Don't Ask, Don't Tell...and Ultrarunning

Via Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Dish, we see this moving photo:

Th caption:

Iraq War Army Veteran, Lt. Dan Choi, who was discharged from the military for being gay, cleans the gravestone of Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, at Congressional Cemetery on November 15, 2010 in Washington, DC. Sgt. Matlovich who died in 1988 was a Vietnam Veteran who a received both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star and was later discharged from the Air Force for being gay. An inscription on his tombstone reads 'When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.' Some 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal advocates consider Sgt. Matlovich's gravesite to be a memorial to all gay veterans. By Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Then Andrew goes on to comment:

Anyone who doubts the professionalism of today's military would do well to read the Pentagon Report on DADT. First, it's a massive undertaking, involving hundreds of thousands of responses, 95 face-to-face meetings, and a range of views from everyone who might be affected. It's one of the most impressive reports I've ever read from a government agency.

It's also extremely calm and fair. If you've been in the thick of this debate as long as I have, you'll know how rare that is. The tone is empirical, and judicious. It does not gloss over some serious objections - such as moral and religious ones - and grapples directly with some of the more emotive issues, such as sharing showers or sleeping quarters. It feels in no way skewed or prejudged.

And the report is absolutely clear that straight servicemembers by large majorities have few problems with openly gay servicemembers. 69 percent of them acknowledge they have fought or worked alongside gay men and women already. A staggering 92 percent of those were fine with lifting the ban. Again: when you know someone is gay, all the fears and stereotypes tend to evaporate. This is not a surprise. The men and women of the US military are among the finest in the land; they want to do the job at hand, not deepen social division or posture politically.

It is looking increasingly unlikely that a Senate vote on repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell will occur before the Christmas recess. Shame on them--the Republicans for opposing it, and the Democrats--especially President Obama--for not going to the mat to do the right thing and end this odious anachronism. Shame on them.

I have gay folk in my extended family, and they are just people. No more and no less than you or me. That is, except in the eyes of the law of the land.

The connection to Ultrarunning? I've said here on Mister Tristan before that we tend to be an open, welcoming band of people. I am convinced that we are more accepting of people as they are, and much less judgmental than the populace at large. If somebody can run 50K or 50 or 100 miles, that tells me enough about the content of their character.

   

Craft Mentality…and Ultrarunning

In the early years of the UltraList, I saved some goodies. This one comes from 1999, and was authored by Raymond Zirblis, who may still be on the List.
I don’t know Ray, and am stealing this, with grateful credit to him.

My post is likely going to sound like the grousing of an old man who is grumpy about the faced-paced speed of society, who may fear being left behind. I hope it doesn’t, because what I want to emphasize is the value of taking it slow, of paying your dues, as a means to truly understand whatever your passion is.

Basically in Ultrarunning I’ve been seeing that some? many? folks rush things. A typical trajectory has someone come flying into the sport from the marathon (or not), do a 50K and love it, do a 50M and love it, and within a year are tackling a 100 miler. Then the year after that are feeling dissed when they are not granted entry into Badwater or Barkley.  They may burn out and leave the sport within a couple years, an are heard from no more.

Another analogy I like to use is the value of a long dating period or courtship before two folks move in together or get married. Seems to me that you need to see your prospective partner at their best and at their worst. This can only come thru the sheer passage of time, which uncovers various situations, whatever life throws at you, which you both handle (or not).

How about yet another example: the Amazing Race seems to throw a very harsh light on relationships in stressful situations. Getting to see what your partner is really made of may not be a pleasnat experience.

Now let’s see what Ray had to say about "craft mentality". His thoughts were largely directed to the sport of climbing, but equally apply to Ultrarunning.

I suppose that with climbing I am most annoyed by the short cuts which the last twenty years of technological advances allow people to take. There are plenty of people out there who climb grade six ice but couldn't self arrest on a medium snow slope with a heavy pack on. I was climbing in the 'Daks a few winter's back, and a guy came up to me at my car and asked, "How much does it cost to get into this sport?"

