today is a catch up day for me....finally feel better, yay!

aaa sooo close!

My training has always been bodybuilding based, and I have made tremendoue gains over the years
Since crossfitting coupla months ago...its been good fun.
I enjoy the variety, it fits in well with my powerlifting/strength based bodybuilding to begin with
The biggest thing though, it has helped heaps with my focus on gathering intensity, that I can do a fairly good chest workout with jus 5-6 sets alone on the BP.
Reflecting, I guess I would have found this eventually, when I was young, I always thought a really good way to get buff would be to push a car up a slope, and to stop in coming down
A few times a day x a few times a week :D
Have a good year y'all!

What great lats she has.

I get to make up Helen today! Michael, I like the idea of the car pushing WOD. Might have to scale it down to a Go-Cart myself but I like it. J roCK, you got a couple hits on the CF games.

hehee Oh Ed ;) She coached me through my first Fran at Pittsburgh. I can't remember her name but she was great. Very motivating.

I'm having a little problem with the Mov again. I left the one from a few days ago up for hours and it never played. Maybe it's my computer.

I'm going to try make up Helen tomorrow because I don't think I can squat. My hip is pinchy again. I felt it tightening up last night.

I had my PDR lesson and it exceeded my expectations. I feel like I can already use what I've learned and I'm looking forward to my next one. It's exactly what I need. It makes total sense.

I feel more confident already which may not be a good thing. I keep telling people -"Don't mess with me or I'll SPEAR your ass".

Go Jeff & Maggie ! Showing that firefighters do train hard !
Robin

Isn't that the same WOD from Monday?

Ed,
Shameless! ;)

FYI the .mov file has the right name but is the demo from Toronto.

Great Filthy Fifty vid, Tony!

Sweet rest day. I hear a rainy day cycling trip calling; gotta break in the new rain pants.

Great video- I love the Filthy Fifty!

I am going to have to do my total on my rest day.
I can't believe how strong you crossfit chicks are! You all motivate and inspire me.

J Rock- My hubby and I would love to do some Crossfit games...if we can just get out of Utah somehow..

I would just love to do some WODs with other crossfitters. My hubby workouts with other firemen but I am usally alone at the gym doing my WOD. All of you that have a Crossfit gym and trainers are SO lucky!

Happy rest day!
Gnat

29/f/110

Just finished the CFT:

BS: 180 (PR) + 20
SP: 90
DL: 250 (PR) +5

total: 520

last time 485

FINALLY broke 500! my goal for 2007 was to hit 507 to score in the elite ranking for 105#, now that i've gained 5lbs and am closer to 114 then 105 i guess ill have to aim for 537 for 2008. what a great way to start the year. was completely hungover too so surprised to hit some PR's. thanks again to ken for the squat tips, definitely helped.

pre: slow paced 500m row
post: dinner, back in the zone

Great job Nadia!

What's all this talk about the games and J roCk? Did I miss something?

Joe V. It's from Pittsburgh. I know because I was there. I still can't see the video :(

Awesome video! I like it.

Allison, try the .wmv file it worked fine for me.
And I know you were at the Pitt cert, I was there with you.

Great video! Just goes to show CrossFit is not for the weak at heart. If your not tough (mentally as well as physically) you won't last.

Sponsor an athlete today:
http://stevesclub.typepad.com/

AllisonNYC- first of all great job on your run. There is nothing like a 'runners high' and it sounds like you got last night.

Second- jrock posted and idea yesterday about east coast crossfit games. Check it out.

Nadia- hope you're feeling better. I am about the same weight as you so I am always checking out your numbers...and I have a long way to go..you rock.

Gnat

Awesome work guys! Way to stick with it Mike. Always good to see Maggie and Jeff on here. You two are tough!

Firefox is saying I need a codec to play the video, but doesn't say which one from the apple website:

(wfs) http://www.apple.com/quicktime/resources/components.html?os=OSX&ctype=696d6463&csubtype=574d5641

Any help?

Thanks

Not much commentary on the Article by Kaplan.

Perhaps this lends credence to his point that the Army specifically and the military in general are fighting this war without the committed support of the American people at large and the government. It is not our focus.

They (the Army) have bled a lot and this is terrible...the picture of the young fiance lieing on the ground weeping for her lost love in Arlington National comes to mind... and the knowledge this was repeated 3900 more times

But, I must say that blood makes our presence here all the more worthwhile. We have slowed the insurgency b/c of our their sheer commitment to staying the course and winning over most of the Iragi's.

This has been our greatest sin...in Afganistan, in Latin America, and so many third world places... We come in with an awesome display of power change the situation on the ground and leave anarchy in our withdrawal. As we learned in 9th grade English reading Lord of the Flies. Anarchy among men is quickly replaced by Despotism. We leave the people to the new strongmen and a better society does not flourish.

But here in Irag the Army has endured and given us a chance to dialoque with the Arab and Muslim world. It will not/ nor has not been perfect or ideal but we will be/ are better off as a nation and a society b/c we sucked it up and saw it through. Anbar specifically and the whole country in general bear that out. Bin Laden's propaganda promised we would hit and run, not stomach much punishment, or engage. The army has and the world knows it.

