Today I am in Chicago, and technically it is Sunday but to me the day doesn't change until I have gone to sleep.
I was out with friends tonight and at some point the conversation turned to running. I was struck, not at all for the first time, that when this particular topic is raised my brain and body go into some sort of overdrive: I sit up straighter, I pay more attention to others' comments, I have many opportunities to give meaningful input. What I find even more interesting is that when I talk about running, people pay attention to what I'm saying. I don't mean that in a woe-is-me kind of way at all, but it strikes me that I have important things to say about running and that I am a pretty damn decent source of information on the subject. What strikes me even more is why on earth I don't just get off my ass (irony intended) and make this a bigger part of my life, i.e. take the plunge on opening a running store? I am utterly fascinated that I haven't done anything about this yet. I mean, how many people can say they know EXACTLY what they want to do, have the means to do it, and yet, somehow, don't do it? I must admit - the stronghold I've built around the idea that I won't succeed at this is quite impressive.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Sunday, April 20
Today I am in Boston and marathon fever is everywhere! My final time in Valpo was 2:24:31, which makes it my 2nd fastest half marathon by about a minute. My split had me doing 10:40 pace, and I slowed to 11:02 pace in the 2nd half. Nice faaaaade.....
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Saturday, April 19
Today I am in Chicago, and earlier I was in Valparaiso, IN where I ran the Valpo Mini Marathon (half marathon). I'm not sure yet of my final time but I think it was somewhere around 2:25, so it should be my second best finish. This was a tough one. I guess it's not supposed to be easy, but compared to how I felt in Cabo my last two races have been really challenging and somewhat frustrating. I only got about 3 hours of sleep the night before (and 5 the night before that) so I was pretty depleted of energy going into the race. Excuses, excuses. The frustrating thing about this one is that I totally had a chance for a PR but I was just worn out. I was at 1:50 right around 10 miles, so if I had been able to keep up a 10:00/min pace to the end I easily would have PR'd. Oh well - I'm glad I did it (my 6th half!) because I badly needed this race in advance of Santa Barbara on May 10.
A few things come to mind that I need to focus on in the days before SB:
1) Drink at least 64oz. of water every day in the week before a race.
2) I have to make sleep a priority - I can't go into another race on 3 hours sleep.
3) Pay more attention to my stress level, alcohol consumption, and what I'm eating. I wasn't particularly stressed going into this race because I had been in Palm Springs most of the week, but I wasn't sleeping for some reason (other than because I was having too much fun in PS to sleep!), and I definitely drank and ate more than usual in the Springs.
Tomorrow I go to Boston to cheer Sue on in the marathon, and then it's off to Dallas. Yee haw!
A few things come to mind that I need to focus on in the days before SB:
1) Drink at least 64oz. of water every day in the week before a race.
2) I have to make sleep a priority - I can't go into another race on 3 hours sleep.
3) Pay more attention to my stress level, alcohol consumption, and what I'm eating. I wasn't particularly stressed going into this race because I had been in Palm Springs most of the week, but I wasn't sleeping for some reason (other than because I was having too much fun in PS to sleep!), and I definitely drank and ate more than usual in the Springs.
Tomorrow I go to Boston to cheer Sue on in the marathon, and then it's off to Dallas. Yee haw!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 17
Today I am in Los Angeles, at LAX to be exact, awaiting my delayed flight back to Chicago. Since I have some time I thought I would take this opportunity to voice my opinion on last night's Democratic Hit Job, er, Debate.
In a word? It sucked.
Charlie Gibson and George Snufalupagus should be ashamed of themselves. First of all, it wasn't a debate. The first 45 minutes were pure Sunday morning talk show, and a bad one at that (and GS should have shined here - it's his day job, for crying out loud - instead he sounded like a dimwitted Ross Perot). They had to give equal time to Hillary Clinton so for every question about Obama's past she would simply say that it was despicable, intolerable, regrettable, disrespectful, or some such bullshit. You all no I am no longer any kind of HRC fan but she had no chance in the first half to demonstrate any knowledge of the issues, which is her strong suit. My favorite moment of the debate was this exchange (apologies for the long paste):
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to give Senator Clinton a chance to respond, but first a follow-up on this issue, the general theme of patriotism in your relationships. A gentleman named William Ayers, he was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol and other buildings. He's never apologized for that. And in fact, on 9/11 he was quoted in The New York Times saying, "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough."
