following meme of white man
being hanged, “That photo and comment is offensive to me. F*%k you
and your condescending attitude. I’m a long time supporter of
women’s surfing you fool.”
By Derek Rielly
Two surfers with the same position on Tex abortion
law duke it out on the DMs!
Five months ago at a surfing contest at Sydney’s Curl
Curl beach, the winner of the women’s div, a hitherto unknown
Australian longboarder, Lucy Small, gave event organizers and
sponsors hell from the stage for paying the women half as
much as the men.
The effect was seismic, media jumped on it, event organisers
promised to bring the cash up for the following year, GSI boards
paid Small the difference and Surfing Australia vowed to make
surfing “the most inclusive sport in Australia.”
If you know surfing, you’ll know the name Ian
Cairns, a man with the physique of a comic-book hero
(nicknamed Kanga) who ruled big waves, who was pivotal in the
creation of a world tour, who would launch the ASP after tearing
the game off the IPS’s Fred Hemmings and
whose thin-eyed stare could give a man stomach cramps.
Two days ago, Small posted a screenshot from the Coen Bros film
The Ballad of Buster
Scruggs of James Franco being hanged with the
tag, “Men: I don’t like that the government is making rules about
my health and what I can do with my body because of COVID.
Women: ”
Kanga, who for the record also opposes the new Texas abortion
law, jumped into Small’s DMs to respond,
“This is pretty sexist and offensive to a group of people you
have to live with.”
“It’s a reference to the Texas abortion law. It’s not sexist.
Wishing you growth,” wrote Small.
Kanga replied,
“That photo and comment is offensive to me. Fuck you and your
condescending attitude. You don’t know me. I’m a long time
supporter of women’s surfing you fool. You need goodwill from
people like me who care.”
I asked Small if she tagged Kanga or if he took it
personally.
“No didn’t tag him, he just took it personally. Yeah, I don’t
know what compels a 69 year old dude to be so offended by the
insinuation that they’ve never been forced to have a baby by the
government before that they will actively send a fuck you to a 28
year old woman.”
I asked Kanga why sad.
Did he have beef with Small?
“No beef. I didn’t like a picture of a white guy about to be
hung: representing the travesty of the Texas abortion law. I said
’It offends me’ thinking that they’re of the left and forgiving,
but she stepped up! ‘Get enlightened’ gibberish. And I’m thinking
that ‘if you want equal prizemoney for women’ you shouldn’t offend
people who are willing to help. Goodbye. The End.”
I told Small of Kanga’s response.
“Wow. Tell me about the last time the government forced you to
give birth Ian.”
Like I said, Kanga is ain’t down with the Tex law.
“My body, my choice,” he says. “Goes for COVID just the
same.”
Uh oh.
Kanga, of course, ain’t afraid of holding an unpopular
opinion.
“Everyone in some sense is concerned about what people think of
them,” he told me a while back. “But I wake up in the morning and I
think, what am I going to today?” says Cairns. “How can I do all
these things that are crazy and cool and how can it benefit my
family, my friends and all of this? The moment you start to think
about these things you move forward and all those criticisms, which
are about what you did yesterday, don’t matter. If you’re thinking
about the future, you’re already one step ahead of the
critics. Do I want to be disliked? No! Do I want to be
focussed on coming up with some awesome idea tomorrow? That’s
what I want to do.”
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Breaking: Cancel tomorrow’s plans, send
children and significant others packing, as World Surf League
issues “Yellow Alert” for inaugural Final’s Day!
By Chas Smith
A touch of thrill in the air!
Hours ago, the World Surf League issued a
“yellow alert” for its inaugural final’s day there in the shadow of
a decommissioned nuclear power plant.
“Yellow” apparently meaning a “probable start within 24
hours.”
Commissioner Jessi Miley-Cyrus delivered the news whilst
standing on Lower Trestles’ famous cobbled stone.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTuY9-JNJtH/
As you can see she is wearing a nice hat not entirely dissimilar
to the one worn by Curious George’s deuteragonist.
Did you know “The Man in the Yellow Hat’s” real name is Ted
Shackleford?
I didn’t but it stands to reason. Very “explore-ish.”
In any case, why the World Surf League has turned to color
coding is not entirely clear and I can’t imagine that answers will
be forthcoming.
Filipe Toledo has still not be seen after last week’s “huge
scuffle.”
Do you think he will muster the courage to paddle out for his
heat or do you think he will be too worried that the hot, young
sponsored junior is hiding in the bushes off the bike path ready to
pounce?
Exciting, in any case.
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California legislature vote unanimously to
return Manhattan Beach property stolen from black family in
1924!
By Chas Smith
Justice delayed.
The California legislature voted its final
approval, Thursday night, on a bill that would return a chunk of
Manhattan Beach stolen from a black family in 1924 back to
descendants of the original owners.
Bruce’s Beach, as it came to be called, was purchased by Willa
and Charles Bruce in 1912. The couple built a resort for black
families on the land during the Jim Crow era. Racist neighbors,
fearing the resort would drive down land prices, used dirty tricks
to first condemn the property then seized it using eminent domain.
Manhattan Beach then passed a law forbidding the Bruce’s from
moving their resort anywhere within its borders.
The structures were razed and, years later, the property
eventually became a park.
The bill now only needs a signature from embattled governor
Gavin Newsom, who was once my mortal
enemy, and then back it goes.
Duane Shepard, a Bruce descendant and family historian, told the
Southern California News Group, “I’m elated, walking on water right
now. This is one of the greatest things in American history right
now.”
A happy story and it must be wondered if increasingly frustrated
Kauaians aren’t peeking over Mark Zuckerberg’s Garden
Isle fence thinking about getting those 1300 acres returned
too.