Sarcasm, Political Ad I Would Like To See

 The setting is an office, with shelves and books all around. 

In the background is a sign that says “Phase 3 3/32.” 

The person is the governor of a state. He is wearing a mask, and talking soothingly. He speaks. Or, at least we think he’s speaking. Can’t see for the mask. 

 

“I know you’ve been through some tough times recently....

Of course, most of those times were caused by me. Sorry about that.

Oh sure, I didn’t have to do what I did. I could have stood up for you and your freedoms! I could have been a leader, but that wouldn’t do, my party doesn’t allow us to think and come to our own conclusions. Besides, it was just too easy to follow everyone else and abuse my power. It’s exhilarating, actually. 

So I’ve cost a lot of you your jobs and wreaked havoc on the economy. You will recover, or not. Who cares? But hey! I got to order you around like the serfs you are, (really, I only need you to get elected) and low and behold, you fell right in line! Yay for me! 

But look on the bright side, now that the door has been opened, I can take away more of your liberties, any time I want. All I have to say is five little words....*

 

Oh. I guess that’s more of a bright side for me than you.

It’s great being a Democrat.

Vote for me.” 

*“It’s for your own good.”

The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

     I am not a prophet. Neither am I the son of a prophet. That doesn’t mean I can’t look around, see what is happening in our country and make informed evaluations. War has been declared, not just physically on our cities, but also on our founding principles and our heritage. 

    I know of no way to eloquently bring this to the forefront, and yet it must be said. 

    This is the last election we will have as a free people. I am going to let that sink in. This is it. We are at the precipice, and are now staring into the void. 

    I am so completely angered by the thought that I must speak out now. Because we do not have to fail. We are knowingly dismantling the most successful and powerful nation in the history of the world. 

    What is it that brings me to this conclusion? Many things. But in this article, I will focus on a single word. Corruption. Specifically, the corruption that has been borne out in the actions of the party of Democrats. 

    Let me lead off with a verse of scripture. 2 Timothy 3:13 “While evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (ESV) 

    How is it that evil people will go from bad to worse? Very simply, because evil people do not hang out with good ones! Usually they want to take advantage of decent law abiding citizens, not be buddy-buddy with them. Good people will expose their deeds and turn them in to the authorities. 
    Politics has and will always tend to corruption, because they have power over the life of others. Likewise corrupt politicians, and political parties will continually get more corrupt, for the reason I just stated in the previous paragraph. Politics is, as they say, dirty business. But, what about good people in politics? They are absolutely necessary, but it is difficult for them. Sometimes they will back away, not wanting to be exposed to the deleterious effects of the business. Often they are edged out. One thing is obvious. If good people leave an organization because it is corrupt, only the corrupt ones remain. Bad to worse. Just like Paul said. The best analogy I can come up with is that corruption is like a cancerous growth. It must be killed or excised from the body, or else it will destroy the body. 
    The Democrat party, for some time now has gone from bad to worse. Their cities are on fire. Crime is rampant and rising precipitously. They are awash in debt, high taxes and suffocating regulation. Take a look at the states that have been under the control of Democrats for some time. Are they bastions of truth and justice? Are they prospering? Are businesses flourishing? Is fairness and equality the norm? No! Quite the opposite, actually. It doesn’t take much thought to understand that this reality is the result of their policies. However, when what they have proposed fails, do they reverse course? Do they stop and turn around? No. Instead, they double down and exacerbate the problem.

