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Tue Oct 30, 2007

Mission Accomplished

Look out Boston

I ran a marathon this weekend to celebrate my 60th birthday. It was a great day for running and I managed to qualify for the Boston Marathon in my new age group. As per usual, I went out too fast. That made the last 9 miles a struggle but I won the mind games and kept running to the end. I made it with 4 minutes to spare.

PBS just aired a Nova program on marathoning. They took a group of unlikely runners and trained them to run the Boston marathon. Most of them made it, eventually. They proved that almost anybody can run a marathon. It isn't easy but it is doable.

If anyone had told a 50 year-old me that I would run a marathon on my 60th birthday, I would have called them crazy. I had just failed a stress test and my Doctors told me I had below average fitness. Even that reading didn't motivate me to do much more than walk a bit more.

It is strange how one's life changes on very small pivot points. I met my wife in a billion-to-1 chance encounter in the lobby of an Opera house. After 10 years of wedded bliss, she subtly suggested that pudgy-moi needed to do a little aerobic exercise. I negotiated her down to 20 minutes walking on a treadmill 3 times a week, to be done while she did her regular 30 minutes on the exercise bike. I could have reneged on that deal at any time, but it turned out to be another pivot point. I added a little jogging to the walking, to relieve the boredom. Voila, instant marathoner! Not quite, but the process gave me a series of attainable goals that led to marathon success.

Fri Oct 26, 2007

The Democrat's message

Macsmind sums it up

Macranger writes:

Actually, they [the Democrats]haven’t lost their message, they’ve been making their positions loud and clear.

1. They want to tax the hell out of you - see Charlie Rangel’s plan.
2. They think that our troops are murderers - ask John Murtha.
3. They say that we lost in Iraq - ask Harry Reid.
4. They say that no matter how many shadow families you funnel campaign finances through it’s OK - ask Hillary Clinton.
5. They tell our enemies that it’s not their fault for causing terrorism, it’s America’s - ask Nancy Pelosi.
6. They have no problem is keeping an indicted congress man on the job - ask William Jefferson (or Nancy Pelosi).
7. Pete Stark informed us that the President of the United States get’s his jollies on watching our men and women in combat die.

I could go on, but as you can see they have a message, it’s just that America doesn’t want any part of it.

They act as if their victory in 2006 justifies all their un-American positions. We'll see how well this plays in 2008.

Wed Oct 24, 2007

Democrat/RINO open borders DREAM dies

Citizen activism killed it off

NumbersUSA reports on their homepage that:

The Senate failed to obtain cloture on the DREAM Act amnesty (S. 2205) earlier this afternoon by a 52-44 vote, for which 60 YES votes were needed to prevent a filibuster. At this time, leadership from both parties are meeting to discuss further proceedings.

My wife spent most of yesterday and this morning faxing and calling her Senators. The harder it was for her to get through to the Senate switchboard, the happier she got. The operators told her they were being swamped by opponents of the Dream act.

The MSM barely reported that the DREAM Act was going forward, hoping that no one would notice. But the new media was on top of the story and did its job.

Tue Oct 23, 2007

STOP the Dream Act

Call your Senator now

According to Roy Beck of NumbersUSA, "Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev.) is currently expected to bring the DREAM Act amnesty to a vote Wednesday morning."

Here are the shocking talking points on the Dream Act:

But here are the things I am emphasizing to the media, most of whom can't seem to understand how I can possibly oppose helping out a bunch of good kids whose parents are the ones who broke the law by bringing them here to be illegal aliens.

* S. 2205 would do what all amnesties do -- entice millions more people to become illegal aliens here. The word across the world would be that immigration crime pays.

* The DREAM Act amnesty doesn't just offer U.S. citizenship to illegal alien teenagers, it also provides amnesty to the parents of most of them. Once the amnestied teens become citizens they can obtain an amnesty for their parents.

* Plus, anybody who can cl aim to be under the age of 30 can also make a claim to have arrived before the age of 16 and make a move for the amnesty (plus all of their relaties through chain migration).

* S. 2205 provides for no extra enforcement to help ensure that families around the world don't risk their teenagers' lives by forcing them to enter the U.S. illegally across the deserts. Passage of this amnesty likely would increase deaths of illegal aliens in the desert as more and more people attempt to get into the country in preparation for the next amnesty.

* Many of the advocacy groups pushing the DREAM Act amnesty openly say it is intended as a way to break the barrier and then to push for several more amnesties and rewards for illegal aliens.

* Many of these teenagers weren't brought to the United States illegally by their parents. Rather, many of them came on their own and found illegal shelter with legal immigrants who were from their country. Passing this amn e sty will encourage millions more families to consider forcing their young teenagers into dangerous journeys to America to become illegal aliens and hope to get similar rewards.