The argument over should we have went to Irag is as academic as should we have anticipated Pearl Harbor. It happened and even if we made a mistake two wrongs will not make it right. After 9/11 this country needed to develop a much greater working relationship with the Arab and Muslim world. Well, not a bunch of pundits, professors, or professional diplomats engaged but the Army Officer Corps...drinking tea, grilling goats, mediating disputes... living among, dieing among, forging a new society with these people. Not perfect, not finished (is our democracy?) but now growing again.

It is freaken heroic what the Army has done!!!!!

If we pull out now and don't see it through we sentence our children to more war and pain with the people of the Middle East. Check out Charlie Wilson's War on Afganistan. Just remember with out the Army there the schools don't get built (especially one's for girls) hospitals don't get supplies, elections aren't possible.

As a guy who lived his life and offered only his prayers and admiration from the sidelines in America...Let the Army finish the job in Irag...

It is the least we can do.

Anyone wanting to view WMVs on a Mac can get the free QuickTime plugin here:

http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm

Thanks Tony

Now I can watch all the videos in the Exercises and Demos that only have WMVs too. YAY

Sometimes, I miss CrossFit so much that I catch myself thinking things like "why isn't there a CrossFit tv show?"

Awesome feature on Jolie in this month's journal. I really like the idea of featuring the elite CrossFitters this way!

anyone in the Boise area know about the new crossfit gym opening tomorrow? is it really opening?

Wow. I just checked out the Journal too. Loved the featured Crossfitter section of Jolie. That picture of her on the beach made me want to get some ugs and a tan! Holy crow. I also liked the before and after pictures and what she said about women and CrossFit. That's one strong hottie.

Awesome.

I hope this isn't a hint that Thursday is gonna be the filty fifty. I did it today.

23:23

#13 NADIA

GREAT NEW YEAR START! PR'S ROCK!

MY 08 GOAL IS TO DO DOUBLE UNDERS. MY PROBLEM IS WHEN I SPEED UP THE ROPE MY JUMP ALSO SPEEDS UP.

IT'S LIKE WATCHING FRANKENSTEIN TRYING TO DANCE.

ROBERT S.
TUCSON, AZ.

15/M/215

Gotta do the CFT today (the 2nd)

Gotta beat 865

Thanks for the selected reading. Good stuff, more points, more discussion. Made possible once again by our freedoms, fought for, earned and protected by a noble crowd.

Coming off two gun shot wounds,and its driving me nuts in this bed. Looking forword to my crossfit workouts, when I can walk again. Any ideas for upperbody workouts with limited motions. Looking for the crossfit family for any help. The GSWs are a shattered TIB and FIB and major trama to right hamstring. Ok hope you guys can help

Sophie

According to the Gold's site, as well as the affiliate link, the opening is still on for Wednesday.

The Meridian location has had something similar for some time now. (You may have heard of Parisi Speed School.) A good bunch of what they were doing was similar to CF, including some of the olympic lifting. You could count on getting a funny look when you mentioned CF during class.

See you at Park Center.

It seems downright perverse to me that our service men and women are overseas protecting our freedom while our leaders attack our freedom and liberty at home. What happened to the oath to uphold the Constitution?

Enjoying the content-rich journal this month.

All,

I am relatively new to crossfit. Today is my two week mark, and I have to say that I absolutely love the program. In fact because I've been so excited about it I've gotten 2 of my buddies to join me, and 2 or 3 more interested in the program.

Before crossfit I focused heavily on weights with minimal cardio, and have to say that I've never felt as gassed as I do after doing these workouts.

I realize that crossfit is designed for people who have active lives, who want to be able to complete the workout during their normal routine, which often includes running errands, long days at work, kids, etc. (and crossfit works because most workouts being able to be completed in well under an hour including CFWU and a cooldown). My question to the community is, for someone like myself who is over in Iraq for the next year, who has the luxury of time to basically be able to workout as long as I would like per day, is there more that I can be doing on a daily basis in addition to the crossfit WOD, that wouldn't hurt my body, and would allow my muscles the necessary time to grow and repair.

Any thoughts or tips would be great.

skitz -

Bummer! But beats the alternative, too. Question - are you stuck in bed, or can you workout from a chair/wheelchair? I can think of dumbbell work for the shoulders/upper core and outright core work. I hesitate to suggest working the upper leg of the one with the broken tib and fib - talk that one over with somebody smarter than me. A lot might depend on when you'll be able to get back on your legs - same time? Or will the hamstring trauma heal sooner than the tib/fib?

CFT: (in KG)
210 bq
190 DL
75 P

getting stronger in squats
backed off a little on the DL's today..tryin to get better at form.

RC #36 - It's been my experience that the WOD is more than sufficient. I'd keep going on the program for a couple of more weeks before you considered any supplemental training. More is definitely not always better. I'm also in Iraq and have a fair amount of spare time on my hands so I feel your pain. Enjoy the time off though, read the literature and let your body get some well deserved rest. By the time you're done with your deployment, you'll be a bad@ss guaranteed!

Good morning everyone.

No rest for the weary today. Looks like a bunch of people are playing catchup today. Cool.

