First Day of Classes

Workout notes 4000 yard swim; 500 warm up (9:10), 5 x 100 fist on 2 (high 1:40s), 5 x 200 on the 3:30 (3:22, 3:20, :18, 19, 19), 10 x 100 on the 1:45 (three 1:40, rest were 1:39), 500 strokes (fins), 5 x 100 on the 2 (missed the last couple) (25 3g, 75 free).

Then 3 mile walk at 13:30 pace (XC Number 2, I had to lower the incline 2 notches).

Pool: there was the kick ass distance swimmer, some faster babe who split with me for a while, and tons of dog-paddlers; it was a real zoo.

Other issues:
Beck infers that atheists are somehow crack-pots.

Hmmm, does that include 93 percent of the Academy of Science level scientists?

Note: his 89 percent is misleading. Note that “only” 60 percent believe in a personal deity.

The only sore spot of the inauguration for me was Rick Warren’s buffoonery. Ok, what harm was caused? Well, check this out:

Not unexpectedly, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) was besieged with emails and phone calls from members of our armed forces today following Rick Warren’s invocation. These weren’t complaints about the inappropriateness of Warren being chosen to deliver the invocation, or even about the content of Warren’s prayer. They were complaints about the pressure put on our servicemen and servicewomen by their superior officers to applaud Rick Warren, whose book The Purpose-Driven Life is second only to the Bible itself as the most promoted religious book by the U.S. military, currently being incorporated into everything from pre- and post-deployment family programs to suicide prevention.

* Chris Rodda’s diary :: ::
*

The following is an email from one decorated combat officer, a man with the courage to repeatedly put his life on the line on the battlefield, being wounded twice, but who could not muster the courage to resist the pressure of his “serious and committed born again Christian” commanding officer to applaud Rick Warren. The author of this email is typical of the majority of servicemen and servicewomen who contact MRFF for assistance. Like 96% of MRFF’s clients, he is a Christian — but not the “right” kind of Christian or Christian enough for today’s military.

To Mikey Weinstein and MRFF:

My name is (name withheld) and I am a (officer rank withheld) in the U.S. Army currently stationed stateside at Fort (military installation name withheld). I, my spouse and my children are Methodists attending church regularly on both Wednesdays and Sundays. I will always remember today as the low-point of my long (number of years withheld) year career in the Army. I have only myself to blame. Today I firmly established myself as a shameful person. Mikey, I write about 3 things; Rick Warren, my cowardice and your bravery. Today, I watched President Obama’s inauguration on the television set up in our Brigade staff conference room. I attended as a member of (unit level designation withheld) staff along with over 40 other senior officers, senior enlisted an few senior Army civilian staffers. There had been much talk here about Pres. Obama’s selection of the evangelical pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the ceremonies.

Our current Commander is a very intolerant and “serious and committed born again Christian” as he always describes himself to all his subordinates. At every military assignment I’ve ever been to it’s always the same thing; if you are not a born again “serious” Christian you are branded as pretty much worthless. My current Commander is bad but not the worst I have seen. I have served 2 combat tours; one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I have seen those under my command killed and grievously wounded. I was wounded twice. I have been awarded many combat medals and decorations. I have also stood by silently while my combat superiors have openly and repeatedly proselytized me and my troops. I did nothing. I have stood by and watched them continuously proselytize the Iraqis and Afghans. I did nothing.

Today, after Pastor Warren ended his invocation by praying in the name of his personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Commander jumped to his feet clapping and yelled “God Bless him for having the courage to pray for all of the lost souls in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ!” About a third of those attending also clapped. I did not. That was until our Commander turned around to survey everyone’s reaction to his statement. When that happened, the officer next to me started to clap and the one to my left clapped too. I felt like I was in a spotlight as the Commander looked at me and the female officer in front of me who had also not clapped. Then she clapped. And then I clapped too. I tried not to but could not muster up the strength to be the only one in the room not clapping in support of our Commander and Warren. I know what I should have done but I just couldn’t. Despite the many fierce combat situations I have been in, including hand-to-hand, I just couldn’t. I hate myself for this failure. I hate myself for my cowardice. I hate myself. [...]

And that is the thing for many of us to remember. Fortunately, my job removes me from such pressures. If someone at work tried to do that to me, I’d feel free to taunt him/her about the Flying Spaghetti Monster; I am an academic with tenure. But not everyone is in that situation.

More on the inauguration:

The swearing in flub:

The Constitution gives the oath as:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Welcome to the job, Mr. President:

This was in Iran. From The Invisible Pink Unicorn.

Baggy Pants and the Constitution Via the Legal Satyricon.

Basically, the Jackson City (Mississippi) wanted the city council to draft an ordinance to forbid “sagging pants”. They consulted with an attorney who told them that the ordinance would probably be ruled as being unconstitutional. The Mayor replied:

I certainly respect the Constitution,” Melton said, “but we have some issues that are much bigger than the Constitution.”

Baggy pants trumps the Constitution?