Remembering to Breathe

My wife and I were riding our bikes up the overpass that leads through the La Crosse marsh, and she was having trouble maintaining her momentum.

"Remember what Fred always says, " I yelled back to her.  "Breathe.  Exercise is easier if you remember to breathe."  The look on her face told me that she thought my idea of "help" was beyond being useful, maybe even bordering on stupid.  It wasn't the first time I used those words, and it wouldn't be the last.

 

Last weekend my wife and a friend from nearby Holmen, participated in the Danskin Triathlon series held in Pleasant Prairie, WI.  It was the fourth time Liz has participated in this female-only event, and it turned out to be one of her toughest to date.

Throughout this past summer training period, she had indicated that she was having a hard time getting motivated for this year's race.  In past years, she would swim her forty laps in the high school pool, get out of bed to bike 14 miles, and walk every day or so just to keep up with what was needed to compete in the Danskin Triathlon, now in its 20th year.

This year she missed more Sundays in the pool than ever before, and struggled with getting out of bed and onto her bike. She did, however try running a few laps with me in the morning, and committed to a 5K walk in the Festival Fitness event in May.

Ask any athlete what's the hardest part of playing football, tennis or basketball, and they will mention the training.  Playing the game is tough, but finding the motivation to run, lift weights and shoot/hit 200 shots during practice is especially difficult.  The great athletes not only find new ways to motivate themselves, but challenge themselves to get better year in and year out.

While Liz will never admit to be an athlete, I do remind her that of ALL the people who are 49 years old living in the Coulee region, she is probably in a small percentage who do any kind of exercise, much less train for a triathlon.  Every year we are reminded of heart disease, cancer and stroke, and it gets harder and harder to find time to do things that don't involve stressing out about work, watching television or checking our email messages.

One of the coolest parts of the triathlon is the effort made by the organizers to encourage participation from women of all ages and all abilities.  From "swim angels" who float along with swimmers who are not good swimmers to mentors who provide treatment, recovery and fitness support to cancer survivors (even running the final distance with them, letting them know they can finish).  The race allows people with a variety of athletic skills to participate (in the Elite wave, a woman in her twenties from Muskego, WI finished in one hour eight minutes while a 67 year old female from Milwaukee, WI finished the race in 3 hours 19 minutes).   Watching these women participate in the 1/2 mile swim, followed by 12 miles of biking, then ending with a 3 mile run brings new meaning to the word "effort," and gives me extra encouragement to run my measly eight to ten miles a week.

 

Liz and I have been biking, walking and exercising together for many years, even being so brave as to try Combat Endurance Training for more than two years. Combat endurance training was where we learned to drag each other through snow, heat and humidity (and occasional early, early mornings) to do sit ups, leg exercises, push ups and arm circles.  If ever there was a reason to back down from exercise that was it.

It was during combat endurance training that we met Fred Nicholas, a former karate class instructor who had suffered through two hip replacement surgeries.  He would always have useful information while leading us through the exercises -- among them his "remembering to breathe" comment.  He never missed an opportunity to remind us of how important oxygen was to your body's muscles and lungs when running or riding your bicycle.   And Fred's inspirational messages were a constant whenever we would train for her triathlon, much to her chagrin.

I've been trying -- unsuccessfully -- to get her to try riding her bike up the steep incline of Irish Hill, a twenty five minute climb to the beautiful ridges overlooking the La Crosse Coulee region.  It's a difficult climb that our son and I took earlier this summer.  Climbing hills has always been a tough go for her, but I'm confident that with her training (and ever-present Odgen determination) she could make it to the top.

Standing with our bikes at the base of that hill must feel something like the challenge she encounters as her feet enter the water of Lake Andrea.  With pop music blasting across the man-made lake, her heart pounding in anticipation of the start of the race, she gives her arms one last shake and dives into the turbulent and crowded water.  Months of training come rushing back, helping ease her through the water, one breast stroke after the other.

This is what it means to be 49 years old.  Despite a few gray hairs, a bad knee and increasing aches and pains, she refuses to let age control her life.  This is the age of making the most of what she has been given.  With her swim completed, she dries off, then climbs onto her bike and peddles her way out of the transition area.  With each rotation of the wheel, she accelerates past enthusiastic faces and hands, encouraging her to give it her best.  The hill before her is difficult, but it's nothing she hasn't encountered before.  Shifting into a lower gear, she climbs, quickly leaving all doubts behind.  It's the first of many climbs on her 12 mile trek...

