Not a fan of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court set two landmark rulings this week, both of which I disagree to some degree.

The first is the the right to carry hand guns. I would like to first say, I have a valid FOID card. I believe in the rights afforded to me by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and it's Amendments. However, I also believe in my own personal safety and the safety of others.

The Second Amendment allows for a "well regulated militia". If that's the case, then there should be also well regulated laws in place for those carrying those guns. I have no problem with a well trained, calm, rational, person owning a gun. However, I do have a problem with a punk-ass gang banger outside my school shooting. And I know you don't want me to get on the soap box about my biological father!!

I can see that criminals are carrying guns, and using them. Therefore, this case would allow me to carry a handgun for my own personal protection (much more intimidating than my mace--Thanks Jack!). In theory, it's a nice idea. Make it legal for me to fight back...I dig it. The problem arises that I would need this weapon in the neighborhood where I teach. It would not be appropriate for me to bring a gun to work. Who's going to argue for having a hand gun in school? Not me! And besides, if my cell phone and digital camera were stolen, what's to stop my hand gun from also being taken. It would not be safe to leave a loaded weapon in my car. If my car was stolen or broken into they would also have the weapon, thus putting a lethal weapon in the hands of yet another criminal.

The point of this ruling was to say that the amendment was written with the individual rites of the person in mind (don't forget the amendment was written 200 years ago!). I appreciate that my individual rights are being protected, but where is the line? We have laws and punishments in place because people cannot handle the freedoms afforded to them by our country. If this ruling eradicates the handgun ban in the city of Chicago, I expect much severe laws to be placed on the books AND ENFORCED. More freedom goes hand and hand with more responsibility. I hope that this responsibility takes into account the general safety of others.

Besides this, what training is there in place for those carrying the guns? Getting a FOID card requires no more than $5, an application and a background check. What about if I wanted to actually go out and get a gun? I have no training. Sure, I'm a responsible person, and if I wanted a gun, I recognize the safety issues and would be trained on how to use it. Not everyone has this sense of responsibility!

The second landmark ruling was that the use of capitol punishment for the rape of a child was a violation of the 8th Amendment. I'm sure you can see that I'm at a struggle with the last ruling. I'm stuck between my personal safety and my personal freedoms. This second ruling pisses me off. There are sooooo many things wrong with this ruling.

First of all, you can see that I am in favor of capitol punishment. I can say this because with all the checks and balances in place, a person can be on death row for years before they are executed. The laws are written in such a way giving the criminal the benefit of the doubt. The law would rather have a guilty person go free than imprison an innocent person. Furthermore, it irritates me that a convicted felon in prison is afforded more luxuries than I have as a free woman. My tax dollars pay for free education, free cable, 3 squares a day...sure there is the threat of being made someone's bitch...but it's a trade off.

On a slight side tangent, it irritates me that there is no reform for a criminal in the prison program. It seems to be a revolving door of many of the same persons going in and out. With reform programs we'd have less criminals and a better society as a whole. Sure, not everyone can be helped, but I'm sure it would help more than it hurt.

Back to the issue: If the law allows an "eye for an eye" so to speak, on murder cases how is it fair for a child rapist to be simply imprisoned? That child has to live the rest of its life with the scars of the memory of the incident. If it was a recurrent abuse case this compounds the situation. Our children are precious impressionable beings. I can see the result first hand of children being raised in less than desirable situations. It isn't easy to have a child succeed if they don't see the possible successes they can achieve. A raped/abused child, with out proper counseling (and possibly even with it) may not stand a chance at a normal life. That rapist has taken that child's innocence and childhood. I understand it's possible for a child to recover, but it's not easy. How is it that child pedophiles, abusers, and rapists are let off in this manner?

By the law, the accused has the right to a trial by a jury of his/her peers. If the jury of their peers finds the defendant guilty, they should have the option to give a sentence of capitol punishment. Have you ever served on a jury? Do you know how hard it is to get 12 people to agree? Even with the "open and shut" case that I was on, there was still some dissent on the wording of our verdict. If 12 jurors can agree to a capitol sentence then it should be enacted. I guarantee that there will be at least one person on that jury that does not take that sentence lightly.