    On the national stage, the situation is worse. The Democrat party has never recognized the legitimacy of the current President. Rather, they have engaged in a non-stop attempt to bring him down. This is in direct violation of their oath of office and the peaceful transition of power. They have also engaged in a campaign of slander and character assassination against the President and those in his cabinet. All of this is obfuscation, a smoke screen to distract the public from their own evils.
    But screaming like banshees, making accusations, and attempting to accuse the President of being divisive, only demonstrates their weakness. There is only one group that refuses to play by the rule of law. It is Democrats. Why do they scream and whine like little babies? Because they cannot stand in the public arena and reasonably debate issues. When they do, they lose! They have no sound arguments for their actions. So they attempt to divert our attention elsewhere. 
    Let’s take a quick look. The information is in. Lockdowns are a farce. They do not work. They serve very little purpose, except for the government to exercise illegal and arbitrary action against you. Who are they to say that one business is ‘essential’ and another is not? Every business is essential to someone. 
    Our Constitution allows us the right to assemble, peacefully. Riots are not peaceful. Rioters are criminals, and they should be arrested and jailed for a very long time. By allowing violence to continue night after night the Democrat mayors are giving tacit approval to their actions. Their national leadership has hinted these will continue, and even get worse after the election, if their candidate does not win. This is an attempt to intimidate voters. As an alternative, they promote mail in ballots, which are easily tampered with, and have zero accountability. This is a smack in the face against liberty and the necessity of one man, one vote. 
    I could go on, but others are doing that. My appeal today is to Christians. I want to speak directly to you for several reasons. First, because you know and understand Truth. Second, because you are the moral compass of this nation. Third, because the results of this coming election will be determined by you. 
    Aren’t you tired of all this? Haven’t you had enough of Democrats taking away your personal liberties and freedoms? Do you really want our nation to fall into the hands of a party of socialists, communists and their rabble of violence? Then stand with me then against the moral bankruptcy that is the Democrat party. They are strong, yes. They will use illegal means in an attempt to sway the election. They may even use intimidation at the polls to keep you away. 
    There is an answer to this situation. In 2 Chronicles we find Solomon, Son of David, building the temple in Jerusalem. Chapters 6 and 7 record the dedication of that edifice. Chapter 6 gives Solomon’s prayer. In it he implores God to “….Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence. (vs 23). In chapter 7 God appeared to Solomon in a dream and reiterates that sentiment.  God said: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (vs 13 and 14)
    I know God is speaking in terms of the world 3,000 years ago, so I will paraphrase and put things in a more modern context. “When all kinds of bad things are happening, if my people….” Prayer is our unique ability to communicate with the God of the universe. To seek His face indicates our desire to understand His wisdom. In New Testament terms we are compared to ‘salt’ and ‘light.’ Salt is a preservative, while light illuminates truth. 
    Question. Are not we, as Christians, God’s people? These verses apply to us, too. Notice God does not implore evil people to repent. Why not? Because they are evil! Duh! They have rejected his authority. It is God’s own people who must repent. When they do the right thing, evil cannot stand. 
    I will now modify my earlier statement to allow a glimmer of hope. This is the last election we will have as a free people, unless Christians vote e- mass against the manifested corruptions of the Democratic party. They are a cancer and a reproach to our nation. Every iteration of their party at every level must be excised, or they will continue to grow. They must be stopped. Now. Or they will destroy us. 
    Vote like the future of the nation depends on it. It does.

     Vote like your very life and continued fortune depends on it. It does.

     Vote like the lives of your children and grandchildren depends on it. It does.

By Their Fruits You Shall Know them….

American cities are burning tonight, and have been every night for months. These are not ‘peaceful protests’. Rather, they are criminal acts of violence and lawlessness. They are part of a plan initiated and abetted at the highest levels by one of our two major political parties, the Democrats. These are not their only crimes. Let me list a few more.

-They are the party of abortion. We do not hear about it very much these days, because of the number of years that have passed since the Supreme Court decision. Let me say the entire case involved in Roe vs. Wade was a sham. And the court’s ruling was a severe over-reach of it’s authority. Today the issue is framed by the statement, ‘a woman’s right to choose.’ Choose what? To take away the life of an unborn child? But, that which is growing inside her is not hers! It is genetically unique and separate. Her responsibility is to nurture that life, not take it away. I will bring forward a small but significant statement of fact. “It is incorrect to say that life is created at conception. Actually, life is continued at conception.” If a party is unwilling to uphold the sanctity of life itself, it certainly will not uphold the law. 

