So You Had A Bad Day!
This was provided to me by Ashley, the prettiest new mom with the prettiest new baby in Wisconsin:
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.
When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must Have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?
Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-1 6s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..
A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Who m do we thank for the morning air show? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
USAF 
Personally, I can't thank these guys enough
An Anniversary Of Sorts
I started this blog one year ago. I couldn't let the day go past without posting something. I don't feel very clever or witty, but I've got a few things on my mind.
My youngest daughter graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology this past Saturday. I am very proud of her and what she's accomplished. I hope that she will continue to pursue her goals with the same tenacity and vision that she has shown so far.
As most of you know, I'm a student of military history and I've researched my ancestors who have served the country. I am also a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that supports those who are serving or who have served the nation in our armed forces. This being Memorial Day weekend, please remember those who stood up for you so you can do as you choose every day of the year. The men and women of our armed forces are our most valuable asset. I love those people. Sometimes I envy them because I never served and now it's too late. I haven't done anything but enjoy the life that our armed forces have fought and died to protect. When a tear forms it is as much for what they did for me as it is for how little I've ever done myself.
To tell the story, I need to tell you a bit about the Patriot Guard Riders. Early in the current conflict a group from a church in Kansas began protesting at the funerals for fallen soldiers. Their protests were disrespectful to the serviceman (or woman) and so insensitive to the family that a group of people, most veterans themselves, decided to show up at the next funeral and create a non-violent, non-confrontational, barrier between the protestors and the family and friends who'd gathered to pay their respects to the deceased.
The Patriot Guard was born and it now numbers more than 100,000 members across this country. The group is made up of veterans and non-veterans, bikers and people who don't ride. These are just people who care about our troops and our veterans and support them no matter what their feelings are about the polit ics of the war and the nation in general. The group uses the motto: "Standing For Those Who Stood For Us"
I am a member of the Viet Nam generation. I was eligible for the draft but had a college deferrment. I had a next door neighbor who went to Nam and didn't come back. His name is among the many on the wall in DC. I have always felt guilty about that. I am a descendant of people who have always fought in our wars. I feel guilty that I didn't step up the way that they did. My ancestors "kicked in" during every conflict from the Revolution, the War Between The States (Civil War to you Yankees) and the "World Wars I & II" If there was a fight, they were in it. Me, I haven't done $&!+.
One day I rode to West Bend, Wisconsin. The occasion was the funeral of a Marine captain who had made the ultimate sacrifice. I was there to stand a flag line. That line would be in honor of this young man, and maybe a barrier between him, his family and friends, and those who meant to disrespect this soldier and others attending. These missions as they are called are preceded by a gathering of members, a briefing of sorts, in preparation for the service. In these meetings you usually see people you've met before and meet people you don't know.
A man that I didn't recognize approached. He was wearing a "boonie" cap so common with Viet Nam vets. We shook hands and he said something about his division or unit, Viet Nam, and the years he was there. I don't remember the details but it was definitely the way that Viet Nam vets introduce themselves to one another. I replied with "I'm Dave Jones, and I never served" He put his arm around me like we were family and said "Well, you're serving now!"
This Memorial Day, please remember those who served. The ones that really served. Went to war, got shot at, got hurt, even died. We owe them so much and they ask for so little.
Travel To Iditarod Start
The following is a journal of sorts from our recent trip to Alaska. For those who aren't followers of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, I apologize for the references and names that are unfamiliar. I hope you enjoy the story without the details.
Wed Mar 04, 2009
Today is the day. It's finally here. I am so jazzed about this trip.(All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go........"Leavin' On A Jet Plane" Up before the sun to travel to the Iditarod goin' "North To Alaska" That song keeps playin' in my head. From an Elvis Presley movie circa 1960 I think. (Actually it was John Wayne and Elvis wasn’t in the flick, still a catchy song though)
We've got the winter gear packed into a giant suitcase that the airline is probably going to charge extra to fly with us. It's going to be an all day affair just getting there. First from
We've got our tickets to the Musher's Banqet. I'm packing a laptop and digital camera. Soon we'll be on our way.
Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:56 am
Greetings from the 49th state and the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage.
We made our flights although we had center seats on a full airplane from
A stroll through the plane was, well, more like a run through a gauntlet. The aisles on a 757 just aren't all that wide. But on my way to the lavatory I saw a lot of Iditarod related hats, jackets, sweatshirts, and books about dogs and the Iditarod. I'd say at least half of that airplane’s payload was passengers and baggage travelling to the Iditarod start.
It was a gray day here in
The Millennium hotel is a quick drive from Ted Stevens Anchorage International airport. It's not as nice as it appears on the internet site. It's nice, but it's more rustic than it appears. I know some might find this appealing. The polar bear and the bison in the lobby, obviously the work of a skilled taxidermist, really give the place atmosphere.
We felt a little out of place in our travelling clothes so we quickly changed. I felt like I was the only guy in town without a beard or at least a few days growth, but I'll be leaving before I could get anything growing worth showing off. Even after changing we must have looked like Pekingese pups in a 16 dog Siberian sled dog team.
Hungry after our long flight we went into the hotel bar, The Fancy Moose Lounge. Great place and the windows in the back wall give you a great view of
The menu featured quite a selection and I spotted an interesting looking dish called Halibut Chunks. OK, I'll take a walk on the wild side once in a while, so I ordered it. Turned out to be the best fish and chips I'd ever eaten. Back home in
While we were in the Fancy Moose, defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey walked in and looked around, then left. We saw a few other familiar looking faces but weren’t up to introducing ourselves and asking for autographs just yet. After a quick drive around Anchorage (the Millennium is 15 minutes from downtown) We were ready to call it a night.
When we arrived back at the hotel there was a low roar coming from the Fancy Moose Lounge, so I thought I'd check it out. When I looked in, there was Jeff King sitting with his back to the lake. The place was packed with mushers and fans, sponsors and officials and everyone appeared to be having a great time.
We are really looking forward to taking pictures today, maybe visit a kennel, and then the Musher's Banquet tonight.
Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:54 pm
Wow! I thought I was lucky catching a glimpse of a few mushers.
This morning I went down for breakfast and sat near Lee Larson, President of the Iditarod Trail Committee. Eavesdropping a little I heard that there is a bit of a problem with Iditarod pilots. It seems that some sort of government agency wants the pilot flying hours supporting the Iditarod to be counted in their total flying time. Many are commercial pilots and that would mean they wouldn't be able to fly as many hours on their regular jobs. Leave it to the government. I say if it aint broke don't fix it. Don't anyone panic though, this is may be a problem for next year but doesn't affect this year.