* If there is a compelling story for giving amnesty to any of these high school students, it should be told only after the rule of law has been restored, including a fully functioning entry/exit system at the border and mandatory verification of all new hires by all businesses, governments and non-profits.

Fri Oct 19, 2007

eBay item 260170172469, Rush Limbaugh, and the Democrats collide

Brilliant move by Limbaugh

eBay item 260170172469 may be one of the most interesting transactions of the current political season. When something sells for $2,100,100.00 on eBay, the most ever, a large percentage of the 80 million members of eBay will take notice. Many will look up the item and they'll read this:

When "Dingy Harry" Reid and the U.S. Senate turned away from the business of the nation to instead smear a private citizen, forty-one of them sent a letter demanding the "repudiation" of their inaccurate interpretation of Rush Limbaugh's comments about Jesse Al-Zaid (a.k.a. Jesse MacBeth) and other "phony soldiers" who falsify their service. This letter was delivered to Mark Mays of Clear Channel Communications, Rush Limbaugh's syndication partner, and widely quoted in the Drive-By Media.

Up for auction is the original letter signed by 41 Democrat senators. This historic document may well represent the first time in the history of America that this large a group of U.S. senators attempted to demonize a private citizen by lying about his views. As such, it is a priceless memento of the folly of Harry Reid and his 40 senatorial co-signers.

The entire proceeds of this auction.. the entire high bid... will be donated to The Marine Corps - Law Enforcement Foundation, a registered charity which provides financial assistance to the children of fallen Marines and federal law enforcement officers. Rush Limbaugh serves on the Board of this organization and has been active on its behalf. All costs of this auction will be paid by the seller... every dollar of your winning bid will go to this charity, which has to date distributed over $29 million.

Oh, what a wonderful tool the Internet can be, where a smear can backfire exponentially.

Wed Oct 17, 2007

Sports cause light blogging

Blogging will improve when sports are done

The Chicago marathon turned into a very hot 20 mile training run followed by a compulsory 6.2 mile walk. Then the Indians started to play well in the ALCS, so I've been in front of the tube much more than usual. Plus, I've decided to run another marathon on the 28th, my 60th birthday.

Armenian genocide resolution likely to fail

Word got out on what the Democrats really wanted

From the NYT:

While the resolution enjoyed more than enough support to pass earlier this year, about two dozen lawmakers have removed their names from the official list of sponsors of the resolution in recent weeks as a vote on it grew more likely and the reservations grew more pronounced.

“I think there was genocide in Turkey, in 1915, but I am gravely concerned about the timing,” said Representative Jane Harman, a California Democrat who said she would l remain a co-sponsor of the resolution but at the moment would oppose it were it to reach the floor. “I see no compelling reason to do this right this minute.”

Representative Doug Lamborn, a Colorado Republican who dropped his backing of the measure today, said, “Nothing changes the fact that mass killings and unspeakable acts of brutality occurred. However, passing this nonbinding resolution at this critical time would be a destabilizing action when the United States needs the help of its allies, including Turkey, in fighting the global war on terror.”

Sun Oct 14, 2007

I wondered why the Democrats wanted to pass the Armenian genocide resolution

I didn't figure it was another act of treason

Ralph Peters explains what's going on in their devious minds:

But if the resolution passes the House and Senate now, the Turks plan to evict us from Incirlik airbase in southeastern Turkey, to halt our military over-flight privileges and to shut down the supply routes into northern Iraq.

That's what the Democrats are aiming at. This resolution isn't about justice for the Armenians. Not this time. It's a stunningly devious attempt to impede our war effort in Iraq and force premature troop withdrawals.

The Dems calculate that, without those flights and convoys, we won't be able to keep our troops adequately supplied. Key intelligence and strike missions would disappear.

If they can't help Al Qaeda and Iran by forcing the premature withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, they'll find some other way to do it.

I should have realized that the Democrats will do anything in their power to make the US lose in Iraq. this is a truly slimy tactic.

Wed Oct 10, 2007

The Chicago Marathon "disaster"

A view from the trenches

I ran most of the first 20 miles of the race and walked the last 6 miles. I ran the last .2 miles to the finish. I was there and saw what was going on at first hand.

The conditions were tough. I knew they would be. I'd watched the forecast maximum temperature for race day climb from the high 70's to a potential record for the day. 10,000 registered entrants watching the same forecasts did not turn up for the race. Some of them were injured, but the rest were smart.

Even before the 8am start I was sweating. So I reduced my pace and abandoned all thoughts of racing for a Boston Qualifying time. It was hot from the get-go. At the first water stop I grabbed a cup of Gatorade and a cup of water. Within a few stops I was grabbing extra water to pour over my head.

The organizers claimed they hadn't anticipated people using water to cool themselves. That is BS. In hot conditions, almost every marathoner, from Kenyan elites down to old farts like me, pours water on their heads to keep cool. I did it at Boston in 2005 and Richmond in 2006. So did thousands of other runners.