-They are the party of socialism and communism. In fact, they almost nominated an avowed and unrepentant communist as their candidate for president. And the current candidate has expressed his full support for those ideals. I will now set you straight about Marx and the various ‘-isms’ that followed him. Marx was an atheist. A man who hated Christianity. He was also a moron. His economics are garbage, and have never been successfully implemented anywhere. The most recent example of the failure of his ideas is Venezuela. By contrast, capitalism is a direct result of the freedoms we have in Christ. If we can enjoy a right relationship with God, we can also enjoy a right relationship with our fellow man. Our system inspires confidence, and has produced the greatest and wealthiest nation in the history of the world. 

-They are seditious. The powers that be in the Democratic party willfully conspired to bring down a duly and legally elected President of the United States. Further, they politicized intelligence assets that were supposed to be non-political entities. All cases brought against the current President have been shown to be fabricated. Several of the major players have admitted their guilt and more are under investigation. The Democratic party relentlessly pursued articles of impeachment knowing they were lies, wasting your money in the process and delaying legislation that could be to our benefit. I have a better word for what they have done. Treason.

-They are incompetent. When the pandemic came to our nation, many governors instituted lock-down orders. To what end? We were told the reason was to ‘follow the science’ and  ‘flatten the curve’ so hospitals would not be overwhelmed. Guess what? Except for a few places, they were never overwhelmed. Lockdown policies did little, if any good at all. How do I know this? Because the states that remained free fared no worse than those with severe constraints. Often they did better. Stay at home orders represent an overreach of governmental authority, and a restriction of our Constitutionally guaranteed rights. What they should have done was to protect the ones who were most vulnerable to the virus, keep us informed, and offer advice on the best ways to prevent transmission. But did they? No. They ordered us to stay home! Who do they think they are? Do they really have the power to tell us we can't go to work? Or church? Who made them king? The effect was to make criminals out of decent law abiding citizens who want to make a better life for themselves and their families, not to mention the destruction of jobs and loss of revenue. 

Please understand, I am not trying to downplay the severity of the virus. It's a nasty bug! It targets a protein found primarily in the lungs, and that is why the elderly and those with compromised breathing capacity are the most at risk. However, better than 99% of those who catch the virus recover. This was known early on in the outbreak, but instead of taking steps to protect the few, they tried to shut down all.

-They have aided and abetted lawbreakers and criminals. Months ago, when the riots started, the Democratic mayors in those cities cheered them on, to the point of reducing their own ability to maintain law and order. I am talking about the ‘defund the police’ movement. It goes without saying that crime in those places has skyrocketed. These are elected officials charged with maintaining law and order. Protecting our lives and property is their job! So, what did they do when the chips were down? They disappeared and refused to take action. They told their respective police forces to stand down. The result was massive destruction and loss. This is the same political party that wants to confiscate our guns, and give us no means to defend ourselves. The unrest perpetrated by those criminals every night is manufactured and has the approval of the Democratic party. In the time since the riots have begun not one Democrat has stood on the national stage to condemn it. Not one. 

-They are the enemy of Christianity. If a party has embraced the killing of the innocent, and espouses a dedication to atheistic principles, why would they be a friend to those who live by the codex of scripture and the teachings of Christ? Evidence for this is in yet another overreach of power, by denying churches their Constitutional right to meet. 

I could go on, but I will not. My purpose is to arouse your anger and prompt you to action. Plus, there are many out there in the blogosphere who have a better angle on the events than I do. I invite you to seek out the facts for yourself. The reality is that the Democratic party, by its own actions, has proven itself to be an unrepentant force for unrest, division and crime in this country. The ideals they support are not the ideals of our founding fathers and the framers of the Constitution. Rather, the Democratic party is attempting to usurp our laws and replace them with something else, tyranny. People, this is nothing other than a naked grab for power. They must be stopped, or they will destroy us.  