After I'd finished and the restaurant started filling up, I decided to sit in the lobby for a while. Armed with a big coffee, I slipped into one of the leather sofas just to watch the Iditaworld go by.
One thing I noticed is how many mushers greeted the volunteers by name. On a couple of occasions hugs and handshakes were exchanged. Cindy Gallea walked in and a couple jumped off one of the other sofas to greet her. These folks were all over each musher that came through getting photos with many. They said to several "You probably don't remember us." I was impressed when I heard Cindy say, "Oh you're the Reynolds family from
Lance Mackey came down for coffee and a bagel, gave a radio interview, and then headed upstairs. The Seavey's, Mitch, Dallas, and Jen (wife of
Once the interview was concluded one of the volunteers walked up to the table where the Seavey's were still seated wearing a parka with half-dozen or more Iditarod patches down the sleeve. He turned around and to show that he had a larger patch from the Seavey's kennel. He had all three of the Seavey mushers autograph the parka. He then removed it and carefully placed it under lock and key in a closet provided by the hotel staff.
Bruce Linton was around for a while. He was also interviewed by the same two media representatives that had spoken to the others. I think I recognized several others like Paul Gebhardt, MIke Williams, Cim Smyth, Robert Loveman, Jim Lanier,Timothy Hunt, Bjorner Andersen. I must say to all who read this, if I mis-identify anyone, I'm sorry but I'm really working from the Official Race Program photos and my memory of the videos I've seen on Iditarod Insider and the Discovery Channel show. I'm a rookie here myself.
Fri Mar 06, 2009 1:24 am
After my post this morning, I had to figure out what to do. The snow was falling like it wouldn't let up. This snow had the look of being 10 to 12 inches before it stopped. This is the kind of snow that came down in dime sized flakes and fell almost vertically. Not one to be afraid to drive in snow, we saddled up the Chevy Impala rent-a-car and headed for downtown.
Downtown Anchorage is only 15 minutes from the Millennium Hotel but once we got into the maze of one-way streets we had to make a couple of laps around the Anchorage Museum to see if they were open and to see where we might be able to park. The museum is being expanded. They are taking a brick and concrete structure and adding on a chrome-and-mirrors looking addition. I don't know if they plan to demolish the older brick structure or not. The older side doesn't look more than 10 to 15 years old.
Once inside, we were told that the Fine Arts exhibit was closed and only the Alsaska History displays were available for viewing. Fine with me, Alaskan history is what I was there for. We started with a display dedicated to the Alaskan Scouts, also known as the 1st Combat Intelligence Platoon. These guys were a bunch of commercial fishermen, trappers, and miners who signed up at the beginning of World War II to serve in
It is a little known fact that
We also viewed exhibits detailing Alaskan history related to the natives, the settlers, and the reasons
From there we wandered over to
The Iditarod is held in conjunction with the annual Fur Rendezvous. This is a winter carnival held in
From there we went over to the
When we got back out to the Millennium we heard the howl of sled dogs. We've been here more than 24 hours and we've seen mushers and handlers and officals and other Iditarooters like ourselves, but we haven't seen a single dog. Don't get me wrong, I like Martin Buser and Jeff King and Lance Mackey, but it's the dogs I came to see. The howl of that dog and the barking of others gave us a little thrill that the start of the Iditarod was getting closer.
Once inside the lobby we saw Rachel Scdoris sitting amongst a small group. I have read her book "No End In Sight" and it was a friends interest in Rachel that got me interested in the Iditarod. I really wanted a picture of me and her together so I could send it to my buddy Bill. When the the opportunity came, I approached her and shook her hand, we exchanged a few words (she seemed a bit shy). She obliged and smiled a big smile for the picture.
Afterwards I met her dad, Jerry, and chatted with him a while. Now without braggin’ I can say that I am an excellent judge of people. I can sense a lot about a person's character when I first meet them. I'm here to say that these are good people. I enjoyed my chat with Jerry and I wished them well.
From there it was up to the room to get ready for the musher's banquet.
Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:15 am
If you read my last post you know that there was a good deal of snow here today. The dime sized flakes let up for a while but started again. By the time we headed for the Dena'ina Convention Center there was probably 5 or 6 inches of new snow.
Arriving downtown we found a parking garage right across from the convention center and followed the crowd over to the musher's banquet. Once inside the building it looked like this was going to be a screwed up, mis-managed affair. There were people coming in 4 or 5 different entrances and the front of the building contained this huge serpent of a line waiting to get in. The building itself is about half a city block long and this line was wrapped around twice.
The funny thing is, whoever decided where the front of the line should be miscalculated since they opened up about four different entrances so what was a snake ended up being four different herds of people moving like sheep through a chute.
Lance Mackey showed up in the middle of this mess and signed autographs and posed for pictures for a few minutes. He was spinning like a ballerina for a while trying to take care of all the fans.
Once inside the bewildered staff directed people in the wrong direction. We were told ( I know I heard this right because she pointed exactly where she told me to go) that our table was in the far front corner to the left. She was almost right...we were in the far front corner to the right. There were more than 200 tables and we were seated 10 to a table. Each table had either a musher or an Iditarod volunteer seated at the table. We ended up with a volunteer who was nice, polite, but not very talkative.
Other attendees seated at our table were all nice people and we had a great time sharing our stories. One lady was an Iditarider who will be riding in the sled of Sebastian Schnuelle for the ceremonial start. She was warned about wearing goggles and a bandana over her mouth since sled dogs tend to excrete on the run. I thought this was funny, and I assured her that our friend Mr Gravity would probably see that such excretions would hit the ground before they got all the way back to the Iditarider.
The doors had opened twenty minutes late, the salad was already served when the doors opened, and the program started almost immediately. Lee Larsen emceed the whole affair and he told the crowd that he promised the mushers he'd have them out by 8:00 PM. Well, thanks a lot. Some people paid $100 a person to be there (hope they got to sit with a musher, because we didn't) and they were trying to run this thing like a fire drill. Lee is not my favorite person right now.
The meal itself was excellent. Awesome salad, followed by an entree of steak cooked to perfection (if you like your steak medium) in a mushroom gravy, with baby carrots, little potatoes & squash. Dessert was either a double chocolate cake or a delicious lemon cake. Good food but the hurry-up-and-eat attitude was annoying. Even the serving staff ran around like they were double parked. They were trying to bus the dessert dishes before we finished the entree. One server reached for the plate and the lady at the table said "Wait, I'm gonna eat that".