Less than an hour later she is back, drinking from her water bottle and eating an energy bar.  The last and least favorite part of the triathlon is next, a three mile run to the finish line.  With rubber legs and hands numb from riding her bike, she sets off -- swaying left and right.  As she passes her husband, smiling with pride and ringing his cowbell, she hears him shout:  "... every three minutes.  And don't forget to breathe!" and she knows that she can finish the race.

Two hours, twelve minutes and fourteen seconds after she started, she does.

A Summer of Discontent

"So here we go with the letter
Well, can you fix it for me
Twenty-four hour drinking
To keep us all off the streets
So tonight you'll sleep softly in your bed
You could try anything
And no one would know apart from you and me
And you could stop anything
It starts with just one and turns to two, then three
We are the angry mob
We read the papers everyday
We like who we like, we hate who we hate
But we're also easily swayed


We are the angry mob."

-- Lyrics from Kaiser Chiefs' Angry Mob

They say that great storms start with trivial causes -- a drop in interests rates preceded the Great Depression of the 1930's, warm moist air colliding with cold northern storms initiated Hurricane Camille in 1969, and failure to stop Khalid Almihdhar from boarding American Airlines Flight #77 led to the partial destruction of the Pentagon and numerous deaths on September 11, 2001.

Lately, there is the phenomenon of random, racially-motivated violence by mostly young black males, and the growing popularity of flash mobs where a large group of young people descends on a store and loots it.  Recent examples can be found in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington D.C..

What's going on, and is this the small cause that starts the great storm?

Photo courtesy of Pan-African Wire Service

An observation made by Walter Russell Mead on the American Interest blog points to the fragmenting of Black America into three groups:  1) successful African American elite like Oprah and President Obama who are doing fine; 2) mobile middle class blacks with college educations located in suburbs who are under serious economic stress from housing foreclosures and job loss; and 3) the urban black underclass living in the inner city suffering with appalling social conditions like unplanned pregnancy, low high school graduation rates, unemployment and high incarceration rates.

Compounding the problem for some middle and underclass blacks is the lack of a "moral foundation" -- found when parents (as in two:  mother and father) instruct their children on discipline, dress codes, curfews and respect.  Going to church was common place, as was the belief in God.

A few years ago, Bill Cosby drew the ire of black leaders when he criticized their "dirty laundry" including poor grammar, foul language, music and rude manners.  More recently, the mayor of Philadelphia, Mr. Nutter (a black Democrat), said, "Take those God-darn hoodies down, especially in the summer."  In an angry lecture aimed at black teens, he continued, "Pull up your pants and buy a belt 'cause no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt.  If you walk into somebody's office with your hair uncombed and a pick in the back, and your shoes untied, and your pants half down, tattoos up and down your arms and on your neck, and you wonder why somebody won't hire you?  They don't hire you 'cause you look like you're crazy," the mayor said.  "You have damaged your own race."

In light of the recent riots, my sons have been debating the origins of morality.  It's an interesting discussion, leading to the following questions:  Is it that our society has given up on teaching right and wrong?  Has the abdication of God from schools and family life removed the concept of good and evil?  Have we lost the authority to prosecute crimes (small and large)?  Has the Great Society experiment of the recent past led to a "degeneracy without consequences?"   Perhaps.  


Consider that --

.  we don't need religion anymore because we have redefined sin

.  we don't criticize failure in our youth because of esteem issues

.  we don't penalize bad behavior or minimize consequences of wrong doing

.  we glorify bad behavior as is evident in much of today's pop culture

.  we have removed the stigma of divorce, abortion and unemployment 

Black community leaders (Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakan, and Al Sharpton) are quick to say that the behavior being exhibited by these youth is the result of racism, discrimination and profiling.  In other words, it's not their fault.  Traditionally, they have called for more money and intervention to aid the black youth.  But I think whites and blacks are starting to see that spending more money on tradition liberal intervention programs doesn't work.

Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP / Getty Images

Other factors are contributing to the growing disenchantment of the racial/social divide in America, England, Greece, France and other parts of the world.  Immigration reform and an economic downturn are leading the way.


Violent protests in Europe by Muslim youth and here in the states by illegal immigrants have sparked retribution against a perceived reluctance to enforce basic laws. Governments have resisted -- and in some instances passed laws --protecting the rights of illegal immigrants to give birth, attend school, practice religion and gain employment at the expense of natural citizens.  As proof, today the Obama administration decided to stop deporting illegal immigrants on a case by case basis.  This sends a clear message that illegal activities will be tolerated and in some cases actually protected.