What are we to do? Fight back, of course. Haven't you had enough of their wanton  destruction, looting, intimidation, and their distain for our flag and Bible? These rioters are in the minority. If free people stand up to them they can and will be defeated. That’s why I am appealing to two groups. First, Christians because the birthright of our nation is Christianity and the foundation of our system of law is the Bible. I also invite every red-blooded American whose heart beats for freedom to stand with me against the Democrats on Nov 3rd. Not just in the all-important presidential race. I am talking about every election: local, state and national. Get rid of them all! Send a powerful message that we will no longer tolerate their behavior. Vote! What’s more, vote in person, for that is the only way you know your vote will legally be counted. This fall we must go the the polls in overwhelming numbers to decisively cast down the corruption of that party. A vote against the Democratic party is a vote for liberty.

They have been weighed in the balances and are found wanting…

Coach Bonheim, HIIT Pioneer

It is interesting to see how sports training has developed over the years. Athletes and coaches are always looking for ways to gain a competitive edge over the other guys in the field. That field includes both individual and team sports. The changes brought about ultimately spill over to the private sector and the result is that athletes of every level are beneficiaries. Who has not heard the motto, “Train Smarter, not Harder.”

Which brings me to Coach Bonheim. I was on Liberty’s inaugural wrestling team. Let me state this up front. I was easily the worst guy on the mat. Just ask anyone who was there, they’ll tell you. But I digress. That first season our practices followed the pattern that I had come to know from my extensive one year of wrestling experience in high school. Basically, work, work, work. We would do conditioning exercises, work on moves, and wrestle. Every day. The second season our modus operandi changed dramatically. We still worked like crazy. But at the start of that season Coach said, “All right, we are going to do something different this year.”

The ‘something different’ was along these lines. Every other practice we would only wrestle. He might have us begin with a 1 minute session, then two, then three, then three again, two and one. Sometimes he would double them up. In between each session we would walk in a circle and check our heart rate. Actually he had one of our number checking his heart rate. When it dropped below 120 beats per minute, we got set up to go the next round. By the end of these practices we would spend some 40-45 minutes wrestling.

The in between days would be spent, after initial warm up exercises, practicing moves. Just moves. We might begin with takedowns, then mat work. Over and over again.

What did this do for us? It allowed time to recover from the intense physical demands of the hard practices, and inculcate a new skill set during the easy ones. This style fits with what is known about the bodies’ response to exercise. Generally, it takes up to 48 hours to recover from a maximum effort. That off time would be spent doing lighter work.  I thought it to be a great strategy, and I wound up being in the best shape of my life. My resting heart rate back then was 50. (It’s a respectable 55 today.) Granted, I was still the worst wrestler on the team, I was just better at being the worst. That was the year I started travelling with a singing group and had to quit the team.

It turns out that Coach Bonheim was a graduate of UCLA, and had studied under a guy named Laurence Morehouse. He mentioned Dr. Morehouse a couple of times during practice and the classes I took from him. An internet search led me to a 1975 People Magazine article about Dr. Morehouse where he was promoting his book, Total Fitness in 30 Minutes a week.

Wait, what? 30 minutes? A week? This was during the era when aerobics studios were springing up all over the place. Kenneth Cooper’s best-selling book “Aerobics” was first published in 1968. In that era the accepted wisdom was that adequate fitness requires a minimum of three thirty minute cardio sessions a week. And here was Dr. Morehouse saying you could stay fit in one third of that time. A radical idea.

Today the prevailing fitness wisdom is along the lines of shorter, more intense sessions. Forget about how long I need to work out. How short can I go and still achieve fitness goals? Modern day research suggests that a single 4 minute high intensity exercise session can produce the same changes in the body as 40 minutes of steady state exercise. This was demonstrated by a number of researchers, like Dr. Izumi Tabata, the Japanese speed skating coach who has those timers named after him.  