They auctioned a couple of high dollar items one of them being a bib #1 with autographs from 7 former Iditarod champions including Jeff King, Lance Macey and Martin Buser. This thing went for $5150. Then they auctioned a bear watching trip. Now this doesn't sound all that great but here's the deal. They fly four people along with Lance Mackey and his wife up to see grizzlies catching salmon during their spawning run. Looked liked a fun trip but it was too rich for my blood. Winning bidder paid around $10,000 for that little vacation. Could be fun to pal around with Lance and his wife but I don't have that kind of money.
The program was entertaining. Lee's jokes were running about 50/50 on the laugh meter. He's not as funny as he thinks he is. Funniest person at the podium tonight was Jeff King when he said "OK, now can we stop all the alarm clock and park service jokes?" Referencing his sleeping while Lance tip-toed out of a check point to take the win last year, and also his run-in with the authorities for shooting a moose that was some distance outside of a legal hunting zone.
The mushers drew for their bib numbers which took a while and a lot of them signed autographs and posed for photos. Not all the mushers, but most. When we left, Martin Buser still had a crowd around him. I managed to get a picture with him, and take a couple while he was with other fans.
Fri Mar 06, 2009 10:17 am
Whew! I'm so hung over this morning, I think I'll have to die to get better. A glass of orange juice and a couple of cups of coffee and another awesome breakfast....ahh! here it comes, eggs cooked just perfect, with bacon crispy but not fried to a cinder, steaming hot pancakes that cover the huge dinner plate. Yum! This whole meal is going to cost me $18 + tip. Not so bad, all things considered.
There is a little more buzz in the restaurant this morning. Lee Larsen walked in and chatted with a few people and then left. It is still dark outside at this time in
Today's activities will include a book signing session and special guest speakers. Lisa Frederic who worked for Jeff King and wrote "Running With Champions" is a speaker and also will be at the book signing. I'm thinking I might pick up a copy of Jeff King's book "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" and get that autographed.
Speaking of Iditarod books, I've read Rachel Scdoris' book and Lisa Frederic's. Both tend to be more personal stories that tug at the heart strings. I especially liked Rachel's book from the triumph of the human spirit point of view, but now I'm looking for more of the Iditarod inside story complete with history and biographical information about the early days and the more colorful characters.
I want to get some photos of the mountains and the activity around the airplanes on the lake. I just hope the weather clears a little. We've had a couple of teases during our afternoons downtown where we can see about half the mountains but not the summits. I really want to get some photos in clear weather.(I've heard and seen reports that there is snow 8 to 10 feet deep in places on the trail. There is a combined snowmachine sled dog event called the Serum Run that had to be either shortened or canceled because of the weather. I guess I should check out Iditarod Insider for all the latest on weather conditions and such.
Tonight we are definitely going to visit the starting line again. I want to see them build up the snow in the street for the race. The City of
I'm going to try and figure out the best way to get photos to you. The size restriction on this forum makes it less than ideal for posting photos. I don't have any really great shots just yet but you're welcomed to what I have.
Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:15 pm
Weather here has turned a balmy 32 degrees Fahrenheit and we've had the sun in and out of cloud cover most of the day so far. Business at the Millennium is really picking up with crowds and tour buses. Walking through the hotel you see groups gathered around with the tour leader giving out information on schedules and events.
In the lobby, at what would normally be a concierge desk, the ITC is managing the volunteers. On down the hallway in a couple of suites of rooms with open doorways and people tapping on keyboards is the ITC temporary headquarters and offices.
In the main part of the hotel, in what I would describe as foyer, behind the staircase and in front of the first floor elevators is the official Iditarod musher tracking board and a large map of the Iditarod trail with checkpoints. It was set up with last years results when we arrived but will soon be a clean slate with musher’s names and bib numbers posted. This board will be updated with status of each musher during the race and will include their checkpoint in and out times, along with number of dogs in and number of dogs out. The process is all done by hand.
Today's activities include talks by several mushers, authors, and the Iditarod veterinarian that you could attend for a $25 fee for each. We chose to skip the seminars and just do the book signing. I had Rachel's book with me and she autographed that for me and I picked up a copy of Jeff King's book, "Cold Hands, Warm Heart." Jeff autographed it for us and as a bonus, his wife Donna also signed it. She's got a little sled dog looking signature that is really kind of cool. Donna did the illustration and shot many of the photos in the book. She's as talented in her field as her husband is in his. Her work alone on the book made it worth the price.
Down in the lobby, just sitting on one of those wonderful leather sofas, Jerry Scdoris came by, recognized us from yesterday and stopped over to chat for a while. Kinda made us feel like we were part of the event now instead of the outsiders we were just a couple of days ago.
The airplane traffic is really picking up. The planes taxi toward the hotel on the frozen lake (this is Lake Hood or Lake Spenard depending on who you ask) then turn and take off in the opposite direction. Not sure whose flying in and out or where they are going to, or coming from, but activity has picked up noticeably.
Out by the lake there are a couple of mushers with their dogs. It was feeding time this morning when I was out there and you could see how they lined up dogs on short chains on either side of the truck or trailer depending on what type of rig they were using. The dogs seemed fairly reserved, some barking, some jostling around but perhaps they are used to the routine and know that race day is still two days away.
The staff of the Millennium, the ITC folks, fellow Iditarooters, and the volunteers everyone here has been great . We are having a great time and wish you could all experience this event.
Sat Mar 07, 2009 10:30 am.
It won't be long now folks. Dog transporting trucks that were parked by the Millennium have pulled out. It must have been around 6:00 AM because the dogs let out a chorus of yelps, squeals, barks and howls. It had an almost musical sound to it. I suppose to someone who wanted to sleep and could care less about the Iditarod, some of the locals perhaps, it sounded like a cacauphony of noise from just another bunch of barking dogs.
Two of the trucks were parked side by side out front and the dogs were pretty quiet during the night. Last evening when we pulled in, it was like when one made a noise the other 30 some odd dogs had to add their voice to the melody. In the pics I've taken you can see some of the transporters these atheletes travel in when not pulling a sled.
Last night we went down town to see all the activity related to the start of the race.
The carnival was going full blast, the Ferris Wheel was spinning, the Merry-Go-Round was whirling, and one of those big bullet looking rides where you ride in what looks like a big beer can on the end of a beam. I didn't see a real large crowd, but there were a few crazys down there riding in the 20 degree F evening.
The restaurants weren't all crowded, although our attempt to visit "Humpys" had us looking for an alternative. The "White Spot" suggested by someone here was closed. We walked a lap down
It's about 7:00 AM here and we are busy getting ready to head downtown. I am so jazzed to see this event. I'll post later this evening.
Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:02 pm
Our day started today with a quick bran muffin and a coffee. No time for the great food at the Flying Machine, or at least so we thought. I'd noticed the buses leaving and a few parking spaces opening up so we got a little anxious. I'm thinking now that the buses were the volunteer shuttles and the rest of the traffic might have been just the regular coming and going. We left the hotel around 8:00.
As we approached downtown, I started wondering if we might have left too early. The parking garage near the mall was almost empty so we got a great parking spot. We then walked over to the corner of 4th and D and found that we'd beaten the rush to get a good spot. We had our choice so we chose to take the post at the corner of 4th and D right in front of Club 25 just down from the "Statue Of The Huskie"
The temperature at the hotel was 11 degrees, the rental car said 4 when I checked, and one of the banks had 0 downtown. I guess it could be 11 degrees difference from the Millenium to downtown, but it was sure a surprise. The warming of the sun must be greater here than in Wisconsin.
With our spot secure, I went down to where the dogs were being readied and shot a few pictures. Things started picking up rather quickly and I think our timing was just about right. The crowd really started to build and by the time the first musher, Aaron Peck was announced we must have been at least 8 deep and maybe 10 deep on the sidewalk there. Several times I felt a crowd surge that put me against the snow fence.
The local TV personality positioned himself in the back of the Dodge pickup that is one of the winner's prizes and began the preliminaries. This guy had his TV hair and makeup on with no hat and he had to be freezing. He jumbled a few phrases and made a couple of comments that suggested hypothermia might be setting in.
Soon we had the color guard and our national anthem. The anthem was sung by a quartet of girls from a local high school. I didn't know if many would remove their hats, but I thought I'd err on the conservative side and remove mine. I was in the minority, but while they stood smiling after the anthem, I had to reinstall my headgear. The Alaskan Flag song was next. I heard it for the first time at the Musher's Banquet the other night. That has to be the prettiest state anthem I've ever heard.
"Just 17 minutes to the Start of the Ceremonial Iditarod" said channel 2's frozen host. Earlier he announced that the musher that crosses the finish line in
Well, up 4th Avenue comes Governor Sarah Palin with the first dude and the rest of Alaska's first family. Piper, referred to as the "Princess of Alaska" by our emcee would be cutting the ribbon to officialy start the 37th Iditarod. Governor Palin would read the "proclamation" sanctioning same. We were tickled to see the Palin clan as they passed within 20 feet of where we were standing. Paraphrasing the line that is repeated several times in "Roadhouse" with Patrick Swayzee, I thought she'd be bigger.
The petite, former vice-presidential candidate is more attractive in person than she appears on TV. I've heard that TV adds 15 pounds, I just didn't know it made you six inches shorter too. BTW, ladies, first dude Todd, appears to me to be better looking in person too. (not that I'd know anything about that)
So now that we've got the official go ahead from the governor and her young daughter, lets bring out some dogs. There were a couple of commemorative starters, Dan Seavey and Lance Mackey left with a team. I wish I could remember the details of each and what was the significance. (see note about hypothermia above)
Next up, and the first official dog sled team to leave 4th and D was bib #2 (#1 was sold at auction) To anyone who has never seen this spectacle, expecially those who love dogs, I have never seen anything as thrilling while watching things that live and breathe. These dogs were excited, lunging and barking and yelping, tugging at the harnesses. I'm reminded of my own dog who is happiest when he has something to do. These dogs were doing what they do and they couldn't be happier.
Like small children in anticipation of gifts on Christmas morning each of these dog teams came to the line, all were excited, some showed their enthusiasm in their own way. The variety of sounds I heard this morning was replaced by a more purposeful sounding bark from most of the dogs. There were few who yelped, few who whined, and I didn't hear a howl from any of them once they got to the start. One tried to roll in the snow. Looked like he/she was trying to get the signage it was wearing off. One dog laid down just like he could care less about the goings on.
So many different looking dogs, mostly long and slender, very few looking muscular, and a couple of rather small looking dogs came up. I remembered "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." I also noted that the lead dogs seemed to be more calm when compared to the others. Often times the leaders were looking backwards as if to get a signal from the coach. (Jeff King says he is not the alpha dog in his team, he is the coach of his team)
The mushers all have their own way of behaving too. Martin Buser is a hugger and he went through his team huggin handlers and dogs. Dee Dee Jonrowe is a kisser, kissing all the handlers and hugging her dogs, each and every one. TV man says "There will be a 45 minute delay while Dee Dee kisses everybody here. I'm here to tell you, it's worth the wait"
(Note to volunteers: 99% of you are awesome and they couldn't run this event without you. Thank you for spending your money, your time, vacation, retirement or otherwise to be here for this great event. To the 1% 'ers, especially the guy who kept positioning himself in front of me and other fans: if you want to volunteer to help out, great! If you want to volunteer so you can get really cool pictures of the start, do us all a favor and stay home. You were told three times by other volunteers who were working securtity that you were in an area where you weren't supposed to be, yet you came back a fourth time. I quit feeling sorry for myself because you were in my way and started feeling sorry for them because you were such a pain in the ass to them. When I was a kid, my uncle taught me that in this life you will find that there are more horse's asses than there are horses. Pictures will be posted later at http://photos.bigwavedaveonline.com
My photos aren't as good as I'd like. I didn't realize how the shadows would affect the pics. Wintertime in
Right now, I'm sitting in the Fancy Moose Lounge overlooking Iditarod International Airport (the lake) and if it gets any busier they are going to have to put up a control tower.
Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:15 am
According to the sign board in front of the Millennium, it's 14 degrees this morning. I can't be too sure because the Millennium has one of those hundred light bulb time and temperature boards with about one-third of the bulbs burned out. You know the kind where you have to read both sides of the sign to see enough lit bulbs to make out what it says.
It's a few minutes before 8:00 AM Alaska time. Of course it feels like 7:00 and that might be a downside to travelling to
Housekeeping is already knocking at the door. The last few days they weren't here until noon, today they're in some sort of hurry. Maybe they want to get done so they can spend some time at home on a Sunday. Either that or they want to get out to Willow for the re-start of the Iditarod.
It looks like a lot of bags are being loaded into vehicles out front. The string of Yellow cabs is positioned in front of the building, some turn towards the airport, some turn towards downtown. This is get away day for a lot of people. I wonder how many are going to
There are still dogs howling in the parking lot, not sure what is on their schedule for the rest of the Iditarod. The Iditarod Air Force had a few flights that buzzed the hotel already this morning. For you pilots, it looks like a VFR day with a low ceiling. Some clear sky off to the east, but if I know anything about Alaskan weather, I am more concerned about how it looks to the west.
