disoriented

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 , Marcus Luttrell

The dis-oriented author has two sons on active duty in the United States military. I read a great deal of history and military history. So when I heard Marcus Luttrell being interviewed on the radio — I knew I had to buy his book.

Luttrell is a US Navy Seal, his book Lone Survivor is about his four man reconnaissance team and the ill-fated Operation Redwing in Afghanistan. Lutrell and his team ended up in a firefight with over one hundred Taliban fighters. As the title suggest, Luttrell was the lone survivor. This is Luttrel's story, why he became a Seal, what the training entails, the operation it self and how he managed to survive. But even more so, this is the story of 4 brave US Nave Seals, three of whom gave the ultimate sacrifice for their county.

This is the most compelling books I have read in a long time — I could not put it down.

Navy Seals are among the finest warriors on the face of the earth. According to Luttrell only the British SAS come anywhere close. Luttrell and his team were highly trained highly motivated warriors tasked with capturing a senior Taliban leader in the mountains of Afghanistan.

While doing covert reconnaissance, Luttrell's team was discovered by a couple of Afghan goatherds. The team decides to release them rather than kill them. Luttrell cast the deciding vote. One of the key conflicts in the story is whether to let them go. According to the rules of engagement and the Geneva Conventions, the goatherds are non-combatants. From a purely tactical point of view, they could very easily inform the Taliban where the team is.

Luttrell notes that the team was concerned about how their actions would be perceived if they killed the goatherds. The Arab press and the liberal media in the US would certainly pounce on it and the SEALs would likely find themselves facing murder charges in a US court.

Luttrell states that if he had it to do over again, he would not hesitate to kill the goatherds. While I do not agree with every conclusion Luttrell makes, his story is worth listening to.

Lone Survivior gets 5 of 5 dis-oriented smileys

Purchase Lone Survivor  from Amazon.com.

Watson, DNA & Racism

The dis-oriented author is a minority. I had a black grandmother. Therefore I find my interest piqued by news stories about race. Today, CNN reported that a lecture by Dr. James Watson at the Science Museum of London had been canceled. Watson, of course, is a Nobel laureate having shared in the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his pioneering work in DNA. Along with his partner, Francis Crick — his name has been synonymous with DNA.

Watson's speech was canceled because he suggested that blacks are less intelligent than whites.

According to the Times of London:

The 79-year-old geneticist said he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really.". He said he hoped that everyone was equal, but countered that “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true”.

He says that you should not discriminate on the basis of colour, because “there are many people of colour who are very talented, but don’t promote them when they haven’t succeeded at the lower level”. He writes that “there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so”.

Watson is a smart guy he should know better. In this era of political correctness there are some questions that simply cannot be asked. As a scientist is it not reasonable to hypothesize as he does here? In a purely scientific context his hypothesis, that human evolution among geographically diverse populations may not be identical seems reasonable. But as soon as that hypothesis involves race, and worse intelligence, it cannot even be considered.

Now what is my position on this? Easy, I am a creationist. I believe that all people are created in the image of God. The idea that some are more or less intelligent based on divergent evolutionary paths does not factor into my belief system.

Watson is not the first to follow evolution to its logical conclusion.

Green as Gore

The dis-oriented author is as green as Al Gore. I am not an environmental crusader like the former vice president. Unlike Gore I have not won the Nobel Peace prize for my environmental activism. But I am greener than Gore.

Living in a modest house in the suburbs, even with my family of ten, I have a smaller carbon footprint than Gore.

It's kind of cool, I am black as Barack and greener than Gore. For all his talk of carbon footprints and sustainability, Gore is a hypocrite.

I don't know how many people live in Gore's house but my household of ten manages in a 2300 square foot ranch home. Gore lives in a 10,000 square foot 20 room 8 bath mansion.

According to the Tenessee Center for Policy Research:

Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

...

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

...

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

Of course Gore's publicist responds that his energy use is consistent with the square footage of his house. True, if all of us had 10,000 square foot homes we would all have a carbon footprint like Gore's. The problem is we don't. In fact based on real energy usage I am greener than Gore. On a square footage basis our usage may be comparable (actually my usage is less because Mrs Dis-Oriented Author keeps the thermostat high in summer and low in winter.) But I manage to support 10 people on that footprint. Of course these numbers do not take into account Gore's two other homes.

BTW, the last time I went to the grocery store, I rode my bicycle.

Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different, Gordon S. Wood

The dis-oriented author is a student of history. I have, through my recent reading, been exploring the pantheon of the founding fathers. Gordon S. Woods' Revolutionary Characters is a book made up of essays about eight of these extraordinary men. I have read biographies of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin,  Hamilton and Burr. The eighth founder in Woods' list is Thomas Paine.