What are the benefits of this type of training? Among other things, better oxygen uptake by the lungs, expressed as VO2 max, better insulin metabolism, added strength, and an increase in mitochondria in muscle cells. How efficient!

Back to Coach Bonheim and the wrestling team. He was having us do high intensity workouts, and believe me, wrestling is a high intensity activity, decades before this research was known. How did this new type of training affect the team? The first season, we placed fifth at the National Christian College Athletic Association tournament at Messiah College in PA. The next year they were third, and the following two years placed first. Bonheim was named Coach of the Year.

It is obvious to me that Coach was on the cutting edge with his training methods, he was a HIIT innovator and years ahead of his time.

The IE-IE-YO

“IE-IE-YO?” She asked.

She happens to be my granddaughter, Makenzie, almost two years old and not quite three feet tall. Her face is raised upward to meet mine. “IE-IE-YO?” She implores again. Her light tousled hair falls partly across her forehead and covers one of her brown eyes. The face is a study in inquisitive precociousness. Her head is tilted to one side with one eyebrow raised as if she might be up to something.

I can’t always oblige her requests. Sometimes I am busy reading or researching something on the internet. Sometimes there is no time, it might be too close to dinner or bedtime. But today nothing is pressing.

“OK,” I say. Her face lights up with joy and she moves her hands like she’s clapping, even though they never touch. In her arms she holds two stuffed animals which move with her.

“Where is my computer?” I ask.

She hops over to the cubby where it is stowed and touches it. I reach over and take it out of its bag and set it on the floor in front of her.

“Would you like to help me open it?”

She shakes her head and the stuffed animals tumble to the floor as she bends over. Now her face is one of focus and concentration. Her little hands reach over to the zippers on the case. She grabs one and begins to unzip the top. Even though we have done this dozens of times she still has a little problem negotiating the zipper around the corners, so I rotate the case around to give her better leverage.

After the case is unzipped she jumps up and gathers her animals while I take it out. Then she moves over to help me plug it in. I never let her touch the power supply cord but I do ask her where the plug goes. She points to the correct location.

“Good!” I exclaim. Then she points to the modem port and I plug in the phone line. Having accomplished that I lean back in my Lazy Boy and unfold the leg rest. Now I’m ready for her to come aboard.  Using the lever as a step she begins to climb over the armrest, stuffed animals and all. I help her and in a few moments she is sitting beside me as I turn on the computer.

After it boots up I ask her, “Which one do we push?” She points to a green icon on the screen. “That’s right! We have to touch it twice.” I say this as I am doing it, knowing she has no idea how to call up a program using the touchpad. She waits patiently while the program comes up. Then I ask, “Which one do you want to watch?” She points to one of the three videos on the screen. Actually two of the three icons are identical, But I know which one she wants to watch. It’s the Christmas video, even though it is the middle of summer. If I click on the wrong one she will signal her displeasure almost at once. “No! No!” She will exclaim. As the video starts I ask her about her two ‘friends’.

“Who is this one?” I ask, pointing.

“Ju-Ju.” she replies.

“Junior?” I ask.

“Yes, she replies. Not yea or right-o. Yes.

“And who is this one?”

“Dumbo,” she says.

“Dumbo?”

Again, “Yes.”

 

I know her animals names already, but I like to draw her out and get her to talk.  I like the sound of her voice. I’d rather have her to talk to me than me talk to her.

The video is running now and sometimes we sing along.  During some parts I take her little hand and move it back and forth with the music like a conductor. Her attention never wavers. She laughs at certain parts, and answers my questions immediately. She has watched this with me many times and knows what will happen next, sometimes shouting out a word, like ‘house!’ right before they show the making, in fast motion, of a gingerbread house.