Our plan for today is to dress as warm as possible so we can shed clothes if needed. I've got a pair of industrial strength mittens made by a company called "Refrig-a-wear" I picture some guy who works in a meat locker or frozen food plant having about 5 or 6 pair of these things. We also picked up some "Little Hotties" hand warmers $16.00 at the gift shops, $9.95 at the Army/Navy Surplus store. Being tourists, guess where we bought ours. I'm just glad the gift shops didn't sell "Refrig-a-wear"
We thought we'd head out to Wasilla around 10:00, maybe find breakfast somewhere (I suppose "along the way" is out of the question, but maybe in Wasilla.
Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:59 pm
By now you all are tracking your favorite mushers and looking for info and updates as to what is going on. We are packing to leave for home. I guess I should say my wife is packing and I'm typing one more time.
Today it was like standing at the pier and waving goodbye to family members who were off on an adventure going somewhere far away and unknown to most of us. We knew there would be good times and bad for each of them, and we could only imagine what they would face in the days to come, but we wished them well and sent them on their way.
The ride to the starting line at Willow started with a drive up Alaska Hwy 1. The farther we drove the more beautiful and spectacular the mountains looked. We drove along side the mountains through Eklutna and then went west across the Knik river to Wasilla. We thought we had some to spare, so we stopped by the Wasilla IHop for breakfast. There was a man there who asked about my T-shirt.
I just had to have the one with "Gee & Haw" with the arrows pointing each direction. We chatted for a while and he assured us that we'd made the right choice (shuttle from Wasilla) and that we had plenty of time.
Shuttle buses were standard issue school buses that didn't have quite enough room for full sized adults, but we managed. The ride out took about 45 minutes. Part of that was driving past the Willow Community Center
The lake is behind the community center and there were thousands of people moving out toward the lake. We decided to walk down the "Gee" side of the starting chute and found the going pretty tough. We were going to have to walk better than halfway across the lake to find a spot at the snow fence and this was foot or foot and half deep snow that was packed in places but you fell through in others. Not much fun for walking.
I spied a gap in the snow fence and we stepped across the trail to the "Haw" side. Much, better going and the sun would be on our backs if it ever came up. Some of the people here are pretty ingenious when it comes to race day set ups. Snow machines with barbecue grill trailers and supplies. Kids in little sleds, and we even saw one 5 or 6 year old looking little guy riding on the runners of a little sled that was set up like a dog sled.(Snow machines raced back and forth across the lake. The most annoying of these were the screamin' two stroke powered machines that smell of oil & gasoline mixed fuel. An ultra light airplane on skis lifted off to go for a lap or two around the lake. Man, talk about wind chill.
We found a spot about halfway out just in time to hear the national anthem sung by a beautiful soprano voice. The higher pitched notes echoed off the other side of the lake. The same could be said for the Alaskan flag song. The public address system boomed and the sound carried across the frozen lake so everyone could hear the announcer give each musher a brief introduction.
Then a female voice would give the countdown "30 seconds" then "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5," Sometimes she would call the musher by first name and add "you can leave in 5 seconds" Then we'd hear "GO" and we could only imagine the scene at the starting line because we couldn't see from where we were. Our experience at yesterday's ceremonial start gave us a pretty good image of what must be going on under the start banner.
It would be a little more than a minute and a half before the musher who just got the "GO" command would reach us at our middle of the lake viewing point. The next musher would be announced before we saw the previous.
The mushers came by one-by-one each with his own way of acknowledging the fans (Iditarooters) Lots of high fives and lots of smiles. Some seemed shy and almost embarrassed by the attention. Others were clearly pumped up and truly glad to see so many fans lining the start.
The dogs seemed to decide in what tracks they would run. I noticed through my zoom lens that when I aimed it further up the chute to the starting lines it looked as though the lead dogs zig-zagged back and forth a few times before the got the line they wanted. Perhaps it was the musher choosing, because the earlier bib numbers seemed to come down one side or the other instead of up the middle. Later numbers ran more in the middle creating three tracks out across the lake.
I snapped as many pictures as I could and tried to shoot around waving arms and clapping hands. Often people would lean so far in that they'd be in the photos. I have a lot of shots of mushers and I hope some of you can find your favorite musher. (I have some pretty fair pics of Jeff King, Dee Dee Jonrowe, and Jen Seavey as they came past our spot.) http://photos.bigwavedaveonline.com
I have a lot more that I could write about our experience, like how you get a whiff of dog poop every now and then and it gets scattered around as all the teams take off. Or I could tell you about a couple of drunks at the start today. I could write about the near riot in the parking lot, or about how sad that there are so many panhandlers and more than a couple street walkers in the city.
But I'd rather tell you about the crab legs at Humpy's, and how Alaskan people are so friendly, and the really neat grandma and her cute litte grand kids on the shuttle bus back to Wasilla. Or the young man on the shuttle who was from
How Dare You?
How dare you call my country a “nation of cowards”? How dare you? A country where men fought and died so that you could grow up to be the attorney general of the United States. You did this while speaking in a foreign country. Sir, you are not fit to hold the office to which you were appointed.
What more can we do for you as white Americans? What else would you like? White people go about in fear of blacks in general. Not because we fear you physically but because we tiptoe around afraid that we might say the wrong thing or aggravate your sensitivities. These days a white American would rather be called a worthless uncultured bastard than to be called a racist.
In my humble opinion, the half Negro/semi Caucasian in the White House was elected because white Americans want to finally get rid of their guilty conscience. Nowadays, we mix in the nation’s schools, playgrounds, sports arenas, workplaces, country clubs, neighborhoods, and even in marriage and family. We hardly even think about who is white, black, or whatever. It was the courage of the people of this nation that made it possible.
In my younger days, I was ambitious. My company had instituted a “Management Training Program” All of us entry level salaried employees were invited to apply for this program. The program would rotate individuals throughout the company into a variety of assignments so that their individual skills and experiences would give them a broad view of the company and make them more apt to advance into management level positions.
Iwas not selected, perhaps because I didn’t measure up, but on the day that the chosen few toured our particular division, I was called to the Human Resource office to speak to the manager there. He wanted me to understand that they had to give preference to minority candidates. He wanted to prepare me for the tour the management trainees would be taking through the building. He wanted me to know that there would be one white woman, one black woman, and three black men in the group.
In a company whose staff contained 95% white Americans, 80% of the management trainees were black. I don’t know how many females worked there, but of the management trainees 40% were female, one white, one black. I gathered all the courage I could muster, I shook their hand and wished them well, and then I sucked it up and went about advancing my career through other avenues. Call me a coward? You can kiss my big old you-know-what!