I have tended to approach climbing and running, and many other things in my life, with a craft mentality. I am aware of the traditions, the history, the people I've served 'apprenticeships' with, and the inherited and constantly re-developing ethics and code of conduct of the craft.

The poet Galway Kinell was once asked about when he became a poet, and his reply was interesting. He said that the title 'poet,' is one of the last in our culture still conferred by others on a person. He said that, for good or bad, society is full of people who 'title' themselves, often bypassing the work and tradition of an endeavor in doing so. I am all for an individual constructing his or her own identity, but I see his point. In being 'titled,' one is also entitled: as a mountaineer, I felt the pride in and responsibility of that craft, and was entitled to- earned and enjoyed- respect, (that is, the respect which counts, that of a few friends and comrades.) I find a similar trajectory for myself with running.

I don't have a firm answer for myself, but value the craft approach and the discipline and solid honesty of putting the time in. I know that I am giving my life to the things I love. And that is, to me, what the craft approach is about, giving one's life. In return,...maybe...sometimes, one achieves moments of insight into and far beyond the activity itself.

Bottom line: go slow. Savor the moment. Pay your dues. Bring a craft mentality to Ultrarunning.

69 Years Ago

(photos by Gary)

I've been fortunate enough to have had several business trips to Hawaii. One of the must-see things, of course, is the memorial to the USS Arizona, which was sunk during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 69 years ago today, on 7 Dec 1941.  From the National Park Service web site:

The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. The 184-foot-long Memorial structure spanning the mid-portion of the sunken battleship consists of three main sections: the entry and assembly rooms; a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation; and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall.

It's a quiet, hushed, almost reverent place. It's hard to imagine the bedlam and fury of that day. One of the things that moved me the most was seeing the list of survivors who chose upon their deaths to be buried with their shipmates from 1941.

Crewmembers who were assigned to the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941, have the right to have their cremated remains interred inside the barbette of gun turret four by National Park Service divers. If you were a crewmember before that infamous day, you have the right to have your ashes scattered over the ship. In both cases, the common thread is that these men were at one time in their navy careers assigned to the USS Arizona. This policy is strictly enforced by the USS Arizona Reunion and Survivor Association. (In addition, any Pearl Harbor survivor can have their ashes scattered over the place in the harbor where their ship was located during the attack). On April 12, 1982, the ashes of retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Stanley M. Teslow were interred, becoming the first USS Arizona survivor to return to his ship. By mid 2006, 28 surviving crewmembers have rejoined their shipmates in simple and private ceremonies, complete with a two-bell ceremony from the Fleet Reserve Association; a rifle salute from the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps; and a benediction with the echo of Taps being played across the harbor. The services are conducted inside the memorial and consist of an invocation, funeral ceremony, and a flag presentation to the family. Following the ceremony, the urn is carried from the memorial to the dock area and presented to divers, who swim the urn into the open barbette of gun turret number four and proceed to a large open "slot" that measures approximately 6" x 5'. The urn is placed into this slot and slides into the ship.

Drops of oil float to the surface to this day:

 
Again, from the NPS site:

There were 1.4 million gallons of fuel on the USS Arizona when she sank. Over 60 years later, approximately nine quarts still surfaces from the ship each day. Some Pearl Harbor survivors have referred to the oil droplets as "Black Tears."

Diety, Sports...Ultrarunning

Among my running group, a link recently made for some conversation.  Seems that on the religious front, a high school football player was recently flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for pointing heavenward after a touchdown.

We debated for a couple of miles around the perimeter whether it's OK for a religious person to publicly demonstrate said religiosity.  We reached no consensus.

My tongue-in-cheek comment after all was said and done was this: most people would focus narrowly on the after-action reverent display. I think the true "unsportsmanlike" part would be the advantage accruing from invoking deity for yours or your team's benefit (translated: unfair to have God on your side...after all, the omnipotence thing, you know).