An early organizing meeting for your state senate campaign was held at his house, and your campaign has said you are friendly. Can you explain that relationship for the voters, and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?
SEN. OBAMA: George, but this is an example of what I'm talking about.
This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.
And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn't make much sense, George.
The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions.
Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn's statements? Because I certainly don't agree with those either....
....SEN. CLINTON: Well, I think that is a fair general statement, but I also believe that Senator Obama served on a board with Mr. Ayers for a period of time, the Woods Foundation, which was a paid directorship position.
And if I'm not mistaken, that relationship with Mr. Ayers on this board continued after 9/11 and after his reported comments, which were deeply hurtful to people in New York, and I would hope to every American, because they were published on 9/11 and he said that he was just sorry they hadn't done more. And what they did was set bombs and in some instances people died. So it is -- you know, I think it is, again, an issue that people will be asking about. And I have no doubt -- I know Senator Obama's a good man and I respect him greatly but I think that this is an issue that certainly the Republicans will be raising....
....SENATOR OBAMA: I'm going to have to respond to this just really quickly, but by Senator Clinton's own vetting standards, I don't think she would make it, since President Clinton pardoned or commuted the sentences of two members of the Weather Underground, which I think is a slightly more significant act than me --than me serving on a board with somebody for actions that he did 40 years ago.
Zing! That'll teach her to agree with Snufalupagus. So, we've sunk to new lows in campaigns, in attack ads, in blog posts, and now, as was, I suppose, inevitable, in political debates.
In a word? It sucked.
Charlie Gibson and George Snufalupagus should be ashamed of themselves. First of all, it wasn't a debate. The first 45 minutes were pure Sunday morning talk show, and a bad one at that (and GS should have shined here - it's his day job, for crying out loud - instead he sounded like a dimwitted Ross Perot). They had to give equal time to Hillary Clinton so for every question about Obama's past she would simply say that it was despicable, intolerable, regrettable, disrespectful, or some such bullshit. You all no I am no longer any kind of HRC fan but she had no chance in the first half to demonstrate any knowledge of the issues, which is her strong suit. My favorite moment of the debate was this exchange (apologies for the long paste):
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I want to give Senator Clinton a chance to respond, but first a follow-up on this issue, the general theme of patriotism in your relationships. A gentleman named William Ayers, he was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol and other buildings. He's never apologized for that. And in fact, on 9/11 he was quoted in The New York Times saying, "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough."
An early organizing meeting for your state senate campaign was held at his house, and your campaign has said you are friendly. Can you explain that relationship for the voters, and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?
SEN. OBAMA: George, but this is an example of what I'm talking about.
This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.
And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn't make much sense, George.
The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions.
Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn's statements? Because I certainly don't agree with those either....
....SEN. CLINTON: Well, I think that is a fair general statement, but I also believe that Senator Obama served on a board with Mr. Ayers for a period of time, the Woods Foundation, which was a paid directorship position.
And if I'm not mistaken, that relationship with Mr. Ayers on this board continued after 9/11 and after his reported comments, which were deeply hurtful to people in New York, and I would hope to every American, because they were published on 9/11 and he said that he was just sorry they hadn't done more. And what they did was set bombs and in some instances people died. So it is -- you know, I think it is, again, an issue that people will be asking about. And I have no doubt -- I know Senator Obama's a good man and I respect him greatly but I think that this is an issue that certainly the Republicans will be raising....
....SENATOR OBAMA: I'm going to have to respond to this just really quickly, but by Senator Clinton's own vetting standards, I don't think she would make it, since President Clinton pardoned or commuted the sentences of two members of the Weather Underground, which I think is a slightly more significant act than me --than me serving on a board with somebody for actions that he did 40 years ago.
