Filed under “Some Things Never Change,” from Aug. 30, 2013: Recently an aptly named video by Alex Derbyshire called “Stupid Boaters” appeared on YouTube (tinyurl.com/stupidboaters). It was taken near Longview, Washington, of the bulk carrier CMB Yasmine, heading downriver and out to sea, chugging close by a thicket of thick-headed sportfishermen in their small boats on the Columbia River. A screenshot from the video is shown.

The rapid approach of the hulking Yasmine, which is 590 feet long, 98 feet wide, and cruises at between 10 and 12 knots, didn’t even seem to cause the fishermen a flicker of concern. The frustrated captain blew the ship’s horn five times repeatedly in warning, interspersed with repeated long blasts, all to no avail. Nobody moved.

Comedian Ron White said it all when he coined the phrase, “you can’t fix stupid.”