Ped and Flooder
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
BFF
(sent via mobile)
Archive for July 12th, 2007
Pro
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
Colivita’s Adam Bergman. I have to race against him. Life is so unfair.
(sent via mobile)
Spiderman
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
Great things are expected from him tonight. Prepare for disappointment.
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Track night!
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
Another night on the boards. Big hitters in attendance so far: PHanna, Tainter, Ped, Super-Rookie, Spiderman, Der Kruser and that’s about it.
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Hey Floyd
Thursday, July 12th, 2007I want to believe you earned your victory through grit, determination and hard training, but I need proof. I would like to offer to pay you $100,000 to take a polygraph test. The test would cover the 2006 Tour de France and your alleged use of banned drugs leading up to and during the event. We could agree to the questions before hand. After the test I would make the video of the test itself and the results as determined by the independent examiner available on the net for free for all to view. Whether the results exonerate or implicate you they would be published to the world.
I don’t see anything in there that you have to pass the test to collect the money.
Iraq
Thursday, July 12th, 2007The section below was inspired by a coffee and scone (Starbucks was sold out of pumpkin loaf) visit with my good friend scottErob yesterday. I enjoy talking to scottErob because, while we tend to think alike, he has an intellectual depth that I enjoy to plumb for good ideas. You’ll be enjoying his thoughts while I am on vacation at the end of the month.
Below is my comment regarding a statement made that we should all just sit back and give The troop surge in Iraq a chance to succeed.
Do you know that this surge can not be sustained past March of 2008? We simply do not have the manpower, equipment or money to continue this much longer. The military knows it, McCain knows it, the Iraqis know it. This surge is a true hail mary pass.
What if it is not working by December? What if it is not working by March of ‘08? Why is it considered treasonous to consider our options?
Is it unrealistic to expect the Iraqi government to meet one single benchmark for success? Even just one? How can we not assume that the reason the Iraqi government is not succeeding is because they don’t wish to succeed? What is their motivation to make any real progress so long as we are there?
(I)t could be that the problem of Iraq does not have a military solution. It could be that only a political solution between Iraqis will solve this problem. If the Iraqis refuse to solve their problems politically then what hope is there? How long can we afford to invest in a project with no sign of success?
What happens to our military when the troops and the equipment and the money runs out? Is anyone considering this?
I guarantee you that if the military resource is exhausted and we pull out of Iraq as we pulled out of Vietnam then we really will see an apocalypse in the middle east. The President wants us to continue down an unsustainable path, there needs to be an alternative. We need a better answer than “See if it works.” I don’t see that the GOP is interested in attempting to find another answer, I have more hope from the Democrats.
Riding the Mississippi
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
Ben Richter is riding the river from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico.
It sounds like a wonderful trip so far, for the most part. He rode into the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities on Tuesday.
Seeing these exurbs with fresh eyes, coming from a long ride through the beautiful North, however, was a new experience. I saw endless rows of steel surrounding angry drivers, pressing on home, come what may and obstacles be damned. My own reaction was one of anger at first, then disbelief, and finally resignation. I turned completely inward and ceased to take in my surroundings, focused on the road ahead, and finding my way out of the mess became my only concern. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore and I felt empty, then depressed. Because the contrast to the previous parts of my ride was so stark, I went through this range of emotions very quickly. But I think I now understand why depression is such a huge problem in the United States.
I hope his journey yields more beautiful scenery and less depressing suburbian oppression!
What a fantastic way to see this country from top to bottom. I wish Ben well.
You can follow his trip by blog here, see each individual leg of his ride here and check out his photos here.
