Maybe Next Time

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This is disappointing, if you are hoping the United States will not slip into fascism:

Three years ago, Congress gave Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff an unusual power to “waive all legal requirements” that could stand in the way of building the fence. These requirements included the nation’s environmental protection laws. The same congressional action took away the authority of judges to review Chertoff’s decisions.

Last year, after Chertoff waived at least 20 laws and regulations to complete a section of the fence in Arizona, two environmental groups sued. They said it was unconstitutional to give a Cabinet secretary such sweeping power.

But a federal judge rejected that claim. And on Monday the Supreme Court without comment declined to hear a petition submitted by Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club.

(Yes, I mentioned this once before.) When the Supreme Court denies certiorari, it doesn’t usually say why. At least a denial carries no precedential power, so if a more attractive version of the issue came before the Court, they might be interested in addressing it and telling Americans whether Congress has the power to give people like Michael Chertoff the power to break any laws he feels like.

Who would have thought that Americans would use the specter of “terrorism” to keep Mexicans out?

Adam’s Atheism Discussion

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My brother has decided to stir up discussion on atheism, starting from two statements, neither of which he personally endorses (so far as I know), but both of which are commonly expressed by people who oppose (and, in my opinion, completely misunderstand) atheism:

(1) Atheism is ridiculous.

(2) Atheism is faith.

Visit his blog and join the conversation.

And So, In Conclusion…

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I like Oreo Blizzards from Dairy Queen. So much better than the Oreo milkshake from Baskin-Robbins.

Or, maybe I just like Oreos cookies? But I primarily want the cookie, not the cream filling. But with ice cream. Like an Oreo cookie ice cream sandwich.

Hey, does anybody know if Nabisco sells just the chocolate cookie parts of the Oreo, so I can crumble them as use them as a topping?

Elementary Graduations are Ridiculous

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Somehow in the last few years it has become popular to have traditional graduation ceremonies—caps, gowns, Elgar—for increasingly younger students at increasingly inconsequential stages in their education. Apparently this idiotic tendency has also taken up the traditional valedictorian and speech.

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2008 Mothers Days 5K and Fathers Day 10K

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Oops. I’ve neglected to report on my participation in the Race for the Cure 5K on Mothers Day. Well, my 26:59 finish (8:42 pace) wasn’t my worst, but it certainly wasn’t my best. I certainly haven’t been training as much as I should. In my defense, though, it should be noted that there were a lot of walkers blocking my way. I expected that for the first half-mile or so, but I was passing walkers for what seemed like the whole race. Why they don’t participate in the designated walk or at least position themselves at the back of the race starting line is beyond me. At least I didn’t have to dodge any strollers or dogs this year.

Like the Mothers Day 5K, my Us Too Fathers Day 10K was neither my worst nor my best 10K. Officially, I finished in 56:10 (9:03 pace), but the start wasn’t chip-timed, so I trust my stopwatch more. According to that, I finished in 55:55 (9:01 pace). It may seem like a small difference to non-runners, but I think fellow runners can appreciate the difference 15 seconds makes. Anyhow, considering I hadn’t run farther than about 5 miles (and that only a couple times) prior to this race, I can’t be too disappointed. I think I paced myself well for the first 2 miles, but near the beginning of the third mile my buddy, who’d kept pace with me, started to pull away as I battled the heat and sluggishness. He maintained the pace we’d been running all the way to the end, finishing in 49:45 (8:01 pace). If he’d stayed back with me, I’m sure I would have finished faster, but it would have been at the expense of his time.

I won’t be able to run the Brentwood Firecracker 5K this year because I’ll be at a baby shower my in-laws are throwing for us. I’d like to run the Run Around the Square 5K on August 23, but that’s just two days before my first child is due. Likewise, my participation in the Ikea Half Marathon on September 6 depends on whether my wife goes past her due date or not. At the very least, I’m planning on running the Great Race 10K on September 28. Of course, I’ll also be hashing on Mondays when I can. 😉