Woods' book provided some fascinating insight into the fathers.

I found this book interesting on several different levels. First, Woods choice of founders. When I think of the founders, my list is usually (in no particular order):

• Washington
• Franklin
• Adams
• Hamilton
• Madison
• Jefferson

I would not have included Burr in the mix. I read Nancy Isenberg's Burr biography, Fallen Founder, and I remain unconvinced. Burr had the potential but I would argue that he does not belong in this list.

The other oddity is the inclusion of Paine. I have not read a full Paine biography but his pamphlet Common Sense was circulated widely through the colonies and helped to light the fire of revolution among the people. So Paine's influence was clearly great. On the other hand, Paine was an itinerant revolutionary, a citizen of the world — not an American at all. He was probably just as influential in the French Revolution with his publication The Rights of Man. Paine didn't stay and contribute to the actual founding of the country he was already gone.

Woods' insights added to what I have learned from other sources. Woods has a lot to say about class relationships in the early days of the country.

I learned a lot reading this book, what more could you ask for?

Revolutionary Characters gets 5 of 5 dis-oriented smileys

Purchase Revolutionary Characters  from Amazon.com.

Getting Fixed, Part 2

The dis-oriented author is a fixed gear newbie. I got my first fixed gear bike from my wife as an early Christmas present a few weeks ago. I got a Redline 925 with drop bars. By eventual goal is to get S&S couplings put on the bike so I can travel with it. I also wanted the extra fitness benefits of a bike that forces me to pedal continuously and attack hills aggressively the way I did as a youngster.

For now, I am working on learning how to ride it.

When I looked for a fixie I considered almost all of the commercially available models. I knew I wanted a steel frame so I could get it refit with S&S couplings. I especially liked the Scwhinn Madison's classic looks. The problem was that the Madison frame does not have a long enough top tube for my short legs and long arms. The 925 has a sloping top tube so I was able to get a frame I could standover that was long enough for me to ride comfortably.

When I test rode the bike, I asked the shop to switch the bike from fixed to free so I could ride it with the freewheel. I told the guys in the shop that I didn't want to learn to ride fixed on their bike. The bike was quick and responsive. Before I took the bike home, I asked the shop to flip the rear wheel and return it to fixed.

The 925 comes with aluminum road pedals and half to clips without straps. When I got the bike home, I took it out of the car and set it up for my first fixed ride. I have two pairs of cycling shoes, Shimano road shoes with Look cleats and Specialized mountain shoes with Ritchey cleats, neither one was going to be a good fit with the 925's half-clips. I ended up doing my first ride in my sandals (Nike's not Shimano SPDs).

The first thing that happened was that I hit my calf with the pedal. I had forgotten that not only can you not glide on a fixie — when you push it, the pedals turn. Next, I had to figure out how to get on the bike. I had to turn the pedals to a starting position and I put my left foot in the toe clip. I put my right foot on the bottom of the pedal and started out down my driveway. As I turned into the street I flipped the right pedal over and inserted my foot. Of course, when I did it, I tried to glide. Well, no matter, the pedals kept on turning and lifted me up out of the seat. On the next rotation I got my foot in and started down the hill in front of my house.

The bike has both front an rear brakes but it still seemed a bit scary to charge down the hill and turn the corner with the cranks spinning. The bike has a pretty high bottom bracket and 165mm crank arms so bottoming a pedal was not an issue.

I made a short circuit of about 1.5 miles with a long sloping hill down and then up. I had hardly gone 3 blocks before I found myself tiring from the constant pedaling. When I got to my block I had to stand up and attack the hill.

The ride went without incident but I learned a few things:

1. You cannot glide on a fixie no matter how hard you try
2. It's hard to pull up your shorts when you can't glide
3. You have to re-learn how to transition form sitting to standing

Later I replaced the stock tires with a set of Avocet FasGrip K20 32mm slicks. I have always liked the Avocets and the 32s fit the Redline frame. I also took Sheldon Brown's advice on pedals and borrowed the Look clipless from my road bike. Brown said that a new fixie rider should use the pedal system they are most familiar with. I have used Look pedals almost since they were introduced and I also like the stiffer road shoes so I gave it a shot.

The second ride got off to an inauspicious start. I got on my bike in my driveway, I clipped into my left pedal and then my right. Unfortunately at that point, I did not have enough momentum to stay on the bike. I unclipped my right pedal and promptly fell to my left. There I was lying on the ground, I hope none of my neighbors were looking out their windows.