I agree that a punishment should fit the crime. I simply don't see the reform or justice by a life sentence in prison. In my opinion, Child rape and abuse is one of the most heinous crimes one can commit. It is disgusting and despicable. With capitol crime, I'm not certain that the punishment is a deterrent. The average person has a sense of right and wrong. The punishments in the case of capitol offenses are not only to punish but to keep the deviants out of society and people safe. Until the reforms for rehabilitation in the prison system are in place I will stand behind that statement. With that being the case, the death penalty ensures that no person will have to suffer at the hands of a repeat offense. Isn't that what we're looking to happen? Capitol punishment ensures it.

I believe that the rights, freedoms, and pursuits of happiness should be held higher for the common good of people rather than for criminals. Criminals have the rights in place for fair and speedy trials, and also an abstention from cruel and unusual punishment. Were they not criminals, they wouldn't have to worry about having their rights violated. Upon the completion of their sentences, reforms should be in place not only for a smooth transition to society, but also to keep that person from falling back in to their prior pattern of crime.

Shame on you, Supreme Court for ensuring better treatment for the criminal, rather than for vindication for the innocent.

I Tri-ed

Yeah!! I'm officially a Triathlete!Today I finished my first triathlon, the US Women's Triathlon Series, in Naperville. I did the race with my friend Elaine.

We are both marathoners, and this was our first trathlon. The start of the race was delayed an hour due to lightning and thunder. Here's us waiting for the swim to start...

So ready to go!!I did the 1/2 mile swim in 15:23...I'm so proud of that since I just learned to swim in February. I learned in the bike portion that I need to tuck my shoelaces into my shoes! My lace got caught in the chain...I was hoping on one foot, almost like a dog peeing on the fire hydrant!I liked the run, but could have done the transitions better(both of them). I also didn't like that there were no clocks on the course. I think I could have run better if I had taken the time to put on my watch.I really had no concept of time for this race. I am happy that I felt stronger as the race progressed. That's a great feeling...when others are dying and I'm happily going along slower, but steady.

Triathlons also require so much more crap than running. Elain ended up getting this huge back pack to store all her stuff, she looked like a little turtle trying to carry it...so cute.

My over all time was being an 1 hour 54 minutes...and I'm happy to say I didn't drown! Danskin, here I come!

Anticipation

I can't sleep. I'm nervous. I've gone through my transition bags, and I still feel like I'm forgetting something.

In less than 12 hours, I'll be participating in my first triathlon. I can't decide if I'm more afraid of drowning or appearing in public in a mostly spandex/lycra/neoprene outfit.

What was I thinking? I mean this is ME we're talking about. My marathon was eventful enough...now I'm adding two other disciplines? I should have realized this is fraught with peril.

I wonder if wrapping myself in bubble wrap would be counted as an additional flotation device and have me DQed?

The Work-out of my LIFE!

Today, I think I had the work out of my life. I can't remember when I sweat so much in such a short period of time. No, I didn't try some weird running loop with hills... nor did Hector come up with some devilish thing to torment me at the gym...

I tried on wetsuits today.

Now, one would think that this would be like trying on some ordinary article of clothing. Not so much. I was mentally prepared for having to wear a skintight article of clothing in public, but I was not prepared for what it took to get in one.

It was like trying to wrestle a man eating python and loosing. Yes, these things are tight, but they're not terribly pliable. I was waddling around the dressing room penguin style trying to pull the damn thing up. Sweating profusely, I slipped and crashed in to the wall (nothing was broken but my pride at this point).

After the crash, the guy at Fleet Feet that was helping me offered me some Suit Juice--EW! That sounds nasty! I couldn't decide if it was for me to drink or something that I had to mix with my copious amounts of sweat to put on the wetsuit. It's actually in a spray bottle and you spray it on yourself. It supposedly helps you get in and out of the wetsuit easier (riiiight!).

Did you know that you could get neoprene burn on your knuckles? Me neither. But they're nice and raw at this point (and suit juice stings!). I tried on men's suits and women's suits.... Unfortunately, they don't make a women's tall.