During some parts she will look at me and smile. As we watch I take note of her eyes. They appear to be a little droopy. She looks tired. Maybe she got up too early from her nap today.

I say, “You can lay back and still watch the video.”

I adjust the lazy-boy back a notch and move the computer screen slightly.  Without a word her head settles back on my shoulder.

My Eve of Christmas Eve Workout

Christmas Eve Eve this year is on a Saturday, my biggest workout day.  Since I am headed out of town later this morning I decide to get my workout in as early as possible.

Early as possible means 8:00 a. m. for that is when my gym opens.  I am there just as the doors are unlocked.  I like this time of day. The gym is not crowded and I can workout without having to wait.  During the week I go later in the evening because the early people have finished and are now leaving.
Today I am doing a workout of my own design, which is a variation of the Tabata system.  Tabata was developed for speed skaters and consists of doing 8 sets of all out sprints for 20 seconds and resting 10. I have adapted it to use for muscle gr oups. Today I'm headed for a full body workout.
It should be noted that I wouldn't wish this workout on anyone.  It hurts! It's not for the faint of heart either.  HIIT exercise is designed to create massive oxygen debt.  My own version does this quite well, as you will soon see.

I am going into this ordeal completely 'cold'.  Meaning I have eaten nothing since dinner last night. My blood sugar is already low, and the high energy work I'm going to do will, if the sports performance people are right, do great and cool things to my body.
So here goes:

I always start with upper back exercises for a couple of reasons.  First, these muscles are huge and my general philosophy is to work from the biggest muscle groups to the smallest.  Second, the back exercises I will be doing trigger biceps in a big way. Doing back first allows the biceps some recovery time while I work other muscle groups.  I will hit biceps specifically last.
This morning I set up two lat machines for use.  With the first, I will be pulling the handles almost straight down. The other machine pulls more from the front, like a seated row.  These two should give my latissimus dorsi a run for the money.  I put 6 plates on one (about 270lbs) and 4 on the other (about 180lbs).  The reason I am doing this is based on an article I read a few weeks back, extolling the virtues of heavy, then light exercises.  I've been testing that idea in my big workouts, and so far I like it.

I set my Tabata timer to exercise for 20 seconds and rest for another 20.  The rest period will give me time to move from one machine to the next.  The number of cycles is set to 6.  I know the standard number is 8, which I do on cardio days, but not for when working muscles.  Because I'll die.

I hit the 'go' button and it counts down 5 seconds before start.  The first 20 seconds I'm using the heavier weight and I get 10 reps.  After that I jump up and move to the other machine.  I wait the last few seconds of rest before starting and I perform this weight 20 times in the 20 seconds. Now I move back to the heavy machine for the next start.  I still do 10 reps this set, but it's much more difficult than the first.  I finished here a scant 40 seconds ago! I stay on this machine for the entire rest period and do a second set here.  Two heavy exercises in a row.  Then I move over and do the last two sets light, but this time I can't quite get 20 reps in.  I get around 15.

I originally did heavy-light for 3 rounds with this routine, but I messed up last week and ended up doing two heavy sets in a row, which I offset with two light.  To be perfectly honest, it seemed to  be more difficult that way, so I'm going to stick with it for a few more weeks.

At the end of my back routine 4 minutes has elapsed and I've lifted approximately 16,000 lbs.  I set the timer on my phone for two minutes.  That's my rest period between muscle groups.

Next up: Chest.  This part of the workout will be a little different because I injured my right shoulder a few months back, and it's pretty bad.  So I can no longer do bench press and certain shoulder moves.  On the bright side I can do dumbbell and cable exercises without causing much pain. (The bad kind of pain, not the discomfort of effort). I head to the cable machine and set it up. I have no idea what the weight is, but I'm going to estimate it as equivalent to two 40lb dumbbells.