On this ride I could tell the difference using the Look pedals and the road shoes. The difference in power transfer was significant. I did the same circuit and added a longer route it felt great. The issues I had with the toe clips were exacerbated by the cleats. I found it harder to transition to standing, I found it harder to figure out how to put a foot down at a stop sign.

Since then I have ridden several more times with the clipless pedals. I am so sure that I'll keep using the Looks that I ordered a red pair on Ebay.

Larry Craig Just Will Not Go Away

The dis-oriented author believed that Larry Craig would have resigned already.  I watched, along with the rest of the nation, as revelations of Craig's arrest in a Minneapolis airport bathroom were made public. Craig was accused of soliciting sex in the men's room. He later plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

Craig said that if his guilty plea were not overturned, he would resign — he lied.

Larry Craig has proclaimed his innocence everywhere — except in the Minneapolis Court where he plead guilty. Craig says he is not gay.

On September 1st 2007, Craig said that he would resign on September 30th 2007. He indicated that he wanted to give Idaho's republican governor Butch Otter, time to select a replacement Senator. Well, September 30th came and went and Craig did not resign.

Next, on September 26th, Craig said that he would attempt to get his conviction overturned. If it were not overturned, Craig said again that he would resign.

On October 4th, a Minnesota judge declined to allow Craig to retract his guilty plea. Judge Porter said:

The defendant, a career politician with a college education, is of at least above-average intelligence, he knew what he was saying, reading and signing.

Hmmm... it makes sense to me. A US Senator with a college education ought to be able to figure out what it means to p[lead guilty. In his position, he must also have known that eventually this information would get out. Given rumors of his involvement in an earlier House Page scandal and othe insinuations that he is gay — he should have seen it coming.

Larry Craig is an embarrassment to the Senate. He is also a liar and a hypocrite — it is time for him to go.

The Larry Craig Memorial Restroom at MSP

UPDATE 10/16/2007

I saw the Matt Lauer piece with Larry Craig and his wife tonight. I am still not convinced. Larry Craig was not forced to plead in the airport police station that night. He was allowed to go home. Craig Was arrested on June 11th and his guilty plea was recorded on August 8th. Craig had almost two months to consider his situation. This was no rash decision made under pressure, this was a US Senator planning a course of action with plenty of time for reflection.

Larry Craig should resign.

Getting Fixed

The dis-oriented author just got fixed. I have eight children, so some of you might be saying that it's about time — I do not mean that kind of fixed. This week, my wife bought me an early Christmas present, a fixed gear bike.

Fixed gear bikes use a single fixed cog instead of a freewheel. You only get one gear and you cannot glide — ever. I already had a classic Brodgestone RB-1 with Phil Wood hubs that I recently upgraded to an Ultegra triple crank, a Specialized StumpJumper FS mountain bike and a Burley Duet Tandem but until I got my fixie, a Redline 925 with drop bars, my biking life was not complete.

I have wanted a fixie for decades. When I first started bicycling I was living on Guam and I rode with the local club, Bicyclists of Guam. There were few serious cyclists on the island then (1974) but the club had a Navy guy who rode a beautiful Scwhinn Paramount track bike with a front brake and a fixed gear. I don't know how he did it but even on our longest ride through the hills of southern Guam he managed to make it to the top of every climb.

Later as I began to do some racing myself, I wanted to get a fixie to add to my training. Since there is no gliding, I hoped it would help smooth out my pedaling and get me accustomed to spinning at higher RPMs.

As a business traveler, I fond it frustrating to be in places with great cycling and not have my bike. Recently I was in Minneapolis with my road bike and I went out two nights after work to ride the trails. It was awesome, after a long day at work, the exercise was just what I needed. Since then, I have been seriously planning how to travel for work with my bike.

The problem with taking bikes by air is that airlines charge a fee to carry bicycles. The fee can be as high as $70 each way. So even if I purchase a case for my road bike it would not be practical. The solution I decided on was to get S&S couplings put on my road bike. S&S couplings are strainless steel connectors that allow a regular bike (with steel or titanium tubes) to be disassembled and packed in an airline legal suitcase.

Of late, the complexity of packing and unpacking my 21 speed road bike has seemed somewhat daunting. It was this complexity that drove me to get a fixie. In addition to all of the other benefits, I eventually will get couplings put on this bike and make it my travel bike. Most of the places I would ride are flat or gently rolling. I am really looking for a bike to ride in the evenings after work not a bike to do long distance touring on.

The fixie is perfect.