Saturday was beautiful! I suppose it topped out at 74 or 75 degrees. I jumped at the chance to take a ride. I hopped on the old V-Star and headed north.

 It took a good twenty minutes longer than usual to get to Wasilla, on account of road construction. But once I inched past the workers the lanes opened back up and I averaged 65 to 70 mph after that. I stopped by a friend's house in Wasilla to see what's up, but no one was home.

 So, on to Willow. The bike was running great, and so far it was a pleasurable ride. As I left Willow the traffic really lightened up and I was able to check out the scenery as I rode.

 By now, I had been on the bike for about 90 minutes, and thanks to the road construction, I was passing mile maker 75. That's not very good time. I had planned on riding to Talkeetna (approx. 95 miles) but the hind side was starting to bother me.

 Soon I was passing mile markers in the eighties and was looking for a place to rest. The Kashwitna River crosses under the Parks Highway around marker 83. There is a nice pull out right beside it, so I parked the bike.

 It felt good to stretch and walk around. I definitely need some highway bars. My knees get locked up riding too long on the stock foot pegs. After a good 15 minutes standing upright I had to decide which way to go. I really wanted to continue, but to do that I would have needed some pain killer (which I failed to bring). I decided that by the time I got home it would be about as much as I could take. So I headed back home.

  When I parked it in the garage, I had been gone 3 and a half hours. For an old guy like me, 3 and a half hours on the bike was pretty good. It's a far cry from touring several hundred miles per day like I want. But to do that, I definitely need some modifications. I need a better than stock seat and some highway bars to stretch the legs.

 This week I may take off to Glennallen and from there, on to Tok. That would be approx. 640 mile round trip. If I do it, I'll do an overnighter and try to split those miles up some. And I'll be sure to remember the ibuprofin.

 We have gotten about 3/4 inch of rain since saturday, so it's a good thing I got out when I did. But, the next few days are supposed to be sunny again. And I've got the itch to go.

 Later
 

According to the ADN (Anchorage Daily Newspaper), Mr. Young did not cast a vote on whether to drastically change strategies in Iraq. The House tally was 223-201 in favor of changing courses, troop withdrawals starting in four months, and a complete change of mission by next year. All these against the President’s wishes.

I don’t know why Mr. Young chose not to vote. Perhaps he was out of town. Maybe something came up that could not wait until one of the four months per year that Congress does not convene. Perhaps he was ill. Perhaps he didn’t see the need to vote, given that his vote would have been in the minority, and not made much difference. Whatever the case, I feel he is derelict of his duties on such an important issue. Not only did he blow off his constituents in Alaska, he also sent a bad message to the troops that they are unimportant.

Mr. Young’s voting record (or lack of voting record) has been a topic of debate in the past. He defends it by saying that some of the votes are not necessary and a waste of his precious time. I submit that voting in Congress is exactly what he is sent to Washington DC to do. His job is to represent us back in the state by voting for us. I am not interested in his little news sound bites, or pictures of all his Alaskan paraphernalia in his office, or even what lopsided federal spending he brings to our state. No, I am interested in his voting record. It is a barometer of his representation of us. And quite frankly, it sucks.

His non-participation actually emboldens these left leaning idiots like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed.

Look, I realize that many Alaskans are fed up with this so called war. And whether you support a change of course or not doesn’t really matter in this case. No, what matters to me is that our representative, the one we voted into office, the one we sent to DC on our behalf, actually shows up and participates in the process. You know, earns his freakin’ pay. Lets all start now in finding his replacement. And don’t talk to me about idiots like Ethan Berkowitz. Let’s find a good replacement who can actually remember why he was sent to DC.

Later

  I’ve often wondered why such a conservative state as Alaska does not institute the death penalty. I have concluded that perhaps it is too expensive (in its current form) for a state of less than 700,000 people. Maybe it is with all the appeals and years of imprisonment, not to mention ensuring the act itself is humane.

 Where others seem to stumble is on the deterrent factor. I say who cares about the deterrent factor? It is called the “death penalty”, not the “crime deterrent”.  Besides, there are now studies out that show it does have a deterrent factor. And with each execution, an estimated 18 lives are saved. How’s that for cost verses benefit?

 Others argue that too many innocent people are executed each year. I don’t believe that to be true. With modern science and the abundance of lawyers, I can’t believe a truly innocent man can’t prove his case. Besides, he is innocent until proven guilty by the state.

 I truly think that Alaska needs the death penalty voted into law before a terroristic attack happens here like in Scotland. Then, if it were to happen here, we could at least execute the criminals and set an example to others who are entertaining such acts.

 What deterrent does the death penalty have to suicide bombers who are paying the ultimate price? Maybe none. But remember it is called the death penalty, not deterrent. Besides, when they make a mistake and the bomb does not go off, they sure run to save their hide.

 Once capital punishment is instituted, there should be no age limit. Anyone who maliciously takes another life should face the ultimate sentence, regardless if they are 41 or 14. Then some of these idiot gang members may actually think twice before shooting a person wearing a red shirt.

 To be clear, if one of my family ever fell victim to one of these punks,  they may be unable to avoid a death penalty. Even after serving the state imposed sentence. I'm speaking hypothetically of course. I don't want to sound as if I condone vigilantism.

 It is definitely time for Alaska to institute capital punishment, and I implore our legislators to implement this sentence as another tool for our DA’s.

 We could probably contract out to another state for the actual deed like we do for prison sentences. It is just a matter of time before our ports, airports, or gas line becomes the target of extremists. Let’s put the penalty in place now. 

The Senator from New York is at it again. Spewing out remarks that make her look like an idiot. The recent criticisms of the President are laughable coming from the wife of a former President who pardoned over a hundred crooks on his last day of office. Scooter Libby was found guilty of perjury and obstruction, and while the President forgave his prison sentence, he did not actually pardon the convictions. Meanwhile, former President Clinton "fully pardoned" crooks, thieves and drug dealers. You can check out the list for yourself. In fact, they don't even list the offenses for Marc Rich.

Mrs. Clinton is so shallow, I can only laugh when I hear her speak. She changes from southern belle to corporate lawyer to modern woman, depending on who she is speaking to. Normally that would be a positive talent for a politician. But she just can't pull it off. Certainly not like her husband could. Bill Clinton was a very accomplished public speaker who could always connect with the listener no matter who it was. Hillary, on the other hand, seems more patronizing than sincere, and she can't seem to fix it.

All that aside, some comments are just plain stupid. And to criticize Pres. Bush in that way after her husband's incredibly long list of pardons is just plain ridiculous.

Senator Clinton is the poster child of my belief that women should stay out of politics.

Later