Zing! That'll teach her to agree with Snufalupagus. So, we've sunk to new lows in campaigns, in attack ads, in blog posts, and now, as was, I suppose, inevitable, in political debates.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wednesday, April 16
Today I am in Glendale, CA. I had four wonderful days in Palm Springs. The weather was spectacular and I had a much better time at the corporate events this year knowing what to expect in terms of not knowing anyone. As it happened, I wound up running into a man I had met over 4 years ago at a training class - we got to be fast friends that week, and at the time we were both married and he was living in Brazil. Now, we're both not married and he is living in New York. So....who knows where that will go but it was lovely to reconnect with an old friend, especially because it was such a surprise to see him after all these years.
Yesterday I had the privilege to hear from Nando Parrado, one of the Uruguayan rugby players whose plane crashed in the Andes in 1972. His story was amazing, and gave new meaning to the term "problem." I was talking to Mauricio (my long lost friend from Brazil) about it after; Mauricio has seen Nando speak a few times and in one of those talks he said that they would wake up some days thinking they were dead and had gone to hell. He said that he knows hell is not fire, it is ice. Imagine waking up and seeing nothing but snow and suffering and devastation and thinking that you were dead and in hell. That really blew my mind.
Tomorrow I have a meeting here in Glendale and then I'm going home. I haven't been gone this long in a while, and I'm looking forward to being back in my own bed.
Yesterday I had the privilege to hear from Nando Parrado, one of the Uruguayan rugby players whose plane crashed in the Andes in 1972. His story was amazing, and gave new meaning to the term "problem." I was talking to Mauricio (my long lost friend from Brazil) about it after; Mauricio has seen Nando speak a few times and in one of those talks he said that they would wake up some days thinking they were dead and had gone to hell. He said that he knows hell is not fire, it is ice. Imagine waking up and seeing nothing but snow and suffering and devastation and thinking that you were dead and in hell. That really blew my mind.
Tomorrow I have a meeting here in Glendale and then I'm going home. I haven't been gone this long in a while, and I'm looking forward to being back in my own bed.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Saturday, April 12
Today I am in rainy Chicago.
In a speech earlier today in Muncie, IN, Obama said that he "misspoke" in characterizing Pennsylvania voters as bitter. This is sad. The man gives an extremely eloquent description of middle class frustration, and is pressured into backing off of it because of a bunch of hatchet job blog posts. The race for the nomination has hit, for the the umpteenth time, an all-time low. How is Obama saying PA voters are "bitter" any different from Hillary Clinton saying that NC voters are "getting slammed?" I can't wait for this friggin' thing to be over - it's depressing.
In a speech earlier today in Muncie, IN, Obama said that he "misspoke" in characterizing Pennsylvania voters as bitter. This is sad. The man gives an extremely eloquent description of middle class frustration, and is pressured into backing off of it because of a bunch of hatchet job blog posts. The race for the nomination has hit, for the the umpteenth time, an all-time low. How is Obama saying PA voters are "bitter" any different from Hillary Clinton saying that NC voters are "getting slammed?" I can't wait for this friggin' thing to be over - it's depressing.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Friday, April 11
Today I am in Chicago and will start off this post by saying that I lied. I lied when I said that my last anti-Clinton post would be my last because I am so outraged that I can't not say something.
As was widely reported in today's Huffington Post, Barack Obama was recently asked why his candidacy hasn't connected with middle class Pennsylvanians. Here is his response:
"Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long, and they feel so betrayed by government, and when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama (laugher), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter).
But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What's the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is -- so, we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- close tax loopholes, roll back, you know, the tax cuts for the top 1 percent. Obama's gonna give tax breaks to middle-class folks and we're gonna provide health care for every American. So we'll go down a series of talking points.
But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing."
In response to this, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have both branded Obama as an elitist who is out of touch with middle class voters. To this, Obama had the following brilliant response:
"Here's what's rich. Sen. Clinton says, I don't think people are bitter in Pennsylvania. I think Barack's being condescending. John McCain says, he's obviously out of touch with people. Out of touch? John McCain, it took him three tries to figure out the home foreclosure crisis was a problem and to come up with a plan for it, and he's saying I'm out of touch? Sen. Clinton voted for a credit card sponsored bankruptcy bill that made it harder for people to get out of debt, after taking money from the financial services companies, and she says I'm out of touch?"