In many instances, law enforcement is afraid to act because of "perceived" racism and bias.  In France, disgruntled Muslim urbanites have resorted to violence (most recently in Grenoble, France on July 16) after police shoot or arrest a Muslim criminal.  As reported by Pajamas Media, violence occurred after a Muslim robbed a casino and opened fire as he tried to flee the police, who then shot and killed him. This upset the mostly Muslim urban community who live in poor, unassimilated neighborhoods.  The shooting was seen as an attack on Muslims, rather than an act of justice.  Shortly following a speech by an Islamic cleric at a ceremony for the robber, youth took to the streets where they burned more than 50 cars, burned stores and used baseball bats to take over buses.  When the police arrested one rioter, the protesters responded with more violence, using guns, stones and Molotov cocktails.  The violence lasted for 4 days.


The financial meltdown and massive spending by Europe, Greece, Italy, Spain and America to maintain their social programs are leaving many of them on the brink of bankruptcy.  To survive, politicians are being forced to put austerity programs into effect, angering a population of welfare addicts who depend on their government to provide almost everything -- from raising their families, providing free education, healthcare and pensions, and even jobs.  In America, we have struggled to simply reduce the amount of spending increases much less institute spending cuts to Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid.


This is a new reality for many people who have become accustomed to government checks and benefits -- and they are not happy.  In fact they are downright violent.  It is particularly true for society's youth, who by nature are idealistic and easily motivated by social media events. "Flash robbing" has occurred by using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts to broadcast lawless activities before the police can step in and prevent theft, vandalism and beatings.  Different events are being coordinated in different parts of the city, then moved to another location before police can respond.  Almost all of these flash events have been black on white crime, putting additional pressure on black community leaders and law enforcement agencies to handle an explosive situation.


To understand the mindset of those rioting in France and London, and the recent "flash robbings" in America, consider this train of thought --

"I riot because I'm angry.  Anger envelopes me like a blanket every day of my life.  I'm angry because I'm poor, I've always been poor, and I know I will never be able to afford all those nice things people are supposed to have.  I'm angry because my life is shi- and I know it's always going to be shi-.  I'm angry because I know that there's no future for me.  No one will give me a decent job or a handout in life.  I will live in the same shi--y housing that my family has always lived in, drawing down the same shi--y benefits.  I'm angry because I live in poverty,crime, vandalism, gangs, garbage, grime and neglect.  Most days I take my anger out on myself.  I engage in a wide and creative array of self-destructive behavior.  But sometimes, like last night, I direct my anger outwards.  I let my rage take over, and for a brief moment, I feel a profound sense of release."


"I riot because it might allow me to loot a few shops.  I know I could never afford all those beautiful things everyone else seems to have, but in a riot, you can just take them.  I need some new trainers, a new phone, a laptop, clothes, money, games.  It's a consumer society, my friend.  We have all got to have these things, otherwise we won't be happy.  I just want to be happy."


Those quotes are fictitious (thank you Richard Jackson, professor at Aberstwyth University in England), but they point to the helplessness of the welfare mentality being fostered in our youth.  Without the proverbial teat to suck from, with no fear of retribution from police, and no enforcement of a moral code from parents, their response isn't all that unexpected, is it?

Will a summer of discontent breed a winter of anarchy?  Time will tell.

Lose a Battle, Win the War

I needed to take a Tylenol PM last night to ensure a restful night's sleep.

As if the big game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St Louis Cardinals wasn't bad enough, I had to deal with the results of six recall elections, starting with Kapanke v.s. Shilling in La Crosse.  Since January, I've written a number of blogs concerning this recall effort, including the protests in Madison, WI and union efforts to prevent Governor Walker from balancing Wisconsin's state budget by curtailing state employee unions.

As I grabbed the morning edition of the La Crosse Tribune, I looked around the neighborhood, with its usual, quiet tranquility disturbed only by the distant sound of a dog barking at some early morning walker.  As I snapped the paper open, I discovered I had been holding my breath.  Exhaling, I read the headline:  "Shilling ousts Kapanke."