ALLISONNNNNNnnnnn~

No you didn't miss out on any games. I am putting the though out there about the idea for a CF Games East Coast. Thinking that it will be diffuclt for people to meet at a central location, do something with webcams or something. I could explain it in more detail if I were not so scatterbrained right now. My PCP is my client, and after getting 7 cortizone shots in my shoulder 2 days ago, he wanted to see how "tender" it was... I nearly passed out. For REal.
More to post later on that, but email me if you have interest and lets all start working out. ideas ideas ideas!

Great job to everyone kicking the year off with CFT! All numbers very impressive! KEEP IT UP, and GET SOME MORE!

~J~
~Train Hard and Push Through "IT"!~

If this month's journal profile of Jolie Gentry were available for free, I would send it to every woman who has every asked me about CrossFit.

#35, Josh K, writes,

"It seems downright perverse to me that our service men and women are overseas protecting our freedom while our leaders attack our freedom and liberty at home. What happened to the oath to uphold the Constitution?"

"The Constitution is not a suicide pact."

J roCK !

I'm in! Great idea! I'll email w/ ideas as soon as I have any... Leave it to you to think of this!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLOMBIANO!!! Te quiero mucho!

Tried to make-up wod from 12/23 but rower was broken at my gym so subbed 400m runs with the 30 bench press. Definitely not able to do body weight! Did 55 pounds instead :)

Happy Birthday Colombiano! Te quiero mucho :)

Tried to make up WOD from 12/23 but rower was broken at my gym. Subbed in 400 m runs instead and rather than body weight bench press, did 55 pounds.

Ahh Maggie....

Motivator

"our service men and women are overseas protecting our freedom" perhaps that is one way to view it but i would feel a whole lot safer if they were on the border keeping out the illegal alien cop killers and drug runners. Not to discount the effort of our military because they work their tales off but lets be honest, how many of us felt truly threatened by the Taliban or Saddam? I feel my liberties are in more danger from the patriot act and the snoops in my own government than any overseas group. Just my two cents.

Oh one mroe thing...Despotism? I thought we had that now (Bush, Kennedy & Clinton families for example)

The list is growing quickly of those who are in on even the idea of CF Games East Coast! I will have so ideas to post in the next 24 hours, and would love to hear anything anyone wants to add to it!

Great video! LOVE the Filthy Fifty! It's one of those Love hate feelings, which is why I love it!

Hats off to the video'd. Does anyone know who that was? Where they are, etc?! Maybe it said it and I just wasn't paying close enough attention!

~J~
~Train Hard and Push Through "IT"!~

From yesterday's NYT "In 2008, a 100 Percent Chance of Alarm": " A year ago, British meteorologists made headlines predicting that the buildup of greenhouse gases would help make 2007 the hottest year on record. At year's end, even though the British scientists reported the global temperature average was not a new record-it was actually lower than any year since 2001-the BBC confidently proclaimed, '2007 Data Confirms Warming Trend.' " Findings, by John Tierney.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLUMBIANO!

I assume there is a Jolie Gentry 2009 calendar in the works. It seems a shame to have to wait an entire year. :(

Great interview in the Journal this month.

Anybody remember the British Army in India from about 1858 to 1948? They had soldiers who spent their whole thirty or forty year careers in India. Will we someday be talking about the "old Iraq hands" in the same way the British still talk about the "old India hands"?

J Rock - You may want to discuss potential east coast CF games with the east coast affiliates first (and probably offline). You have some good ideas, but don't let your enthusiasm get the better of you. Affiliates in Fl and Tx have hosted regional get-togethers and competitions. Talk to them to find out what they did right/wrong. Those of us in the MD/DC area have discussed it at certs. The logistics of running a "Games" is huge if done right. Check with Dave at HQ too in order to get his input. As of right now, the only official CF Games will be the one in CA next summer.

Jeff and Maggie - I enjoyed watching it live, but the video was awesome too.

Reading comments - I've seen this saying in a few places, but it bears repeating: "The Marines and army are at war, America is at the mall." The article resonates well with those who've been there.

AkronPowderhorn: good post. It's strange how no one has yet engaged.

You know what that article describes? America doing it right. America--our American Army--taking its licks, learning the lesson, and fighting a fight that will in the end carry the day.

After all this, for cowardly fools like John Edwards to publicly call for failure is very clearly an unambiguous signal that at least the Democrats have no appreciation for, and no passion to consistently support in meaningful operational ways, our brave and self sacrificing troops.

Steve~
Enthusiasm get the better of me?

Okay, I will make this easier for all since I amy have seemed to struck some affiliate nerve.

Let's do this:

CF East Coast non- affiliate scrimmages.

Affilaites aren't excluded, but these scrimmages may be done in a few catagories with age, and numbers in the team, ie. 3 per team, 4 per team etc. Each team may represent themselves each with a different name.

Something like that.

Steve, these are ideas, mearly ideas. I am curious though, how does one let their enthusiasm get the best of them, and what happens when that happens? Just curious to hear a hypothetical scenario.

I just erased a very long rant and when I got done reading it, although the rant was justified and was grounded, realized that it was a tick to ego driven. Ergo, I erased it.

