My First Track Day

One day a couple of years ago, Robert and I were on our way to Eloy to Skydive, and we saw some people racing sporbikes around a road course at Firebird Raceway just south of Phoenix. I was thinking how much fun that would be, and even bought a racy looking sportbike to learn how to ride. I took all the riding courses and learned to ride on the twisty canyon roads outside of town. The twisties were so fun (and I am so lazy), that I never did get down to Firebird to run on the track. Probably never would have, but Robert bought a georgous Ducati and started riding with me on the weekends.

Well, last weekend, Robert and I fianlly did our first Track Day at Firebird, and WOW was it fun! Robert and I rode our bikes to the track, and Robert's wife Lynn drove the SUV packed with all the luxuries one comes to expect from the Jones familly. EZ-Up awning, chairs, cooler stuffed with drinks and the such. The first thing we had to do was register and get our wrist band, then prep the bikes and get through TECH inspection. The mirrors had to be removed and the lights, turn signals and reflectors taped up so as not to be a distraction to the other riders. Protective clothing is also a requirement, and I had a hell of a time finding rental leathers that would fit. They must think all sportbike riders are fit 18 year olds, my fat gut and skinny legs made it difficult. Finally squeezed into the biggest, nastiest size 54 they had and was done with it!

Being first timers, we registered in the Beginning Group, which is a relaxed pace and prohibits passing in the corners. It wasn't long before our group was called over the PA to stage up for our first of four 15 minute sessions. Once out there, Robert and I stayed close and set our own pace, following other riders and learning the course. It seemed entirely too soon when I saw the checkered flag ending our session. Lots of smiles and high-fives back in the pits! The next session started the conservative passing, then we streached our legs so to speak. By the third and fourth session, Robert and I were running quite hard, and having an absolute BLAST!!

The experience kinda reminded me of my first Skydive. I just could not stop thinking about my first track day, and the "buzz" lasted an entire week! Profoundly fun, and we are already thinking about another track day in April. Robert did such a great job, even scraping off some of his boot sole on the track, and the pics we got are awesome! Thanks for draggin me down there, buddy! I will never forget it!

Woohooooo!!!

The dog doesn't like the food!

This week we will witness the potential endgame in the year long battle for Healthcare reform. And what a year it has been. Particularly interesting has been the constantly sliding poll numbers since last summer's town hall meetings, and the suprising results of the Massachusetts special election, in which Scott Brown ran on the platform of being the 41st vote in the Senate to break the Democrat's fillibuster proof supermajority.

That special election result put a spotlight on the publics response to the current legislation, and caused both the Obama administration and congressional leaders on Capital Hill to hunker down and re-assess the growing opposition. The bunker down mentallity of a tight core group of presidential advisers obviously did not include additional input, and appears to have resulted in a "group think" mindset that has mis-diagonosed the proceedure vs. policy. Unable (or unwilling) to accurately read the T.E.A. leaves and opinion polls, the POTUS has focused squarely on the public's disgust of the special deals and closed door meetings, read: THE PROCEEDURE. While correct, he neglected the more important of the two issues, read THE POLICY.

The dog doesn't like the food. The American people do not like the current policy. You can certainly try putting the dog food in a different bowl, or try parlimentary proceedures like reconciliation, but the dog STILL doesn't like the food! It's not like were not hungry, Americans want healthcare reform, just not this current 2,700 page progressive redistributive deficit busting spending monstrosity. It's about reforming healthcare costs, not an oportuinity to expand coverage. I believe that common sense reforms to reduce costs by increasing competion and tort reform would expand coverage simply by making insurance more afordable to those who choose to participate, and would spare the American people the draconian manditory measures and resulting bloated bureaucracy.

Fuzzy War?

After much consternation, General McCrystal is finally getting the troops into Afganistan he requested from the Obama administration. This will constitute the backbone of General McCrystals new strategy to counter a resurgent Taliban influence in the complicated conflict in Afganistan. Their new rules of engagement on the battlefield, however have caused some anxiety.

Counter-intuitive as it first seemed to an admitted hawk like myself, I now have high hopes for the strategy. The new rules of engagement tighten the reigns of the use of leathal force by soldiers to reduce civilian casualties, and means to demostrate the ability of the goverment to provide basic services and securtity. No doubt that the restrictive rules put our soldiers at increased risk, even more so when the enemy will use our rules of engagement against them. Taliban combantants will drop thier weapons and taunt allied troops, and hide behind civilians to harrass our troops and store their supplies. Allied air power and artillary have been curtailed to prevent collateral damage, and advance warnings remove the element of surprise. As fustrating as this must be, it may proove worth the risk. It appears that the fight really is for the hearts and minds of the Afganistan people now, and it may already be paying dividends. The ongoing operation in Marja was aided by civilian intel describing opposing force stregnth and location of mines and deadly IEDs. There is no arguing that this saved lives. Although modeled after successfull strategy in Iraq to engage support from tribal leaders, and early results have been encouraging, it is no garranty of long term success here, as the recent gains are only half of the strategy. The apparently corrupt government in Kabul still needs to demostrate its ability to fill a power vacume created by the removal of the Taliban and forfill its obligations to its citizens with basic services and secruity, the REAL measure of success for the Afgan people.

As the millitary portion of the strategy moves on with advance warnings to the residents of Kandahar, all eyes will be on the governments efforts in Marja. This long war may hinge on the efforts to gain the support of the tribal population outside of the major poplulation centers. The new stratagy in Afganistan, along with the increased use of drones and non-conventional special forces raids in Pakistan and Keyna certainly reduce our footprint, but in my mind create a "fuzzy War" strategy that will be difficult for the guage due to the secrecy surrounding the non-coventional tactics. However, the Obama admisitration should be commended over the din of his party's pressure, as this strategy just may prove to get the results we need to eventually hand over the reigns and get our troops home.