Busy Week!

So it's actually been a pretty busy week for me. Too busy actually. I had a couple of moments where I just started to feel overwhelmed. Mainly work related, but there were some other things going on as well.

Wednesday night I want to hear Bishop Chane speak at St. Patrick's. I was late because apparently the German Embassy was also hosting a HUGE reunification anniversary party and the traffic was hellish. I ended up parking illegally but at that point I was so frustrated I didn't care. Bishop Chane spoke of what happened at the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans. I'm still a bit worked up over that, but wanted to hear more about it. I like Bishop Chane. I think he's a good guy and I appreciate all of the hard work he's done. But I didn't necessarily like what he said that night. He said the House of Bishops just "isn't there yet" when it comes to electing/consenting GLBT Bishops or same sex blessings. And that the Anglican Community just "isn't there yet" as well when it comes to these issues. And so I had to ask, "What can we do to get the HoB there? The Anglican Community there? He didn't give me a real exact asnwer, but mainly his point is that we've got to continue to bear witness in the church and continue to do the right thing. There must have been over 40 people at the meeting and I'd say half were clergy of some sort. And I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity of the clergy who where there. Lots of women, african americans, and obviously some GLBT in attendance. It's one of the many reasons why I do like my church.

Anyways, as I've been surfing the Anglican blogosphere I found this. It's long, and odd in places, but it really touched me. I had to close the door to my office and cry a bit when I read it. Not exactly sure why it effected me so. But I think I'm going to help build a school. It just feels like the right thing to do. I've been wanting to DO SOMETHING for awhile and I think this is it.

Swimming etiquette. So I did manage to swim twice this week. And I've got a couple of small complaints. First, I don't approve of the use of fins in the lap lanes. I will make some exceptions for seniors, or people who are injured, or something like that, but if you are healthy and in good shape, just grab a frakkin kick board and kick like everyone else. You really mess up the rhythm of the lane. Second, don't jump into a lane that already has 4 people in it if the lane next to it only has 2? I'm not sure why someone would want to purposely overcrowd a lane. But they do. Third, and yes this is kind of petty, but when you are resting at the end of a lane, try to stand either to the left or the right. Not in the MIDDLE! Anyways, yesterday I did 6x250 free with 50 breast in between. So I'm getting there.

Does anyone even believe W anymore on his "we don't torture" crap? I guess you can tell how I feel. And to contrast the awful stories exposed by the NYTimes to this article in the Washington Post about WWII interrogators. Talk about sad. Yep, it's amazing how in just a short time the W administation has tarnished America and everything she stands for. Why can't we impeach him?

Health Care and Statues

A little random today, but bare with me.

So I went to the YMCA this AM. 30 minutes on the elliptical and then 2x500 free. I would have swam longer but I had to get back to change for church.

But while I was on the elliptical I watched one of those Sunday pundit shows and I got disgusted all over again with the Bush administration. Bush has already declared that he's going to veto the SCHIP bill which provides needed health care to millions of kids who aren't currently insured. The problem with the bill, or so some claim, is that some parents may be able to get rid of their private insurance and have Uncle Sam foot the bill. Okay, so of the $7Billion or so it will cost, some people will try to scam the system. But don't go all fiscally conservative on me when you are asking for $190Billion for the war in Iraq? We can pay for an unnecessary war, giving millions in profits to Halliburton and Blackwater, and lossing billions of dollars in the process, but we can't pay to give health care to millions of uninsured kids because some people might take advantage of the plan? Are you kidding me?

Went for a long walk this afternoon. It was a clear crisp fall afternoon and I wanted to go down to the Mall to take some photos. Well as I walked by Hotel Rouge I realized something was missing. One of the statues of Venus that are outside of Hotel Rouge was missing. Now I have no idea why you would steal a statue, how you would steal a statue (cause I'm assuming it's heavy), or what you would do with the statue once you had it. But I'm just kind of logical that way. Here's a pic of some of the statues during the snow storm we had in Feb.

Anyways, I continued my power walk down to the Mall, through the WWII memorial, down along the reflecting pool (which by the way, can the park people sweep the duck crap back into the pool? It really is disgusting), and around the Lincoln Memorial. I wanted to get a couple of pics of the big bronze statues at the end of Memorial Bridge. With the sun setting, I thought it would make the bronze just shine. The problem is that some clouds came up in the west as the sun was setting, so it wasn't as bright as I would like. But still some good pics. And yes, me likey some muscles.

Quote Of The Day

"This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years." Barack Obama.

Yep, still outraged.

The Brit's Translate for W

I saw this on Dan Froomkin's Washington Post Blog and loved it:

From the President's speech in Washington yesterday:

'In recent years, science has deepened our understanding of climate change and opened new possibilities for confronting it.'

"Translation: In recent years, my refusal to acknowledge the reality and seriousness of global warming has turned me into a laughing-stock and contributed to my record low poll ratings. So now I have to look interested.

'The United States takes this issue seriously.'

"Translation: Al Gore takes this issue seriously, his movie was a hit, and it's causing me no end of grief.'

'By the end of next year, America and other nations will set a long-term goal for reducing greenhouse gases.'

'Translation: By the end of next year, I'll be weeks away from the end of my presidency and this can be someone else's problem.'

'To develop this goal, the United States will convene a series of meetings of nations that produce the most greenhouse gasses, including nations with rapidly growing economies such as India and China.'

'Translation: We will look as busy as we can without doing anything.

'The new initiative I am outlining today will contribute to the important dialogue that will take place in Germany.'

"Translation: The new initiative will put the brakes on the much more robust proposal the Germans are putting forward. As long as dialogue continues, we won't have to abide by any decisions."

So sad, but so true.

RIP Habeas Corpus

Sometimes I don't think it's the terrorists that are the biggest threat to our nation and our way of life, it's the Bush administration's lawyers. And sadly enough, the Attorney General (via Andrew):

Specter: Now wait a minute, wait a minute. The Constitution says you can't take [habeas corpus] away except in the case of invasion or rebellion. Doesn't that mean you have the right of habeas corpus?

Gonzales: I meant by that comment that the Constitution doesn't say that every individual in the United States or every citizen has or is assured the right of habeas corpus. It doesn't say that. It simply says that the right of habeas corpus shall not be suspended.

Let's see, it used to be that everyone had the right of habeas corpus here in the United States. It was kind of like a basic human right. Then someone decided that well, Habeas Corpus doesn't really apply to immigrants, or foreigners, and definitely not enemy combatants or detainees. Well, now it appears that even citizens aren't assured the right of habeas corpus.

How do these people sleep at night? How can they look themselves in the mirror?

Hello God? I'd like my country back please.