Looking at a large picture showing a smiling, victorious Shilling, my stomach sank and I thought, "Damn, what is it with this city?"  This mid-sized town, nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River voted for Obama in the last presidential election, followed by a 2:1 margin vote for Tom Barrett as Governor, followed by support for JoAnne Kloppenburg as State Supreme Court Justice, and now Jennifer Shilling as our new State Senator.  "I'm surrounded by people who are either extremely ignorant (or worse) socialists who believe they can keep taking from taxpayers to fund their social reform programs," I mumbled, heading into the house.

As it turns out, Republicans may have lost the battle in La Crosse, but won the war in Wisconsin as four of the six recalled senators won.  The bitter taste in my mouth wasn't as repugnant when I read that Republicans held onto control of the Wisconsin Senate, beating back their challengers despite millions of dollars spent by national labor groups.  (Supposedly the overall bill was over $28 million dollars, which is close to what was spent in the race for governor.)

So the conservative revolution will continue, and as Kapanke told his supporters late Tuesday, "I wanted to win this battle more than you know, but don't feel sorry for me.  From the beginning, I knew this was going to be a battle."  He continued, "I've never been in a campaign where I felt better about the message I was putting out there.  No need  to be sad.  Wisconsin is on the right track."

A good man who made the right vote to help balance our budget, has been replaced by Shilling, who claims to want balance in Madison.   Restoring political balance was the buzzword I heard more than once in ads, conversations and even in my office where,  just like the rest of La Crosse, I am out-numbered 2:1 by Democrats.

It's always amusing to hear the Democrats talk about balance and tolerance when they are out of office, because it's nowhere in their political vocabulary when they have majority rule.  But now, according to 94th Assembly man Steve Doyle, balance and compromise are good for getting things done.  Seriously?  One look at Washington should convince you that balance gets you no where.

But for the sake of argument, let's see what the Democrats want to get done:

.  "Stop the uncompromising extremism of the Republicans and tea party."
.  "Repudiate the far right legislators who have attacked hard working families."
.  "Recall the extremist Walker ASAP."
.  "Put an end to the voter intimidation tactics of the Republican party" (passage of the voter ID law, I'm guessing).
.  "Flush the tea party down the hole they climbed out of.  Their agenda is to destroy unions, the middle class and to protect the taxes of Grover Norquist and the Koch Brothers..." (Norquist and Koch Brothers are big supporters of the Republican party, favoring tax reform.)
.  "Reverse the recent decisions on collective bargaining, union membership, and the appropriate action of state government during a recalcitrant economic crisis."

Sounds like friendly compromise, doesn't it?

The radio in my kitchen is always set to WIZM, 1410 AM radio.  This morning, while I'm digesting a banana and the morning's news, Mike Hayes is leading a discussion centered around the election and what the results mean.  Both sides are claiming moral victory.  How the left can spin this into a victory is beyond me.  They are still in the minority and have two democrats still up for recall.  If both win, it means nothing changes; if they lose, it means we're back to where we started.  And nothing changes...

I know what it means to me.  That the budget repair bill (passed in Madison with the help of Senator Dan Kapanke) is going to continue.  As a result, 1) school districts throughout the state will have a fighting chance to be in better financial shape, 2) our state's own financial house will have a better outlook and bond rating, and 3) the conservative revolution will remove the automatic collection of union dues, meaning many rank and file members will opt out, further diminishing union power and benefiting Wisconsin taxpayers.

As I'm driving to work, I see fewer Kapanke yard signs than before.  My neighbor has taken her desk-sized sign down, and I'd imagine a number of other supporters wandered out after the evening news and retired the signs to their garage.  That's where my sign hangs -- next to the "Bush / Cheney" sign of 2004.

I can't help but think about the next big battle in the state of Wisconsin:  to recall Governor Walker.  The bitter battle in this state has been and will continue to be watched by the rest of the nation.  What happens in Wisconsin (fortunately) doesn't stay in Wisconsin.  The fight against public spending will continue beyond our borders into Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.  However, if things hold true, don't expect much Republican help from La Crosse.

Although I can always hope.

Football Is Back!

Take a deep breath, and try to relax...

With the end of a four month lock-out, the National Football League and its 32 teams are back.  Along with them is free agency, training camps and declarations of who is going to be the last team standing.

With the Green Bay Packers still enjoying the high of winning last season's Super Bowl, expectations are higher than ever, supported by a chorus of experts and sports prognosticators predicting 7:1 odds that they will repeat.  The team that they will play?  The New England Patriots, also at 7:1 odds.  As for the teams that have the longest shot to make it to the Super Bowl, how about Buffalo Bills or Carolina Panthers at 100:1 odds.  I'd like to add the Vikings, but that wouldn't be nice.