At mile 18 I saw a bank's time/temperature display that read 93°F. Combine that with very high humidity, and you have a recipe for disaster. I saw a lot of people down on the side of the course. They had been ahead of me so they didn't want for fluids. Whether or not they took enough is another story.

At mile 20 the police told us the race had been canceled and we should walk, not run, to the nearest aid station to catch a bus back to the finish. I never saw any buses so I walked 6 miles to the finish. It was the least sheltered part of the course, so walking was fine by me.

A lot of people are blaming the organizers for what happened. Hey, they weren't perfect, but they did the best they could in extreme circumstances. Only one runner died, and he had a mild heart condition that made it more likely he would be susceptible to the extreme conditions. The organizers saved a lot of lives by canceling the race and getting slower runners off the course as soon as possible. Had they not done so many more people would have died. Heat exhaustion deprives its victims of their rationality. Some would have ran until they dropped dead.

I see parallels with Katrina. The media coverage assigns blame when there is little to assign. Disasters happen. People die. In civilized countries, death tolls are limited by an infrastructure that can respond to disaster. The US military rescued thousands of New Orleans residents out of sight of the media's glare. Those facts weren't reported, while the lies told in the Saints' football stadium were reported as fact, and impeded rescue efforts. Similarly, the organizers at Chicago made some mistakes but did well enough to avoid a true distaster.

Fri Oct 05, 2007

Even lighter blogging coming up

Off to Chicago to run 26.2 in record high temperatures

The Chicago marathon is on 10/7/2007 and 45,000 people are signed up to run it. We've been looking at the weather forecasts and they have climbed 10 degrees in the last week. The forecast high is now 87°F, which would beat the record of 86° for October 7th, set in 1982. It is 20° above the average high and 32° above the optimal temperature for marathon runners.

With so many people and such extreme conditions, it is quite possible that people will die on the course. They will get overheated and collapse or they will drink too much water and die of Hyponatremia. It has happened before and will likely happen again. We know we face risks running. We face even bigger risks if we don't get any aerobic exercise.

I have given up any thoughts of racing or trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I'll run slowly with some of my buddies and just enjoy the crowds and the buzz of a major sporting event.

I keep hoping Al Gore will come to Chicago. He's usually good for unexpected cold snaps. No such luck, I'm afraid.

Rather interesting legal parallels

And the biggest Fauxtography case in recent history may crumble

Neo-Neocon draws out some interesting parallels with Dan Rather's suit against CBS. The people who celebrated 9/11, largely on our dime, may soon get exposed.

I suspect that the late Alex, when shown the "authentic" Bush TANG memo, and the copy made by typing the same words into MS Word, would have said "same". It says something about Mapes and Rather that they say "different". That something is "mind-numbingly stupid". Bird-brained would be grossly unfair to birds.

Thu Oct 04, 2007

The collapsing Haditha case

Will Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich's nightmare soon be over?

LGF blogs:

The presiding officer in the Haditha case has now recommended that all murder charges be dropped against the last Marine on trial—but says he should be charged with negligent homicide instead.

A while ago, I blogged on the complicity of the civilians in the attack. They are guilty by the innocent words of a child. Via NewsMax:

In a CNN interview broadcast Wednesday, Safa Younis - who says eight members of her family were killed by U.S. troops - recalled that she was getting ready for school as the Marine Humvee approached.

"I was planning to go to school. I was about to go out of bed. I knew the bomb would explode so I covered my ears," the youngster said, according to a CNN translator.

"The bomb [then] exploded," she explained. "The bomb struck an armored vehicle. I don't know if it was a Humvee or an armored vehicle. When the bomb exploded, they came straight to my house."

The kid knew a bomb was going to go, off yet she was happily preparing to go to school. It was not like a terrorist was holding her family hostage, so that they couldn't warn the marines that they were going to be attacked. The kid knew. Her family knew. The males in her household knew. Yet the bomb went off without any warning and a brave Marine was ripped apart in the blast. The Marines reacted as they were trained, and some of those "civilians", who KNEW about the ambush, were killed in house clearing operations after the attack.

For that, the United States of America put those warriors on trial for their lives. And a United States Congressman, who actually served with the Marines, publicly accused the Marines of massacring civilians.

The phony Haditha massacre is sickening. It tells me that a huge swathe of the Left - Time magazine and Murtha in the lead - believed enemy propagandists instead of loyal Americans sworn to defend the United States of America. Their influence is such that brave men were forced to endure years of legal agony and personal ruin as the phony charges against them slowly collapsed.

I gave to the Wuterich Defense Fund. You should, too.

A question for U.S. Rep. Mark Udall

Are there any phony soldiers?