~J~
Train Hard and Push Through "IT"!~

#47, TimmytheNoose, writes,

"[I] would feel a whole lot safer if [the US military] were on the border keeping out the illegal alien cop killers and drug runners. . . . how many of us felt truly threatened by the Taliban or Saddam? . . . I feel my liberties are in more danger from the patriot act and the snoops in my own government than any overseas group."

Your position seems to be based solely on your feelings, and I am curious whether your feelings are based on any knowledge or understanding of relevant facts.

Do you have a feeling (or better still, direct knowledge) of the number of illegal aliens who have killed cops relative to the number of terrorists who have killed US civilians?

Do you have a feeling for what organization provided sanctuary and resources to the masterminds of the 9-11 plot?

Do you have a feeling for which of your specific liberties are in greater danger from the Patriot Act than from any overseas group?

47-Timmy.
Did you mean "Nepotism" related to Bush, Kennedy, and Clinton families?

JR: my enthusiasm for CrossFit got the best of me 2 weeks ago causing me to PR in Fran (3:48). Damn enthusiasm.

Good luck with your CFECNA Games. Ignore the naysayers.

I would label your project a classic 'open-source' style evolution.

#56, Wade Smith,

I initially wondered the same thing. I have, however, noticed a tendency on the Left to quote people without referencing them. This leaves me needing to search all comments, hoping to find the source. In this instance, my guess the reference is to #21, AkronPowderhorn (read the whole post) who wrote:

"As we learned in 9th grade English reading Lord of the Flies. Anarchy among men is quickly replaced by Despotism."

I have a feeling that more Americans are killed by Druglords and the gang violence that narcotics trade generates than the thousands killed by Al Queda.

I have a feeling that the courts can issue an order to eavesdrop on me in a timely way rather than have that decision unilaterally made by a random desk officer in an intelligence agency with no due process. It wasnt a broken system.

I have a feeling that American military are doing their job well- but I have a stronger feeling that vast sums of money are being made- not by GIs or officers or really even by private security forces while good ideas about energy and democracy building go unnoticed.

I have a feeling that the old adage- "follow the money" leads to some predictable places. 13million dollars a minute tells an interesting tale.
But these are just feelings and Id prefer to be wrong. It would make my life easier and my vote count for more.

It was a good article. We have a good military. We have a great country. I hope that we all turn our feelings into dialogues based upon mutual respect. After all, we all succeed and fail together in this.

#59: No time to comment more, but please articulate one idea about democracy building that is going unnoticed.

M/22/6'1"/185

Did the New Years CFT today because my gym was closed yesterday.
395 (PR)
215 (PR)
465 (PR)
1105 (PR)
Holy Bejesums that was awesome. Got really focused and spaced out my progressions well
Post:
1RM Bench: 295
1RM Pullup: 135
Now I have my starting points for the new year. Goal is to break 1250 by Dec.

#61 Eric, awesome PR's across the board. Amazing.

The great thing about the WOD videos (esp. for somebody who does crossfit alone) is that I get to see that everybody else is gassed early in WOD's like filthy fifty, but they just fight through it and gut it out. That's exactly the kind of inspiration it helps to have seen the next time WOD's like this roll around. Awesome, one of my favorite/hardest WOD's.

Didn't do CFT yesterday because my left knee and hamstring are still tweaked. Did a bunch of dips and practiced knees-to-elbows, an exercise at which I currently suck.

Barry- Ill beg that question based on time as well-so rather than articulating a single "idea" I would just suggest googling democracy building and look at the many ideas and actions by various orgs- theres plenty there. Its a good question- and a hard one.

Then again- as I said- they are "feelings" Hari is the guy who seems to have the facts on his side- he certainly knows his left from right.. Im just a big ball of emotions me....

Skitz #33
A good pair of rings can be your best friend. Pulling, pushing, hanging, balancing, stabilizing. All can be scaled and developed as the needs/opportunities change.

CraigH~
Easy does it on the enthusiasm next time bro.

HEY, I know that at least one of you knows what the greek root of the word enthusiasm is....

But entusiasm comes from the greek word "ENTHOU"...which means "to have God within".

If infact my enthusiasm gets the best of me, than a blessed and lucky man am I.

~J~

#57 CraigH

How rude of me, great job on that PR on Fran! Hellova time!
I would have commented last time with a congrad's, but my enthusiasm got the best of me!

"...how farrrrrrrr can ya take it..." LOL!

~J~

37/F/5'3"/125

Did CFT today ... not my best effort.

BS - 165 (previous PR, felt I could have done more)
SP - 75 (10 down from last time)
DL - 175 (failed at 190, previous PR 185)

One of my New Year's resolution ... CFT 525 or above. Time to start cracking!!

has anyone seen the film @ zeitgeistmovie.com ?

any comments

figured it might be up the intellectual alley of crossfit, or at least interesting enough for a watch.

#59, James,

In 2007, there were fewer than 500 murders in NYC, only a fraction of which were drug related. On 9-11, there were 3000 people killed in NYC. As a NYC resident who is not involved in the drug trade, I have a feeling there is a much greater chance of my being killed by terrorists than by drug dealers.

If you are not talking to suspected terrorists who are based outside of the United States, no one is tapping your phone without a warrant, no matter how you feel.