This machine is harder to adjust for heavier and lighter weights, so I will be using the same weight for all 6 rounds.  I do change form, from more of a flye move to a pressing movement as fatigue sets in. For the duration of this exercise I stay in the 15 rep range.  This means by the end of another 4 minutes I've pushed about 7,200lbs.
By now I'm really breathing hard, and my triceps and chest are trembling from the exertion.  Feel the burn! I take off my warm up jacket and set another 2 minutes on the timer.  On to the next exercise.

Now I'm ready for legs and my heaviest routine.  Again, it's difficult the change weights around, so I'll stick with a single weight the whole time.  I put 14 plates and 2 25's on the machine (680lbs) and get ready. It takes some extra time to gather all the plates for they are scattered around the area. I wind up taking about 3 minutes rest. No matter, this is going to be quite demanding. I modify the Tabata timer for this exercise. Instead of 20 seconds on and 20 seconds off, I set the rest period for only 10 seconds. That way I'm starting a new cycle every 30 seconds. I start and burn through 6 rounds of 20 reps each. It's not easy! My legs are hurting by round 3 and it gets worse every succeeding round. 120 reps in 3 minutes, a whopping 81,000lbs! Leg work is so much fun. But remember I'm pushing the weight at a 45 degree angle, so it's not like I'm lifting this as dead weight. It's actually about 70% of the total, in the 400lb range.  Still, it looks impressive. Normally this would be my warm up weight. I've pushed over 1,000lbs on this machine. But it takes a lot of extra time and effort to load the plates! About 24 of them. And if anyone else is in the area I would be taking plates from them. I'd rather just do more reps.

By now I'm in serious oxygen debt, my legs are rubber and I'm walking funny. I'm glad they have a ramp and not steps back out to the main floor.

The next muscle group happens to be my least favorite, abs. However, I must do some token exercises for them and it keeps my heart rate up to burn more calories. I am headed to the lower back machine which is a cakewalk compared to what I just did. I set the machine for its heaviest weight (300) and crank out 20 reps. When I stand I get a major head rush. Everything goes dark for a few seconds and I have to just stand there until more oxygenated blood reaches my brain.  It passes and I go upstairs to the Roman Chair. There I perform 15 knee lifts, set my timer again and gulp some water.  Only one muscle group is left, biceps.

Here is another chance to do the heavy-light Tabata I started with. I set up an ez curl bar with 25lb plates and grab a pair of dumbbells. Then I reset the timer for 20 seconds work and 20 seconds rest. I begin with 10 reps on the bar, and 15 using the dumbbells.  That takes care of the first 2 rounds. Next I go 2 heavy cycles in a row, and end with 2 light rounds. Compared to the other muscle groups it's a paltry 3,500lbs total. Not a lot but let's face it Biceps are the smallest muscle group I've worked today.
That finishes my workout. It lasts about 40 minutes and by the end of that time I've lifted over 100,000lbs, the majority of that being legs. If I remember my Physics correctly the definition of Power is Work divided by Time.  That puts my average weight lifted per minute at around 2,500lbs. I'm feeling every bit of it.

Next up, nutrition therapy! A three egg omelet covered in cheese and my Saturday treat, coffee. Since it's winter I pour my coffee over powdered hot chocolate instead of cream or milk. I'm no nutritionist but I figure the caffeine and sugars will provide quick energy to my muscles to begin recovery so the protein can do its work. In the meantime my muscles are still trembling and I'm in such a state of oxygen debt that even scrambling the eggs causes me to gasp for air.

I'm going to feel this tomorrow for sure.

Candidate of the Apocalypse: Episode 18

Charles was speaking to a standing room only crowd at the Sheraton convention center in downtown San Francisco.  Over 600 people were in attendance. Charles took to the stage amid a standing ovation.  He spoke simply, with quiet authority about Liberty, his over arching theme for the week. He had chosen this track to counter the other party’s crass emotionalism. In the early days of the campaign, Charles had debated a few of those of the liberal persuasion.  He won them handily, but noticed when they couldn’t win by facts and clear argument, they would resort to some kind of emotional appeal or character assassination.  Operatives from the other side were constantly on the prowl to interview his former employees and find some dirt on him, but they, to the last man declined to give any damaging information. Eventually he stopped the debates because he realized they were more of a distraction than anything else.   