The Denver Post reports:

"Congress should make clear that Mr. Limbaugh's use of the term 'phony soldiers' is beneath contempt," Udall said.

Mr. Limbaugh was clearly referring to Democrat heroes like Jesse Macbeth who was:

the lying scumbag who became a hero of the left when he claimed to be an Army Ranger and alleged that the US military was routinely murdering Iraqi civilians

Is Udall claiming that Macbeth was not a phony soldier? How about Scott Beauchamp? Was he a real soldier or a phony. Truth is, the real phonies are the likes of Mark Udall and Harry Reid, not to mention John Kerry, who still hasn't authorized the release of his military records.

Tue Oct 02, 2007

Is an Ivy League college education worth it?

Probably not

Let's look at a few newsworthy data points. Here's Clarence Thomas on the value of his law degree from Yale:

I'd learned the hard way that a law degree from Yale meant one thing for white graduates and another for blacks, no matter how much anyone denied it; I couldn't do anything about that now, but I had a feeling that winning real cases in court would be a better demonstration of what I could do than a law school transcript. As a symbol of my disillusionment, I peeled a fifteen-cent price sticker off a package of cigars and stuck it on the frame of my law degree to remind myself of the mistake I'd made by going to Yale. I never did change my mind about its value. Instead of hanging it on the wall of my Supreme court office, I stored it in the basement of my Virginia home--with the sticker still in the frame.

Now, if a Yale law degree had intrinsic value then the color of the recipient should be irrelevant to prospective employers. But Thomas found otherwise. Rather than being a beneficiary of affirmative action, he became a victim. Employers assumed the only way a poor black man could have earned a Yale law degree was because he got a free pass. The degree itself had no particular value. It is assumed that the sort of people who usually get Yale law degrees have the breeding, money and talent to succeed in a law firm run by Yale law school alumni.

Thomas goes on to note how pathetic Anita Hill lived and died by her Yale Law degree.

Let's turn to Duke, home of the "Gang of 88", and the spineless College president who bowed to them. Who would leave their nearest and dearest to the tender mercies of such an institution? I'm surprised anyone would want their children to go there. How many more such outrages will it take before those paying the bills, the parents, decide to take their business elsewhere.

My wife and I love Shakespeare. We take trips to London, Stratford (Canada) and Stratford-upon-Avon to feast on Shakespeare performances. We studied Shakespeare in High School and College and learned to glimpse the nature of his genius. We also learned about the other greats of English literature. One would think an Ivy League degree in English literature would teach students far more than we ever learned about Shakespeare, Jonson, Milton, Dickens, Austen, Eliot and more great writers. Not any more. Phyllis Schlafly explains the fate of Shakespeare and the other greats in our institutions of higher learning:

Shakespeare, Chaucer and Milton have been replaced by living authors who toe the line of multicultural political correctness, i.e., view everything through the lens of race, gender and class based on the assumption that America is a discriminatory and unjust racist and patriarchal society. The only good news is that students seldom read books any more and use Cliffs Notes for books they might be assigned.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni says "a degree in English without Shakespeare is like an M.D. without a course in anatomy. It is tantamount to fraud."

College students: Don't waste your scarce college dollars on a major in English.

Or any other major for that matter. In the hard disciplines, America is increasingly relying on foreign immigrants to fill the gaping holes left by our leftist education system.

Mon Oct 01, 2007

Leftist hypocrisy

Never tell the whole truth

Roddy Stinson at San Antonio Express-News notes that the Texas press quoted a study on campaign contributors that singled out one large Republican donor:

Last week, every major newspaper in Texas published a report of a study by "nonpartisan" Texans for Public Justice. It detailed the amounts of money that donors contributed to legislative and major statewide races during the 2006 election.

One implied TPJ criticism echoed by the newspaper reports: Millionaire contributors have too much influence on Texas elections.

Most of the articles singled out Houston builder Bob Perry, who favored Republican candidates.

His 2006 total: $7.1 million.

What neither the authors of the TPJ study nor any of the journalists reporting the story mentioned was the fact — easily found on the TPJ Web site — that one source of TPJ funding is the "Open Society Institute, New York, NY."

The institute — as easily determined by five minutes of Google research — was founded by billionaire George Soros, who remains its chairman.

During a 2006 interview, Soros told a New York Times writer that he gave "something like $27.5 million" to MoveOn.org and other anti-Republican groups during the 2004 election campaign.

Of course, the MSM almost always quotes leftist sources as if they are neutral. We see it in the reporting on global warming, where it turns out that the NASA's climate alarmist, Dr. James Hansen, is also in George Soros' pocket. It would help if MSM reporting on Dr. Hanson let readers know that he received funding of $750,000 from George Soros' Open Society Institute.

In fact, it would be useful if reporters actually did a little leg-work and track down how many of these neutral sounding organizations are funded by the likes of Soros.

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