#68 Pfeiffer
I recommend that movie to everyone I think has an open enough mind to view it!! Lots of interesting stuff in there.

24/m/199
Made up lynne from a while back
Bench (200 lbs)- Pull-ups
12-16
11-17
8-11
6-8
7-10

37m/73"/218

Ok. I gained some ground on the squats and the press, but I "lost" ground on the deadlifts. In a previous post I recognized that I was sacrificing form for weight on the deadlifts, but I wasn't sure if I did consistently. Today's workout proves that I do and I need to go back to the drawing board (or at least drop to 225#) for deadlifts for awhile to work on form in the last half of the upward lift.

squat 245
press 135
dead 225 (I lifted more, but that was the last quality weight)

So the total is 605

Me: 41yo/M/5'10"/188.5lbs

Stretched and did 90 minutes of Jiu Jitsu with a new guy that I am teaching.

Worked on:
Jab, Cross, Hook, ducking and fading
front kick, rear leg kick
cross choke, rear naked choke
ground positions

free sparring for 25 min.

Have Fun, Train Hard,

Billy

31/f/158/68"

made up CFT, details there. not a great showing, but my squat form is getting better. so glad to be back into the swing of things.

happy new year everyone!

ck

CrossFit Total

Squat: 180
Press: 85
Deadlift: 210

Total: 475

Previous:
Squat: 175
Press: 75
Deadlift: 205

My poor hip was crazy tight and hurt most during the DL. Strange. I thought it would hurt most during the squat but it didn't feel good then either. Otherwise I'm satisfied for today. :)

#69 Hari-

True a significant decrease during 2007 but after a 12% rise in 05 and 10.5% in 06 and an overall 1.3% increase nationwide in 06 according to FBI stats. The fact remains that citizens of the US have a greater chance of being a victim of violent crime on the streets of any large city in the US than they do of being a victim of terrorism. What is Mayor Blumberg most concerned about?
"You are much more likely to be a victim of crime — even in a city as safe of New York — than you are to be a victim of terrorists," ... "The bottom line is that it's street crime that we have to focus on day in and day out." Mayor Bloomberg

Great video. I really liked the sound editing. Gives me something to strive for and it is good to know, even for the best, this stuff isn't even close to easy.

I haven't had a chance to do a filthy fifty yet but I'm sure my day of reckoning will come.

Good job on the CFT, Allison--especially with squats. I find myself in a rut in that area, and since starting CF, I won't count any rep in which I don't go past parallel. That has hurt my numbers because as the weight increases, my anxiety about being able to "get out of the hole" increases. Some of my problem is strength and some of it is mental!

I'd like to add to Hari's last statement that gathering enemy signal intelligent (intercepting communications) is legitimate, moral, and smart. That's what you do in a war. It's a normal function.

I support the right of our various agencies to conduct the gathering of signal intel against our enemies no matter who is on the other end, U.S. citizen or not. Is there any good reason to have to get a judge to sign a warrant to listen in on an Al Queada sat-phone call from Tora Bora? Pretty freakin' ridiculous. You really have to WANT to lose to support that posiition IMO. The Left's continual attempt to paint this issue as Big Brother (Bush & Cheney) monitoring all your calls reveals they they care a lot less about fighting terrorist (and protecting citizens) than they do about demonizing their political opponents. More Sore-Loserman.

Hey Hari- thats a good point- except that youre comparing a single event to a year.

How many innocent Panamanians died just so we could get Noriega? That, along with an aggregate of crime related to drug gangs is what Im talking about.

I think alot of people feel so strongly about 9/11 -because it was huge- but the facts are more serious when it comes to the overall number of casualties- and what about Cali cartel buying nuclear subs from former Soviet Navy- another job for google.
I think the real point is this- feelings matter- often more than facts- because we had feelings going into Iraq and they werent in line with facts.
The fact that our armed forces do so well is in spite of all of this.
I admire them because their feelings lead them to be loyal, and faithful - But thats where my romantic veiw of this ends. Soldiers are heros- Politicians and industrial captians who profit off no bid contracts etc are slugs.

Just a feeling- or perhaps "more than a feeling?"

Thanks for the dialogue.

Webb --

10:05 on Helen?! Holy crap! That's really impressive...at least I think so! Kelly and I are going to try Helen today since we've slacked off for the past two days. No rest day for me!

I miss ya, babe. You're totally gonna smoke me on all these workouts when you get back. I love you insanely.

btw, read the article ... not too impressed.

OT: GEN Patreaus should've been Time's Man of the Year IMO. Maybe next year.

JR - thanks man. Not bad for a 45yo, eh? (Apologies for the gratuitous self promotion)

From my point of view as an affiliate on the West coast(DCF), I'd love it if anyone but me took the lead in setting up a regional competition or event.

We've got enough to do and worry about. It'd be really nice to just show up, compete and maybe even promote my affiliate - especially if we kicked ass. Hell, we'd probably help out if we could.

James,

Your response is par for the course. I figured that was empty rhetoric. If it wasn't, then you have 3 days to back it up.