Super Bowl Bound

What can we expect from this year's team?  It's easy to think, with most of last year's team back -- and more importantly with Ryan Grant, Jermichael Finley and Morgan Burnett back from injuries last year -- that things will pick up right where they left off.  Unfortunately, history indicates it will be very tough to repeat.  In fact, the last team to repeat as Super Bowl winners was the New England Patriots who did it in 2005.  It's also a fact that no defending champ has even won a playoff game the following year since the Patriots -- again in 2005.

But hope springs eternal, and with the Packers loaded with a young, highly skilled team, there is no reason that they can't go a long way in 2011.  The additions of Randall Cobb, Derek Sherrod and D. J. Williams will provide missing parts or depth to a team that has little or no weaknesses.

I love how analysts get all excited about the Philadelphia Eagles (with the additions on defense of Rogers-Cromartie and Asumugha) or the Patriots (adding receiver Ochocinco and defensive tackle Haynesworth), yet every year they are wrong about who wins the division, much less gets into post season.  They are like team owners who become so focused on the shiny new additions that they fail to acknowledge the weakness (selfishness, egos, coaching, and most importantly the quarterback) that kept the team from getting anywhere last year.

Aaron Rogers continues to amaze me with his maturity, leadership and talent.  How absolutely LUCKY did we get when he fell to us a few years ago?  And then to give him enough time to learn the position before throwing him into the fire?  I've noticed that a number of teams this year (Vikings and Cincinnati) are choosing to sit their drafted quarterbacks so that they can learn the way Rogers did with the Packers.  The difference is that Rogers has #1 pick talent, whereas Dalton and Ponder won't ever be as good.  Baring an injury, I don't see how anyone stops the Packers on offense with Rogers throwing to Driver, Jennings, Finley and the others.

And if not by air, there's always the ground game with Ryan Grant, James Starks and rookie Alex Green running behind a much improved offensive line.  After last year, when it seemed like we NEVER had anyone that could run the ball, I'm really looking forward to this new three-headed attack.  Good luck, the rest of you in the Central (North) division.

Brats, beer and Badger football.

I'm also excited about the college game.  In particular the Badgers, who are coming off a trip to the Rose Bowl after winning the Big Ten last year.  New this year is the addition of the University of Nebraska, which gives the conference twelve teams and two divisions.  The winners of the two divisions -- Leaders and Legends -- will meet in the first Conference Championship game in Indianapolis, IN.

Wisconsin is in the Leaders Division along with Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State and Ohio State.  Michigan heads the Legends Division, along with Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern.

The addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten means that Wisconsin will be opening its conference season against them in Madison.  Many are predicting great things for the Badgers this year with the troubles that are brewing in Columbus.  The Ohio State, typically the powerhouse team of the conference, is in trouble with its tattoo scandal and quarterback, Terrelle Pryor -- leaving the door open for Wisconsin to take the division, possibly the conference and hopefully the national championship.  I know, I'm dreaming...

... but one of the reasons is the addition of quarterback Russell Wilson who transferred to Wisconsin after completing his senior year at North Carolina State.  Wilson, perhaps the greatest "free agent" pick-up in Wisconsin history, is the type of quarterback that NEVER picks us.  Wisconsin is known for their running backs and offensive linemen.  But a quarterback that can throw and run?  Are you kidding me?  Wilson once threw 379 attempts without an interception.  Equally impressive:  his 3,563 passing yards and 28 touchdowns not only led the ACC, but it would have led the Big Ten.

Wisconsin coach Brett Bielema (known as the "young turk") seems to be finding his groove, as he was recently named the best coach in the Big Ten.  It's paying off with the verbal commitments of four star offensive linemen Dan Voltz and Kyle Dodson, and California quarterback Bart Houston.  When I was going to Wisconsin, we wouldn't get a whiff, much less a commitment from these guys.  Things are certainly looking up for Bucky!

Football has always been NUMBER ONE around my house (followed closely by basketball), and it's hard to believe that this year will be as good as last year, when both the Badgers and the Packers did so well.  As a team sport, it requires all of the pieces and it's rare that all of those pieces fall into place.  Here's hoping that they do.

Not that I'm counting down the days, but it's twenty-nines days for the Badgers and thirty-five days for the Packers....