Later in my career, I spent a short stint working as a professional recruiter. The agency that hired me thought that my technical background would allow me to better work with engineers and others in technical professions. I was taught that even though it was illegal to discriminate against anyone due to race, color, religion, or national origin that a recruiter had to recognize that a minority of any kind was a “walking placement” meaning they would be almost instantly hired by a client company trying to prove they were equal opportunity employers. If you could find a black female with a technical degree you had just hit the mother lode of all recruitments. I found this somewhat distasteful but I soldiered on. Coward? I don’t think so.
Truth is, I don’t even care if Eric Holder thinks I’m a coward but when you call the whole nation a nation of cowards you disgrace many of the citizens of our nation past and present whose courage gave Eric Holder and Barack Hussein Obama the opportunity that they have to serve this nation. Frankly, if I were a black man, I’d be a little concerned that when the day has finally come for the black man to take center stage that the entire race suffers a set- back. A set back that would cause people like Jackie Robinson, George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the Tuskegee Airmen, Thurgood Marshall, and the countless African Americans who came before to hang their head in shame and sorrow. These people, not a coward among them, paved the way for these politicians to gain two of the highest political offices in the land.
I can also name countless white people who spent their lives fighting and dying to make sure people of the black race were treated as equals. How many people were involved in the Underground Railroad helping slaves escape to the north and up into Canada? Did they forget about the abolitionists who with great fervor and dedication fought the battle to end slavery? This country fought it's bloodiest war ever to decide if the union would survive and the most divisive issue in the conflict was slavery. What about the white people who worked for justice during the civil rights movement?
Cowards? You bastard! How in the hell could you say such a thing? Slip of the tongue? Not likely. I believe it speaks volumes about what is really in your mind and your heart. If we’re cowards, it is because we have been so afraid to offend or irritate any one of you, and some of us are getting pretty damn sick and tired of some of you. Not because you are black, but because of the way you act.
No End In Sight
I heard about Rachael from an old friend. We reconnected last year after several years of lost contact. He put me on one of his email lists and I got every joke, every comment, every chain letter that went out to his “list”. One day a message popped up titled “Hey! Rachael is Running the Iditarod Again”. I wondered who the heck is Rachael, and why is it a big deal that she’s in the Iditarod?
With a little research I was able to learn enough about her that I wanted to follow her progress during the 2008 race via the internet. Unfortunately, Rachael had to scratch somewhere around the halfway point. By then I was hooked on the Iditarod and the story of the blind girl who fought the odds to compete.
The Iditarod, also known as the “Last Great Race on Earth”, is itself a story of courage and perseverance. This sled dog race honors the efforts of dog teams in the Alaskan territory that delivered life saving serum to communities in the interior where children were dying from a diphtheria epidemic. The year was 1925 and there were no roads for vehicle traffic and the weather was so cold that airplanes of the day could not fly the serum in. Men on foot, or on horseback, could not cover the distance or survive the blizzard conditions. "Sno-machines" were yet to be invented. Some of you may have seen the Disney movie “Balto” that is a cartoon rendition of the story.
To commemorate the heroics of these men and dogs who saved many lives in these small Alaskan communities, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race was begun in 1972. Sled dogs were becoming a thing of the past until this great race infused a great enthusiasm for the sport and the breeding and training of sled dogs. The modern day version of the race begins in Anchorage and then runs north to the city of Nome. (Official start is actually in Wasilla)
Many who attempt this trek fall short. There was a great deal of resistance to allowing the blind girl to compete. Concern for her being alone in the Alaskan wilderness, concern for her dogs, and resistance to any accommodations made for her to compete. Rachael had to show that she could handle her dogs and the rigors of big time sled dog racing. She then had to convince the Iditarod Trail Committee that she should be allowed to compete and that barring her would be against the law as spelled out in the Americans With Disabilities Act.
She finally persuaded the officials to allow her to use another musher to escort her along the race route so that he could warn her of low hanging branches, drop offs, and other dangers on the trail. The rules of the race normally ban electronic communication devices but this was an exception made for Rachael. Rachael finished the 2005 Iditarod Sled Dog Race and will attempt to run again this year. I’ll be following her progress but also the progress of all the mushers.
Excerpt from the book “No End In Sight”: “In the long run, if my completing the Iditarod helps others in the world broaden their horizons of acceptance, of if I inspire one person to attain something worthwhile in his or her life, then I am thankful. I race dogs because that is what I love to do. I want to take sled dog racing as far as I can. And every time I overcome my personal fears and prove something to myself, I want to set the bar a little higher, I want to challenge myself. In my life, and in all of our lives, there should be no limitations, only possibilities.”
Rachael Scdoris Just a young girl but definitely an inspiration to us all.
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http://www.gorachaelgo.com/ http://www.Iditarod.com
Million, Billion, Trillion, Quadrillion, etc
This economic stimulus package, called The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, is starting to stink to high heaven. The big push to shove this down our throat is necessary because of all the ridiculous spending that is included in the package. Obama tells us if we're not careful "a bad situation could turn drastically worse" and "I refuse to let that happen" From the other side of the aisle we hear: "We're going to spend a trillion dollars and sixteen people are behind closed doors trying to figure out how to do it by tonight. That's crazy." Lindsey Graham, (R) South Carolina.
Whenever the government is trying to do something in a hurry, behind closed doors, and claims it is vital to the survival of the nation, it means they're trying to sneak something through that you'd raise hell about if you had the chance to see what they are really doing before they really do it to you.
This package includes millions for pork barrel projects that do nothing to stimulate the economy. I won't try to name them here but some are as ridiculous as $2.1 billion to go to dwelling owners who receive Section-8 rental assistance. Uh???? Could someone explain how that stimulates the economy? Does anyone think that Section-8 property owners are going to do anything productive with the additional funds?
There's $140 billion for "infrastructure" which means that some senator is going to have a bridge or a highway named after him. There is $13 billlion to help disadvantaged students. Fine, but how does that "stimulate" the economy? There is about $4 billion for job training and "Vocational Rehabilitation State Grants" Uh??? Would this be training for jobs that don't exist?
Obama flew down to the resort at Williamsburg Virginia last night to do a little polliticking. I guess that's all he knows. The country needs leadership not speeches. We didn't elect Nancy Pelosi as president. Another brilliant move on his part is taking a little spin in Air Force one, a 747 jumbo jet to fly down there. Williamsburg is less than 150 nautical miles. Why didn't he just drive down in the big black armored vehicle we bought him? Even with eight escort vehicles and twelve motorcycle cops it would've been nickels and dimes compared to a round trip on Air Force one.