"No, I'm in touch. I know exactly what's going on. I know what's going on in Pennsylvania, I know what's going in Indiana, I know what's going in Illinois. People are fed up. They're angry and they're frustrated and they're bitter, and they want to see a change in Washington, and that's why I'm running for president of the United States of America."
Okay, so does Hillary Clinton just take this as her cue to shut up? Of course not, and today her campaign issued the following statement:
"Instead of apologizing for offending small town America, Senator Obama chose to repeat and embrace the comments he made earlier this week. It's unfortunate that Senator Obama didn't say he was sorry for what he said. Americans are tired of a President who looks down on them -- they want a President who will stand up for them for a change. The Americans who live in small towns are optimistic, hardworking and resilient. They deserve a president who will respect them."
Are you fucking kidding me? You mean apologize, like what you should have done, Hillary, for "misspeaking" about Bosnia and then continuing to "misspeak" even after your account had been refuted? You mean respect, like what you didn't do when you insulted the intelligence of voters everywhere by saying the Bosnia "slip" was a result of too little sleep? Perhaps your campaign should focus less on hit job e-mails and more on practicing what you preach.
As was widely reported in today's Huffington Post, Barack Obama was recently asked why his candidacy hasn't connected with middle class Pennsylvanians. Here is his response:
"Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long, and they feel so betrayed by government, and when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama (laugher), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter).
But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What's the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is -- so, we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- close tax loopholes, roll back, you know, the tax cuts for the top 1 percent. Obama's gonna give tax breaks to middle-class folks and we're gonna provide health care for every American. So we'll go down a series of talking points.
But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing."
In response to this, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have both branded Obama as an elitist who is out of touch with middle class voters. To this, Obama had the following brilliant response:
"Here's what's rich. Sen. Clinton says, I don't think people are bitter in Pennsylvania. I think Barack's being condescending. John McCain says, he's obviously out of touch with people. Out of touch? John McCain, it took him three tries to figure out the home foreclosure crisis was a problem and to come up with a plan for it, and he's saying I'm out of touch? Sen. Clinton voted for a credit card sponsored bankruptcy bill that made it harder for people to get out of debt, after taking money from the financial services companies, and she says I'm out of touch?"
"No, I'm in touch. I know exactly what's going on. I know what's going on in Pennsylvania, I know what's going in Indiana, I know what's going in Illinois. People are fed up. They're angry and they're frustrated and they're bitter, and they want to see a change in Washington, and that's why I'm running for president of the United States of America."
Okay, so does Hillary Clinton just take this as her cue to shut up? Of course not, and today her campaign issued the following statement:
"Instead of apologizing for offending small town America, Senator Obama chose to repeat and embrace the comments he made earlier this week. It's unfortunate that Senator Obama didn't say he was sorry for what he said. Americans are tired of a President who looks down on them -- they want a President who will stand up for them for a change. The Americans who live in small towns are optimistic, hardworking and resilient. They deserve a president who will respect them."
Are you fucking kidding me? You mean apologize, like what you should have done, Hillary, for "misspeaking" about Bosnia and then continuing to "misspeak" even after your account had been refuted? You mean respect, like what you didn't do when you insulted the intelligence of voters everywhere by saying the Bosnia "slip" was a result of too little sleep? Perhaps your campaign should focus less on hit job e-mails and more on practicing what you preach.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thursday, April 10
Today I am in Chicago. Since I feel I'm writing this blog mostly for myself (and it's more than a feeling - I know I'm the only person who reads it - otherwise people would leave COMMENTS - hint, hint), I want to start using this space to say things are more personally relevant to me.