With respect to the Patriot Act, please keep in mind it is nothing more or less, in my understanding, than a revision of the Foreign Intelligence Services Act, which was passed in the immediate post-Nixon era and designed to separate more clearly--again, in my understanding, someone may correct me--domestic and foreign intelligence gathering. As such, it represented a substantial curtailment of previously assumed Executive and intelligence privileges, which had been commonplace and unobjectionable--under both Democratic and Republican governments--until the circus atmosphere of unwashed street theater, murder as performance art, and the substitution of hysterical hyperbole for anything even remotely approaching critical rational engagement with any topic of importance.

The Patriot Act does nothing more or less than ease the chokehold Congress put on our abilities to gather intelligence prior to attacks. That people would simultaneous complain--as properly formatted leftists do--that the Bush Administration failed somehow in allowing 9/11 to happen, AND that the Patriot Act is somehow overreaching, is the heighth of hypocrisy.

Since it is abundantly apparent that the Internet is idiot-proof, let me offer--as an answer to the often repeated meme that the Bush Administration is somehow uniquely deficient in an understanding of civil rights--this link, which is from Wikipedia, but does not appear entirely awful, presumably since the Leftist editors are at pains to paint America as a whole as somehow repressive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917

#74, Jpratt,

My comment (#69) was in response to the following statement made by James (#59):

"I have a feeling that more Americans are killed by Druglords and the gang violence that narcotics trade generates than the thousands killed by Al Queda."

I stand by my statement that as someone not involved in the drug trade, I am far more likely to be killed by an act of terrorism in NYC than in a drug-related crime.

Further, in measuring probability, it is not only the bad outcomes that have (or have not) occurred in the past that are relevant. Also relevant are the probabilities of future outcomes as a function of action or inaction. (The fact that someone has lived through several games of Russian roulette does not suggest that this is a low-risk pastime.)

For example, I think we can agree that there is a higher probability of terrorists in the future using WMD to kill tens of thousands in a single incident than there is of a similar number being killed in a drug-related crime or crimes.

Finally, the notion that our focus should be directly proportional only to what has occurred is irrational. For example (see #47, JimmytheNoose), it makes no sense to divert resources spent on airline safety to patrolling the borders, simply because more people are killed by illegal immigrants than by airplane crashes. The two have nothing to do with each other, and the fact that more people aren't killed in airplane crashes may reflect the fact that we are doing a good job preventing them, rather than doing an irrelevant job. And the fact that there has not been another terrorist attack on US soil since 9-11, may not mean that the threat is low; it may simply mean that the threat has been managed to date.

Loved that video. If that gal, who is in absurd shape, can complete that workout in a little over half an hour, it would probably take me at least an hour (including a few visits from Pukie).

AllisonNYC

Excellent gains in your CFT. What do you think made the most difference in your strength? My wife is slowly but surely starting CF. After a few more scaled WOD's I am going to have her do a solid base line CFT then use them as intended so she can gauge her progress.

By the way it was me teasing you about your sleeves or lack there of. ;-)

#78, James, writes,

"Hey Hari- thats a good point [#69]- except that youre comparing a single event to a year."

I am trying to respond to your specific statement, "I have a feeling that more Americans are killed by Druglords and the gang violence that narcotics trade generates than the thousands killed by Al Queda." (#59)

But, for the sake of argument, let's assume that you are correct. What exactly is your point? How are these two ideas related?

I have just finished "Enter The Zone" and loved every minute of it. I love absorbing all the literature that CrossFit.com presents about elite fitness. You guys don't hold anything back except the CrossFit Journal but hey, people gotta make a living somehow. I gladly purchase it. One question on "The Zone" though. I am 6'4" 235#, and by the calculators associated with the zone, I need 25 blocks of Prot. Carb. and Fat everyday. By my reckoning that puts me at:
Breakfast(4B)
Snack(4B)
Lunch(4B)
Snack(4B)
Dinner(5B)
Snack(5B)
Holy Hell! Any input on the accuracy of this? I have a 37" waist with a 7" wrist, you are welcome to calculate it yourself. Should I be eating that much food?

Kudos to CrossFit North Atlanta for making my first genuine CrossFit gym experience an epic one. What a community I have stumbled upon.

~Come get you some~
J

whats up everyone. just enlisted into the Air Force. Wondering if Crossfit is a good way to stay in shape for that.

Catching up:
CFT-went light on BS, quad sore again so just wanted to stretch and work on form;
BS-45
SP-70 (same as b4)
DL-165 (pr by 10#)
Don't feel like I can total since I wimped on the BS

Helen:
Run 400m
30# db swing x 21
12 jumping pull ups
3 rounds in 16:05, off pr by almost a minute but pleased just to finish well while still fighting a cold.

p.s. I got to run the first 400 outside in -15 windchill since January newbies were busy talking story on the treadmills. I felt like such a CF'r!

ericbrandom

great crossfit total! really amazing for a guy my size. have to call you out on your math though. your numbers add up to 1075, not 1105. maybe you were still just a little dizzy.

39/M/173(added some holiday weight :)

Hey all,

Just got back from a visit to San Francisco to see my folks, and while I was there I made the pilgrimage to Mecca, i.e. Crossfit Santa Cruz. Before I talk about the workout, I'm going to preach to the choir for a minute.