Here's another tip...while a ponytail is a good idea to keep your hair out of the way during this process, don't zip your hair in to the back of the wet suit. It will get caught in the zipper. Let me tell you, that was super fun! There's nothing like walking out of the dressing room with your head healed high (only because if I dropped it down, I'd rip my hair out) and asking for someone to unzip me because my hair was caught. It was awesome! (and by awesome I mean mortifying!)

Something else I didn't know...to ensure a proper fit, you have to lay down and pretend you're swimming. Yep... That was me, lying on the floor in the Fleet Feet (at Piper's Alley), pretending to swim, in a wetsuit, with out water. Can you say "Beached Whale"? (Ok, maybe I'm being to hard on myself... Let's go with beached seal.) Thank God I wasn't wearing my swim cap and goggles, then I definitely would have looked extra special.

Well, after squeezing myself into 5 different suits, the Fleet Feet guy stated that the first suit was the best fit, and that he wanted me to try it on again. Again?!?! ARRRGH!

Can someone remind me why I wanted to do a triathlon again?

Froggy Lines

I'm sick to death of vulgar pick up lines. (Although, I think Lynn's takes the cake...let's see if she'll post it!) So, I've compiled a list of the most recent. And of course, the bitter, jaded, sarcastic internal monologue is in parentheses next to it for your reading pleasure. Go ahead, laugh at my misfortune ('cuz true stuff is funny).

Things you should not say to a woman you want to date:

• So, just how many beers is it going to take?" (There isn't enough beer in Germany, buddy.)
• "I want to come on your tits." (Um, no thank you--yeah, I wasn't even prepared for that one.)
• "Who's saying I want a relationship?" (Oh, I'm sorry, I miss understood! You're a man-whore!)
• "Okey dokie, cupcake." (Do I look frosted?!?!)
• "If I were you, I'd do me." (Great, then go fuck yourself.)
• "I just wanna sleep with you." (What? No please?)
• "I'm just not in a relationship-y kind of place." (Then why the hell did you ask me out--oh yeah, you're a man-whore too!)
• "OOO you've got a fat ass!!" (Ooo, you've got a small dick!)
• "I think you need to get laid, and I think I'm just the man to take care of that." (And I think that if you were the last man alive, I'd rob a sperm bank and find a turkey baster thingy.)

So now you can see why "I QUIT!". Seriously. I don't wanna play any more.

Crashing and Waxing

I have been know to get things waxed. In fact, I do regularly get a bikini wax. It's just part of my maintenance routine. Yesterday, I had such an appointment with my esthetician. For those of you who are not familiar with the process, I have to point out that you are naked from the waist down. Sure, they give you a towel to drape yourself, but you're pretty much on a massage table half naked.

Anywho, I was laying there, waiting for my esthetician, she knocks on the door and I tell her that I am ready. As she slides open the pocket door, there is a huge crash!! (And no, this time it wasn't MY fault!!). The door completely fell off it's hinges!!

This poor woman is freaking out!! She's apologizing, and I'm worried as to if she is ok. I felt awful, all I could do was sit there...remember, I'm naked from the waist down! It's not like I can jump up to help her!! Once I realize that she is ok, I find the situation completely hilarious! I mean, this WOULD happen to me! I'm totally laughing by now.

So what do we do now? She offers to get a guy to fix it... yeah--still naked! (and laughing my ass off!) She realizes that getting a man at this point isn't the best idea. I can't stand up to get dressed...there's no door, I'm naked and my pants are clear across the room.

So she leaves me to find another room. Once she does find somewhere else to do this, I asked her for a towel. I wrap this much larger towel around me, grab my pants and dash down the hall (laughing the whole way). The poor woman who was scheduled to give me a wax was still apologizing. I kept trying to tell her it really was ok, and that I thought it was funny!

Fortunately, for me, the rest of the wax was uneventful!

Back in the Bleachers

It was a beautiful day in Chicago!!

I ran a 10k in the morning and headed to Wrigley for a game against the Rockies. It was a great game...no Blondes screaming about how hot is Sariano's ass...just a good quality bleacher experience! Here's Julia and Ginger (it was Ginger's first Cubs game!!)


And Matt with the winning scoreboard.

"Hey Chicago, what do you say?" The Cubs are in first place today!! Thanks Matt and Julia for inviting me!!