Case in point, I feel finally, at the tender age of 37, that I can be more honest with myself. I am starting to realize that aging isn't so much about the external changes as the internal, and that only with time and experience and years on the clock can you really learn to appreciate all of the things that have come before. When you are in your teens you only think about graduating high school and being 21. When you are 21, you think about getting the job, impressing people, flirting, having money, achieving a certain status. Along the way you make a lot of mistakes. Then - mercifully - when you are in your 30s you start to put all of this shit together and think about how you want to lead your life in a way that matters. The mistakes of the past lose their tarnish because you look at them less as mistakes and more as lessons. You want to get to the bottom of things. Why am I the way I am? What experiences have had the most effect on me, and if they are negative experiences how am I continuing to let them inform my behavior? For some people the getting-to-the-bottom-of-things is scary. To me, it's a gift. I feel truly relaxed when I say things out loud that I have long thought but never said. It's cliched but there really is closure in acknowledging something - as though saying it or writing it makes it so and lets you move beyond.
So....where is all of this going? Well, even though this blog is mostly for me it's still in the public domain, so I will leave the genesis of this post for my private thoughts. But suffice to say that I am ready to acknowledge, accept, and put to rest those things that have in the past dragged me down, and use the remaining (and growing) strength to look once again toward the future. It's a nice sight.
Case in point, I feel finally, at the tender age of 37, that I can be more honest with myself. I am starting to realize that aging isn't so much about the external changes as the internal, and that only with time and experience and years on the clock can you really learn to appreciate all of the things that have come before. When you are in your teens you only think about graduating high school and being 21. When you are 21, you think about getting the job, impressing people, flirting, having money, achieving a certain status. Along the way you make a lot of mistakes. Then - mercifully - when you are in your 30s you start to put all of this shit together and think about how you want to lead your life in a way that matters. The mistakes of the past lose their tarnish because you look at them less as mistakes and more as lessons. You want to get to the bottom of things. Why am I the way I am? What experiences have had the most effect on me, and if they are negative experiences how am I continuing to let them inform my behavior? For some people the getting-to-the-bottom-of-things is scary. To me, it's a gift. I feel truly relaxed when I say things out loud that I have long thought but never said. It's cliched but there really is closure in acknowledging something - as though saying it or writing it makes it so and lets you move beyond.
So....where is all of this going? Well, even though this blog is mostly for me it's still in the public domain, so I will leave the genesis of this post for my private thoughts. But suffice to say that I am ready to acknowledge, accept, and put to rest those things that have in the past dragged me down, and use the remaining (and growing) strength to look once again toward the future. It's a nice sight.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Because I am a runner....
I wrote this list a while ago but I wanted to memorialize it somewhere.
Because I am a runner....
....I am physically and mentally strong
....I trust in my ability to finish what I start
....I have seen parts of Budapest, London, Melbourne, New York City, Cabo san Lucas, Tucson, and, most importantly, my home city of Chicago (just to name a few) that I otherwise wouldn't have
....I am part of a community
....a Google search of my name turns up mostly race results
....I don't worry about my weight
....I have the stamina to work long hours as needed
....I know what a fartlek is
....I could run for help, or away from someone, if I needed to
....I now know that when you are sleepy, the best thing you can do is run (yes, running actually wakes you up - who knew!)
....my overall health is better
....I have a different kind of respect for myself
....I can talk for hours about wicking fabrics, pronation, and tempo training
....I have a surefire way to de-stress and brighten my mood
....I have quad, hamstring, and calf muscles
....people are impressed with my accomplishments
....I got to know my new neighborhood
....I can help my friends who are new to running
....I have a training schedule
....I have a race schedule
Because I am a runner....
....I am physically and mentally strong
....I trust in my ability to finish what I start
....I have seen parts of Budapest, London, Melbourne, New York City, Cabo san Lucas, Tucson, and, most importantly, my home city of Chicago (just to name a few) that I otherwise wouldn't have
....I am part of a community
....a Google search of my name turns up mostly race results
....I don't worry about my weight
....I have the stamina to work long hours as needed
....I know what a fartlek is
....I could run for help, or away from someone, if I needed to
....I now know that when you are sleepy, the best thing you can do is run (yes, running actually wakes you up - who knew!)