First of all, 26 pounds lost since May. I'm not counting the 5 I gained back, cause that'll be gone again in a couple weeks. I went from having a gut to lookin' good, and that rocks.

Second, I can actually do pullups now. 8-10 kipping or 4-5 strict.

Third, while in SC, I finally got to use a GHD setup, and much to my surprise I popped off 10 GHD situps without strain. This after I tore a lower ab muscle about three months ago trying these damn things.

To put it mildly, I love this stuff.

While in Santa Cruz, I took a class with Hollis, who is a great guy and very good trainer. there were 12 people in the group, at greatly varying levels. We warmed up with jump ropes (singles, alternating feet, skiers(side to side), forward/backward, and double unders) then he put together a "chipper" for us:
1 mile stationary bike sprint on level 20
30 box jumps
40 SDHP with kettlebell
cargo net (10x10 section of net, climb up, over, back down, under, and up again)
30 Thrusters 35#DBs
5 rope climbs
Alley Loop (1/2 mile run)

He didn't time us, so today, as my first workout in almost a week, I did it again at my gym (had to sub a lot) and timed it. I want to use it as a benchmark, so I gave it a name. Here's my version:
"From Hollis With Love"
1 Mile Bike Sprint at lvl 20
30 bench jumps
40 SDHP, 45# bar
15 pullups
15 dips
15 situps
15 squats
30 Thrusters, 25# DBs
35 Pullups
1/2 mile run
39:54
Most of the pullups were jumping, and I thought I was going to die, but I made it. Happy New Year, everyone!

Catching up on some Badger today...missed it the first time and today seems like great day make it up

National ID cards? Torture? Wiretapping? Suspension of Habeas Corpus? Homeland Security and TSA... vast new bureaucracies? Hundreds of billions of dollars borrowed and spent? Where do we borrow it from, and who is going to repay it? What is happening to the dollar? Seriously... pre-emptive war? Terrorists have sought to destroy us, and they have only to sit back and watch as we destroy what makes America special with our overreaction to their threats.

We cannot ignore the Constitution simply because we are afraid. The implication that we will die if we uphold it, as if it were a "suicide pact," is insane. We are supposed to uphold the law, not eviscerate it when it is politically convenient.

I am not afraid of terror. I am more afraid of driving on our freeways than I am of a terror attack. We cannot prevent all terror attacks, period. I am sick and tired of my elected representatives feeling terrified on my behalf. We need to react appropriately to terror threats, using Constitutionally-upheld actions. See WFS speech by Dr. Ron Paul on September 25, 2001: http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2001/cr092501.htm

View the terrorist acts in the vast landscape of terrible things that happen, including the fallout from the equally insane War on Drugs, car accidents, natural disasters, diseases and all the other tragedies we face as a people.

Politicians are just scared of looking weak, and the neocons used this to exploit our fears, expand their power, and chip away at what it is to be American. It's about liberty and freedom, people. It's worth dying for.

I too took off New Years as I spent the day with the family. So I caught up by taking on

Painstorm XXXIII.
29/150lb.
225lb Deadlift
185lb Back Squat
110lb Press
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps

18:35

It was a painstorm alright. Definitely hard on the shoulders as I had to break up every set of presses even the rounds of 3 and 2.

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe new year. Here's to the healthy growth of CrossFit in 2008 and beyond and all of us involved. See you guys (affiliates, of course) in Vegas.

Pukie makes an appearance in the middle of a T-Nation article:

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do;jsessionid=12C10659920ACF910B29ABEAF727276C.hydra?id=1872366

Ken C.
Thanks for the correction, I guess I have more work to do than I thought.

"National ID cards?" We already have Driver's Licenses and passports. Do you think any Law Enforcement Officer will have trouble identifying you now?

"Torture?" Where? Of who? If we are torturing Americans--other than pilots and Spec. Op people going through counter-interrogation training--I am unaware of it. In any event, the topic is under discussion, as it should be in a Constitutional Republic.

"Wiretapping?" As I understand it, the same logic is being applied to foreign terrorists as is applied to domestic criminals. If someone is under a wiretap, self evidently you can't know in advance who they are going to call, or who is going to call them. That's the point. If we have a lead on a foreign national, for goodness' sake, why wouldn't we want to know--need to know--who he is communicating with here in America? The revisions to FISA enabled by the "Patriot Act" do not allow unsupervised, unrestricted eavesdropping on American citizens. All taps are subject to court review, except those on foreign nationals, and it is plainly stupid to submit the supervision of foreign nationals to the American court system, and plainly stupid to demand that the people they call be vetted in advance by the courts with properly executed warrants.

This is one of those nonsensical little things that the children of the Left--who resent the need to gather ANY information outside of the little informational cesspools they call home--harp on relentlessly because they don't understand the issue, and don't want to understand the issue.

"Suspension of Habeas Corpus?" Where? For who? I have seen no evidence of this. None. What case or cases are you talking about? Do you even understand the purpose of the Writ of Habeas Corpus? Do you realize that the laws of the United States do not apply to people who are not American citizens?

"Homeland Security and TSA... vast new bureaucracies?" These "burocracies" were developed to protect the American people. Your apparent effort at suggesting waste suggests merely an effort to create yet another list, the length of which is intended to achieve the effect of thoroughness that cannot be accomplished through intellectual coherence.