Folks, regardless of what is in the bill. Regardless of what you get out of it short term. We are mortgaging the future of our children, grand children and great grandchildren with this tactic. We are also sliding down the slippery slope towards socialism. The government should not be running businesses and that includes banks and other financial institutions.
If you want the government to stimulate the economy, ask them to stay out of it. Government can't get involved in much of anything without screwing it up. Reduce taxes on individuals and corporations, stand back and watch the economy take off. We don't want people managing our money who can't even use Turbo Tax without screwing up their tax returns. (intentionally or otherwise)
BTW, Obama, hiring a tax cheat to be Secretary of the Treasury is about as smart as bringing a fox to guard the hen house.
Would You Like Chicken Or Fish?
I say give credit where credit is due and I sincerely believe that guys like Captain Alfred C. Haynes who flew a severely damaged DC-10 into Sioux City Iowa airport, saving people by his actions is a hero. He was able to bring down an aircraft that was barely flyable with the help of another airline employee who was a senior pilot trainer and just happened to be on board. These guys deserve a lot of credit for what they did that day. The plane was carrying a lot of people who wouldn't have survived had a lesser man been at the helm.
Captain Chesley Sullenberger on flight 1549 surfed his Airbus 320 into the Hudson river using a strategy that he calculated in his own mind that allowed him to miss the George Washington Bridge, leave his plane near potential rescue vessels, avoid crashing into a poplulated area, and get his plane down before it got out into the open seas of the Atlantic ocean. I just knew this guy would say "we were just doing the jobs we were trained to do." The man didn't let me down. No matter what he says, he deserves a lot of credit.
When he said "we" he was including his first officer Jeffrey Skiles and the three flight attendants who handled the evacuation of that aircraft. The sight of all those people standing out on the wings was beautiful, all things considered. They were not in the aircraft where they would be at risk, and not in the water where hypothermia could have incapicitated them in 2 minutes or less. They were standing on the wing waiting for rescue by the many boats in the water. The people that got it done that day and deserve a lot of credit were the flight attendants, Sheila Dail, 57; Doreen Welsh, 58; and Donna Dent, 51. These ladies had 92 years combined experience. Had they failed to perform, Captain Sullenberger's heroics might not have been enough to save everyone on board.
The traveling public usually sees them as the airline representative who helps them find their seat (usher), or helps them stow their bags (porter), or serves them refreshments (waitress) or prepares their meals (cook). They are a captive audience riding along with you in an aluminum tube for an hour or more so that any axe you have to grind with the airline or one of it's employees can be taken out on them. They didn't lose your bag, delay your flight, screw up your connection, charge you too much or anything else. They are really there to keep you safe.
In the early days of air travel, the airlines looked for pretty girls who had experience in nursing. Many were registered nurses and they were on board to keep passengers safe. The airlines, already paying the cost of having them on board, found them some other things to do while waiting for an emergency to occur. Air travel is so safe and the emergencies are few and far between, thankfully. However, the need for trained personnel to be on board just in case, never went away.
I know of a flight attendant whose ID badge reads "Oh Miss" . She decided that is what it should say because that is what she is most often called. All things considered, that's one of the better names they are called. There is a story, familiar to those of us who know and love flight attendants and it goes like this:
A lady sitting in her aisle seat flags the flight attendant down with "Oh, waitress!" The flight attendant responds with "Ma'am, I am not a waitress, I am a professionally trained flight attendant. I attend hours of training each year to be certain that I am capable of employing all the safety procedures related to this aircraft and any other aircraft to which I might be assigned. I can set your broken bones, deliver your baby, perform CPR if you stop breathing, and use a defibulator to restart your heart if it stops. I know which typeof fire extinguisher to use on any type of fire. If we land in water, I can have a life raft in the water and your butt in it in less than a minute. May God forbid, but if this aircraft should go down in a twisted ball of flaming metal I will expend the last ounce of breath in this body to try and get you safely from the aircraft. Now, what do you want, the chicken or the fish?"
http://news.aol.com/article/hudson-plane-tapes/316036
It Is Another Proud Day
Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and greet the President Of The United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama! While the band plays “Hail To The Chief” lets think about what this means.
The fact that we have a black president has not had the effect on me that it has so many others. I can reflect on what it means to so many who are descendants of slaves but I cannot imagine how significant it must be to people of color. I would like to think that he was elected on his own merits and that it had nothing to do with the amount of melanin in his skin. Maybe, just maybe, I am naïve enough to think that a black man could have become president even earlier in our history if the right black man had come along.
Martin Luther King predicted, before his assassination, that we would have a black president within 40 years, and maybe as soon as 25 years. He died in 1968 so the man wasn’t that far off the mark. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton mounted presidential election bids in the time frame predicted by MLK, but evidently they weren’t the right black men for the job.
Some people claim that Obama isn’t really African-American because his mother is white. Some also say he isn’t really African-American because he is not the descendant of slaves but the son of a native of
I say “no fair”. In the not so distant past a person was considered a “Negro” “Black” “African-American” or several other terms to describe the race of people who are descended from those native to the African continent if they were even one-eighth of mixed-blood. Folks didn’t want to argue about how black is black back then and you can’t change it now. Half black is plenty black enough.
He is not the descendant of slaves and there are those who argue that his ancestors were actually slave traders. Well, even if you prove that, it’s his ancestors that committed the crime not him. Having studied my own genealogy I have found evidence that I had a few ancestors who owned slaves. I refuse to be blamed, feel guilty, or otherwise be punished for that. (don’t get me started on reparations)
The birth certificate rumbling turned out to be much ado about nothing. The State of
It is a proud day because we have had a peaceful transition of power from one man that I admired to another with whom I have no quarrel. The outgoing president is a man who kept his word to keep us safe after we were attacked. He stayed the course in spite of his critics. I believe this man will be judged by history as a great president. Some day in the future his successor will also be judged.
It is a proud day because we have a new president, a man chosen to serve the nation by the voters of this country exercising their right to vote and be heard. He was elected by a populace with expectations and their own reasons for why they thought he was the best choice. Those who voted for his opponent have accepted him as their president and they are ready to move on. They will be watchful and probably critical, but they will support him the way they support every president. If there is one thing that makes us different from the rest of the world it’s our ability to put aside our differences and push forward ever hopeful.
It is a proud day because as a nation with a government “Of the people, by the people, and for the people...” we are living up to the values that our founding fathers intended when this country began to evolve into the great nation that it has become.
“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal..."
Famous, Virtuous, or Both?