....my overall health is better
....I have a different kind of respect for myself
....I can talk for hours about wicking fabrics, pronation, and tempo training
....I have a surefire way to de-stress and brighten my mood
....I have quad, hamstring, and calf muscles
....people are impressed with my accomplishments
....I got to know my new neighborhood
....I can help my friends who are new to running
....I have a training schedule
....I have a race schedule
Friday, April 4, 2008
Friday, April 4
Today I am in Chicago and just read something that must be shared.
Factor military duty into criticism
By Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss
April 3, 2008
In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.
In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.) The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician.
Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.
What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.
While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.
Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities.
This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.
Since these comments became public we have heard criticisms, condemnations, denouncements and rejections of his comments and him.
We've seen on television, in a seemingly endless loop, sound bites of a select few of Rev. Wright's many sermons.
Some of the Wright's comments are inexcusable and inappropriate and should be condemned, but in calling him "unpatriotic," let us not forget that this is a man who gave up six of the most productive years of his life to serve his country.
How many of Wright's detractors, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to name but a few, volunteered for service, and did so under the often tumultuous circumstances of a newly integrated armed forces and a society in the midst of a civil rights struggle? Not many.
While words do count, so do actions. Let us not forget that, for whatever Rev. Wright may have said over the last 30 years, he has demonstrated his patriotism.
Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss are, respectively, Navy and Marine Corps veterans. They work at The Center For American Progress. Korb served as assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration.
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
Factor military duty into criticism
By Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss
April 3, 2008
In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.
In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.) The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician.
Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery. For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.
What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.
While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.
Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities.
This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who has been in the news for comments he made over the last three decades.
Since these comments became public we have heard criticisms, condemnations, denouncements and rejections of his comments and him.
We've seen on television, in a seemingly endless loop, sound bites of a select few of Rev. Wright's many sermons.
Some of the Wright's comments are inexcusable and inappropriate and should be condemned, but in calling him "unpatriotic," let us not forget that this is a man who gave up six of the most productive years of his life to serve his country.
How many of Wright's detractors, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly to name but a few, volunteered for service, and did so under the often tumultuous circumstances of a newly integrated armed forces and a society in the midst of a civil rights struggle? Not many.
While words do count, so do actions. Let us not forget that, for whatever Rev. Wright may have said over the last 30 years, he has demonstrated his patriotism.
Lawrence Korb and Ian Moss are, respectively, Navy and Marine Corps veterans. They work at The Center For American Progress. Korb served as assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration.
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Thursday, April 3
Today I am in Chicago. I decided to sign up for the Capital City Half Marathon, which is next weekend in Columbus. I love that I feel ready to run a half marathon on short notice. It's amazing how hard it is to get to this point and how easy it is to fall back. My mood is better, I lost a few pounds that were bugging me, and I am in such a fantastic place with my running right now. I have a pet peeve about misuse of the word "fantastic" because it literally means something that is of fantasy....but in this case it's the right word because only in Fantasyland could I have thought I'd ever consider myself to be, gulp, an athlete.
(Warning: my sister should probably not read the following paragraph.)
In other news, I am so sick of Hillary Clinton I could puke. Why does Obama get the shit beaten out of him over Jeremiah Wright, and she all but gets away with lying about sniper fire in Bosnia? Gee, Hillary....I'm pretty sure your vast credentials owe a lot to your time as First Lady - makes it kinda important for those experiences to be true, right? Oh - and James Carville is an ass.
Jonathan Alter's column this month in Newsweek brilliantly sums up my feelings on this matter:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/129587
Serenity now......and yes, whoever the nominee is will have my vote.
(Warning: my sister should probably not read the following paragraph.)
In other news, I am so sick of Hillary Clinton I could puke. Why does Obama get the shit beaten out of him over Jeremiah Wright, and she all but gets away with lying about sniper fire in Bosnia? Gee, Hillary....I'm pretty sure your vast credentials owe a lot to your time as First Lady - makes it kinda important for those experiences to be true, right? Oh - and James Carville is an ass.
Jonathan Alter's column this month in Newsweek brilliantly sums up my feelings on this matter:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/129587
Serenity now......and yes, whoever the nominee is will have my vote.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)