Are you surprised that have been 'friendly fire' accidents in this war?
Are you surprised that Americans and British soldiers have died?
That there are American POWs?
That the Iraqis are putting those POW on TV?
That the Iraqi soldiers are pretending to surrender then attacking us?
Did you really think the Iraqis would give a damn about the Geneva Convention when a super power invades their country to crush them?
Reporters on the TV seem stunned that Iraqi fighters would dress up in 'civilian' clothes, HELLO, IT"S A WAR! They are going to do anything they can to defend against this giant force invading their country. Does anyone remember how we fought the British during the Revolutionary War? It wasn't by marching in columns wearing bright red uniforms like the British.
There have been letters to the editor in the local paper that say; now that we are at war the protesters should stop protesting and get behind the president. Are you kidding me? Now, more than ever we need to make this war end as fast as possible. And if you still think this war isn't about oil and power, you aren't paying attention.

That's my time. Full firefighting gear, 69 floors to the top. I had hoped to break 20 minutes, but I can see that I didn't do enough cardio training. My strength was good and my pace kicked butt for the first 45 floors or so, but I didn't stop to change air bottles half way. I really think if I had stopped, the short rest, and having that supply of cool air all the way till the end, could have put me under 20 minutes. Next year, though, I plan on finishing on just one bottle, shooting for under 17 minutes. Our team captain won the overal event with a time of 11 minutes 31 seconds. That's just insane. The competition gets tougher every year. Check out all the results at http://www.perfecttimeevents.com/events/2003ffclimb/OVERALL.TXT

Last week of training before the big Firefighter Stair Climb in the Columbia Tower. I'll climb stairs 2 more times then rest a couple days before the event. It's a fundraiser for the Leukemia Society. 69 floors in full turnout gear. I'm hoping to beat my personal best time of just over 20 minutes. Less then 18 minutes would make me really happy! We'll see, I've not done as much actual stair training this time but I'm quite a few pounds lighter and stronger since I've been on a low carb- high protien diet.

Thanks to Vic for the picture.

Vic sent me a link that I found very interesting. It's PinkPistols.org.To quote their index page:
"Thirty-one states allow all qualified citizens to carry concealed weapons. In those states, homosexuals should embark on organized efforts to become comfortable with guns, learn to use them safely and carry them. They should set up Pink Pistols task forces, sponsor shooting courses and help homosexuals get licensed to carry. And they should do it in a way that gets as much publicity as possible. "

--Jonathan Rauch, Salon Magazine, March 13, 2000

They have taken this idea up as a cause and are taking action. I got my first permit to carry a concealed weapon back in 1991 when I lived in Connecticut. After moving to Spokane I got one for Washington. I own a Sig-Saur 9mm and carry it when I go out driving or hiking in the rural areas. The sooner gay bashers realize that they are engaging in something that is just as life threatening to them as to the person they are attacking, the better. It is important to remember though, that you need to be educated about firearm handling and use. And if you do carry, if you pull it out, you better be prepared to use it. If not, it will just be taken from you by your attacker and YOU will be the one shot. Even if you don't want a firearm, go and get a concealed weapons permit anyway, The more people who do, the harder it will be to take away your rights. State of Washington law does not require you to run away if you are physically attacked. You have the right to defend yourself, use it.