“Let’s do a quick comparison between our founding fathers, and their ideas of Liberty and government, versus those of politicians today. They had to deal with the tyranny of George III, who ignored their concerns and instead increased his repressive actions, leading to our founding Document, The Declaration of Independence, and war.  The word that is most descriptive of their actions to me, is, sacrifice. They risked everything, impoverishment and even death for an idea that man could govern himself.  Many of them did wind up penniless.  But they looked to the future, and the future rewards of a free people. We all agree their sacrifice succeeded wildly.  

Let’s contrast that with today. The great success our system allowed has faltered in recent years.  The reason?  We are again under tyranny.  Not by any foreign power, but by government itself.  We are now egregiously taxed and regulated.  Our every move is scrutinized, and we have been suffering because of it.  The present crop of politicians think of themselves and not you.  They want the perks of the job right now and are destroying your future for their present.  The result is, today our national debt is in the trillions, and our politicians regularly meet in secret and lie to you about important matters."  He was speaking specifically of the national health care plan, pushed through by the other party and the promises made about it.  Which not only were lies, but known and calculated ones.  This was most distasteful to Charles, who believed if anyone should be telling the truth, it should be elected officials. It was their sacred duty to those who trusted them enough to put them in office.

"What can we do about this?  We can join the Revolution. I believe this time around lots of people will be coming over to our side because they see what’s going on and are fed up by it. Join the battle!  Vote!"  

After his speech he grabbed a mike and took questions from the crowd.  He, his assistant and cameraman wandered back and forth around the room.  Afterward he took his leave of them and left for the airport.

The next week an open letter appeared in the San Francisco Free Press.

“I was there at the event.  Well, I had to be there, for I am an employee of the hotel.  It so happens that his opponent had a rally here last week.  The difference between the two events were stunning.  For the other party, everything was determined before hand, in the form of demands, from the attire of the attendants to the type of water on the podium, and no less than sixteen back up bottles on the table behind.  There were no real guests, besides security, all were party favorites and even though the other candidate had a question and answer time, the inquiries were vetted by his people and answered by teleprompter.  The candidate never left the stage, never stopped to meet the people behind the scenes, and never thanked our staff for their efforts.

By comparison Charles’ event was a breath of fresh air.  He and his staff were professional, non-demanding and always grateful for our work. They asked for nothing.  When I approached his campaign manager about Charles’ on stage needs he looked puzzled for a moment, then asked tentatively, ”Would it be ok for a glass of ice water?”  “Any particular kind?”  Again, puzzlement.  “Whatever you have would be fine.”  

When Charles took the stage he was greeted by enthusiastic and genuine cheers, the other guys had a sign for when the people were to clap.  While he spoke I was able to listen quietly in the doorway to the kitchen.  I wondered what all the controversy was about. This guy is some kind of radical?  I couldn’t see it.  He came across to me as being entirely sincere . His question and answer period was completely off the cuff.  No pat answers, no edits or previews.  His answers showed a very knowledgeable man with real concern and practical answers to the problems our nation faces.   

After he finished, Charles insisted on thanking the staff, and we quickly called them together.  They were excited to meet him, but he seemed to be thrilled too.  He shook hands with each one, looked them in the eye and listened.  He had barely met half of our people when his campaign advisor hinted rather urgently they were running late and the plane was waiting.  

The candidate turned and said, “Do you think they are going to leave without me?” “No,” his manager replied. “A few minutes won’t hurt very much, this is important.”

And so he continued. All the while he was relaxed and personable.

For many years I have been a member of the other party, but I’m voting for Charles this time around.  This man is the genuine article."