Sovereignty will be good enough, if the past is any indication, but I sincerely hope you're right.

As regards the Commission, I'm going to Vancouver Saturday to essentially protest what amounts to a strong-arm reversal by a few WA and OR legislators of a Commission-backed policy to enhance rec fishing in the Columbia. That there is only one option on the table that even allows the spirit of the Commission's initial guidance to remain intact tells the story of how much power the Commission really has, and it ain't much at the end of the day.

I've long held a belief that the reason we can yell so loud and never get our voices heard where it matters most is that the REAL deciders don't participate in the processes that set our seasons, and those who do participate are essentially communicating to the stakeholders what the deciders have already decided.

I'll never forget the NOF for Grays Harbor a few years back. We broke for lunch with what was shaping up to be a brilliant outcome for the sport side. We noticed Ron and Kurt heading off somewhere with then director Anderson. When we came back from lunch, Ron and Kurt opened up with a very different, much less favorable plan than what we had been working on all morning. Wouldn't you know it? That was the plan that got signed into law.

Understanding that the deck is stacked against us makes it hard to keep trying, but we do it anyway. It helps to be a little insane....