I can say that I have not personally witnessed any such demonstrations at any of the ultra finish lines I have crossed.  But I'd be OK with it--different strokes for different folks, and so on....

Cats in Art: Cat and Goldfish

My continuing Cats in Art series.  Another Japanese work.

Image and text credit here.  [19th century, Kuniyoshi, Cat and Goldfish, woodcut]

This woodcut by Japanese artist Kuniyoshi Kitagawa entitled Cat and Goldfish is from the series Kingyo Zukushi (Goldfish Story). Although cartoon-like in its execution, this woodcut captures the reality of the cat and goldfish relationship.

The cat is waiting to pounce, just like the famous quote from H.L. Mencken, that for me sums up the whole notion of using Ultrarunning as a vehicle to go to "the edge" to explore your physical and mental limits, whatever that means to you:

Penetrating so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits nevertheless, calmly licking its chops.

 

Iraq Advise and Assist Brigades

This summer, the administration announced the fact that there were no more combat brigades in Iraq.

There, is however, more to the story, as reported in the Raw Story back in Aug.  I am sorry, but I simply forget where I got this reference.  That bothers me because I always try to attribute any leads to articles such as this one:

The US military and the Obama administration loudly trumpeted the withdrawal of the "last combat brigade" from Iraq last week, but news reports suggest the move is purely semantic: The combat brigades are still there, but under a different name.

The Army Times reported on Saturday that the US still has seven combat brigades inside Iraq, but they have been renamed "advise and assist brigades." The name change will reportedly change little in terms of the duties the brigades carry out.

And there's more disquieting news, just in case you thought we were leaving Iraq anytime soon:

The US military presence in Iraq may continue long after the end of 2011, when all American forces are supposed to depart under a security agreement.

Top military leaders in both countries acknowledge Iraq still may need help from the US armed forces after 2011.

"We're obviously open to that discussion," US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week. "But that initiative will have to come from the Iraqis."

Iraq's top military officer told AFP last week that American forces may be needed for another decade.

 

Let's Retire the Global Policeman

(photo credit CNN)

Reading Shakesville is usually a treat, Monday being no exception. Melissa McEwan points us to Andrew J. Bacevich and a link to CNN wherein we read:

[Bacevich] has become a leading voice among anti-war critics. He is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army, a former West Point instructor and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

He's also a Boston University international relations professor who offers a historical perspective with his criticism. He says Obama has been ensnared by the "Washington Rules," a set of assumptions that have guided presidents since Harry Truman.

The rules say that the U.S. should act as a global policeman. "Fixing Iraq or Afghanistan ends up taking precedence over fixing Cleveland or Detroit," Bacevich writes.

His solution: The U.S. should stop deploying a "global occupation force" and focus on nation-building at home.

"The job is too big," he says of the U.S. global military presence. "We don't have enough money. We don't have enough troops. There's a growing recognition that the amount of red ink we're spilling is unsustainable."

It's guns vs. butter all over again.  I guess it's always been guns vs. butter.  To date, guns have been winning.  High time that butter gets its due.

Elevated Body Temperature...and Ultrarunning

On Tuesdays I telework from home, but usually go for an early 5 mile run at 5:30 am so I can be at my computer at 6:30 am, the start of my normal work day.

This day, however, I stayed in bed.  A cold made its may around the family over Thanksgiving, affecting multiple people.  I usually am immune to such things, but this one got me.  Monday evening I was down hard with congestion, sore throat, and just feeling lousy. 

I do have a theory that I did not put into practice this time.  You know how you always hear that running a fever is your body's way of fighting an infection?  That an elevated body temperature can kill pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses? 

Well, my theory is that in running we elevate our body temperature all the time and that's why--in my case, at least, as an experiment of one--we are healthier than the general population.  Not just fitter, but healthier.

Hopefully I can run at noon today with my perimeter buddies.  Even if I am not 100% I think it'll be good for me.