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of good deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marked by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs, and who comes up short again and again, who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that he shall never be with those cold timid souls who never know victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt 1910
I stumbled onto this quote while reading about the life of Paul Newman, actor, race car driver, philanthropist, and son of Ohio. I can’t say being a great actor is anything to rave about because so many of them are egocentric and almost useless outside of their stage and screen talents. I am impressed with people who fit the other three categories, especially all the great and wonderful people born in the buckeye state.
Newman’s passing so near the end of the year also got me thinking about the celebrities who have passed this year. There are always magazine articles and TV shows about the well known people who have departed each year end. So many of them are made bigger than life by the characters they portrayed and few really leave us any better off than we would have been had they never existed. I suppose some lives might have been changed by the characters but not the actor. You could also say that the actor deserves credit for his portrayal of the character for making that character influential in some way, but is this anymore valuable than just being good at a job?
Also in this vein is the famous athlete. There are people like OJ Simpson who excelled in a sport but led a miserable existence otherwise. (no he didn’t pass away in 2008 though many wish he had) There are many other good people and not so good people who happen to be able to run faster, jump higher, or throw catch or hit an object better than most others. How many of them use their fame to make a contribution to the society that spends their money to allow them to be so well paid?
I was reminded of the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001 and a quote I heard that he was John Wayne and Clint Eastwood rolled into one. How silly is that? He may have been similar to characters they played but he was a real life human being in his own right that has already been played by at least one actor. He will probably again be portrayed in some future cinematic or small screen venture.
Earnhardt, much like Newman, did his charitable work as quietly as possible drawing little attention to his good deeds. There is a story, told only after Dale had passed about the day he was driving past a church with a dirt and gravel parking lot. In front was a group of children selling baked goods and lemonade. The Intimidator stopped and asked what they were going to do with all the money and they told him the church needed the money to pave the parking lot. He asked how much they were trying to raise and they said they needed $12,000. Dale wrote out a check and told them "Now don't you tell anybody about this because if anybody finds out I gave you this check I'm gonna come over with my bulldozer and plow up your new asphalt." Dale was gone before anyone in the church let it leak out that he'd paid for their paving project.
My point in all of this is that while we remember famous people for the accomplishments in their career, the true measure of the person is whether or not we are better off for their having lived in this world at all.
Idle thought: The other day I heard Dick Cheney compared to Dirty Harry,the character portrayed by Clint Eastwood. This comparison was made to describe Cheney's attitude when he was asked whether he was sorry he said to Harry Reid “go blank yourself”. He replied “I thought he merited the comment”. Now I’m OK with the comparison but it also reminded of the line in one of the Dirty Harry movies "There’s nothing wrong with a little shooting as long as the right people get shot”.
The Arrogance of Man
The Dumbacrats are on TV proclaiming that we are finally doing something about the environment and climate change. That comical quote machine, Joe Biden is spewing great rhetoric and saying what really amounts to nothing. Oh, whoopeee, there is a Nobel prize winning scientist on Barack's Energy & Environment Team. Awarding a Nobel prize to that idiot Al Gore sort of diminished the honor, if you ask me. He has to feel sort of screwed inventing the internet, a real accomplishment, and getting nothing out of it. Then spouting off about global warming without credible data and no real credible action plan to accomplish anything and he gets the Nobel prize.
In 1970 the Environmental Protection Agency was formed to save our planet. If you listen to the BS Obama and Biden are offering up, they haven't done much of anything in almost 40 years. Anybody that has ever lifted the hood on a car can tell that they've done alot. In 1968, I saw my first Air Injection Reaction pump on my mom's Chevrolet Impala. That was where this started (if you don't count Positive Crankcase Ventilation) The basic idea was that if you pump fresh air into the exhaust there will be a more complete combustion of any unburned fuel (hydrocarbons) exiting the engine.
There were a number of techniques developed to reduce emissions that the average car owner was for the most part, unaware. The next real big step was catalytic convertors. Catalytic convertors required that we burn gas without the tetra-ethyl lead that reduced knock. The lead in the fuel would contaminate the material in the catalyst and render it ineffective. Now some might argue that the stuff they put in the gas to replace the lead was worse than the exhaust from a car without a convertor, but trial and error finally gave us gasoline blends we could live with.
Now we have sophisticated engine management systems and cars with not one convertor but three. The system monitors the oxygen in the exhaust and then adjusts itself to insure that the engine is running as clean as possible while maintaining acceptable drivability. It is amazing what has been done with cars in the last 30 years. The so-called "smoke-stack" industries have also been cleaned up in that time frame. According to Biden, we're finally doing something.
Man's technological achievements are truly amazing, not just in auto and plant emissions but in other fields as well. Advancements in medicine and space travel seem to accelerate exponentially coming one right after another obsoleting many of ideas and technologies that were new themselves just yesterday.
It seems to me that this has led to a degree of arrogance. I heard a quote the other day that quantifies any single man's relevance to the planet we live on. "If you die the earth will survive as if you were never here. If the earth dies, we all die." Now I can hear some tree-hugger gushing "See that is why we need to work to save the planet!" I believe it is arrogant to think that we really have that great an effect on the globe. Nature has a way of ignoring us and patching up and cleaning up the messes we make. We now know that nature will take the rusting hulk of an old ship and turn it into a coral reef that supports marine life and we now routinely sink old ships off shore intentionally to "create" artificial reefs. Funny we sink a ship, nature does the rest, and "we" take credit for it. How arrogant?
There was a show on this fall that featured experts hypothesizing about what the planet would be like if humans suddenly disappear. Everything we've made, every mark, scratch, furrow, and ridge we've created will disappear. Bridges, buildings, highways, monuments, even the ancient pyramids would eventually disappear. I tend to agree with their hypothesis. Nature will fight back no matter what we do. It's as simple as tree pruning. Cut a branch and others grow larger and stronger. Cut a tree down and nutrients and sunlight are made available to smaller trees and plants.
Nature itself destroys things to make new things. Forest fires that have been prevented and controlled have shown to create larger and more devastating fires that destroy homes and kill people because occasional burning was nature's way of cleaning up underbrush that becomes kindling for huge fires if it's not burned off routinely. In nature, oil seeps from fissures in the ocean and has for centuries. We have a spill and people go nuts wanting millions of dollars in fines for the offender and billions of dollars in preventive measures.
I'm not advocating total abandonment of environmental policies because there is a short term effect from man's excesses that should be controlled. Let's keep our environment clean and usable, but let's not continue jousting at windmills like global warming, spending billions and fretting over something that we can influence so inconsequentially.
The arrogance of man can be seen in many of the monuments that man has made to himself and the images of false gods men have worshipped over the millennia. If man were not here, those monuments and images will disappear. The one true God exists forever. The world that He created can live without humans if He so chooses.