"Hundreds of billions of dollars borrowed and spent? Where do we borrow it from, and who is going to repay it?" We borrow it from whomever views the United States as a desirable investment--which is substantially everyone around the world--and we the American people repay it. There are many texts on basic economics available.

"What is happening to the dollar?" Nothing is happening to the dollar. Nothing that has not been happening constantly for many years. Currency values go up and down. That's what they do.

"Seriously... pre-emptive war?" Do you prefer reactive war?

"Terrorists have sought to destroy us, and they have only to sit back and watch as we destroy what makes America special with our overreaction to their threats."

The threat is real, and the danger lies in people like you who have no desire to understand the issues on more than a superficial level, and yet who have no reticence whatsoever in putting forth unqualified and dogmatic views.

KHarts87 - The answer is unequivocally YES! And further ... It Depends.

The kicker is what AFSC you're headed for. If you're headed for SpecOps, you must keep doing the WODs but supplement with some endurance work (hint - look for comments from CCTJoey and then email him and ask for advice - he's been there, done that).

If you're headed for more ordinary duties, CrossFit will prepare you well for Basic. When do you report to Lackland Air Force Resort?

Skitz -- if you do not have any rings, drop me a line. I will be happy to send you mine.

--break--
I find it funny that when folks on the more liberal side of the house comment on Rest Days, they are much more likely to get ridiculed/attacked/bombarded than the more conservative folks. Do not get me wrong, I am on the conservative side myself, but I do see a trend. I realize that the CF community seems to be more conservative than the general population with our big representation from MIL and LEO (I am USAF myself) but maybe we should not go out of our way to alienate our liberal counterparts so much. Ok, maybe we can just call it lively debate. I just see it as too one-sided.

That being said, I enjoyed the article a lot. I appreciate Kaplan's tone by questioning and praising at the same time. I am a believer that we should all be war supporters and critics at the same time. Even GEN Petraeus should be critical of the job we are doing over there. Our goal will always to be doing it better than what we are doing. We have been doing great things in Iraq and Afghanistan from day one and continue every day since. Still, there is always more to do. This is where the supporter and critic should coincide.

I have been home from the Middle East for six months now. After spending most of the last three years there (in multiple locations -- some good some bad), I have some idea of what the soldiers feel. It does feel somewhat like home when you are away for a long time. Seeing it like another home helps make it more palatable when you are getting such large doses of it. We have a lot of dedicated soldiers that believe in what we are doing and willing to go back and back again to Iraq and Afghanistan. They have had to find a way to deal with these long periods away. Kudos to Kaplan for highlighting this emotional response. The vast majority of citizens will never spend more than a few days away from loved ones at a time. Being away for 6, 12, or 15 months is hard to relate to.

I'm not a child of the left, Barry. I'm a Republican, the party people vote in to end wars. I will vote Republican on Feb 5 as well, . You know nothing of my desire to understand the issues, you know nothing of the process I've gone through to arrive at my views, you have no idea of my qualifications. Get off your self-righteous pulpit. Your attitude is not one of honest, open dialogue, but rather demagoguery.

The threat is real, and it comes from neocon apologists so disconnected from reality that they aren't even wrong.

No rest today since I played hooky on Sunday. OH Squats from the Seal WOD: 10 x 45, 65; 5 x 95; 1 x 105, 110, 115, 120. Fairly pathetic for many but I haven't done these in a while and I got deep on them. There are no bumper plates at the Y and, well, when you fail and gotta bail with an oh squat, it's really ugly. The 120 is a pr and I felt I could go higher but I wasn't that sure if you get my drift. BW:172 Y/A:59

KHarts87 -- CrossFit is only a good way to stay in shape for the USAF if you want to be in better shape than anyone else in your unit. If you want mediocre, stick with other workout routines. If you want to beat everyone else on the PT test and everything else physical, then CrossFit is for you. I know because CF led me to a 100 point USAF PT test and beating everyone else in the field on my 1.5 mile run test. I have enjoyed the way CrossFit has enabled this USAF guy to beat a bunch of special ops colleagues in several physical challenges. Not bad for a support officer.

Comment #95 - Posted by bret kleefuss on January 2, 2008 12:34 PM

are you talking about this pic? it looks like it has been attributed, no?

http://www.t-nation.com/img/photos/07-217-training/image013.jpg

it does look remarkably like the CrossFit Pukie

Barry Cooper - do you realize that the laws of the United States DO APPLY to people who are not citizens of the United States? If they are inside US territory the laws do apply. Don't let your ideology get ahead of your thinking. Gitmo is a matter that will be decided in the courts. The President may not like the decision so we'll have to see what he does when the decision comes down. His reaction may bring about a constitutional crisis.

KHarts87,
I echo the comments already made regarding CF and getting in shape for the AF. I'm in the AF also, and adhering to this type of workout has set me far above those around me physically. I feel I can do anything...that's why I volunteered to deploy for a year for my first assignment after working in PME (Professional Military Education) for 3 years. In PME you're off limits for deployment, and being a medic, well, they just weren't sending us immediately after 9/11. The army handled most of that. I'm looking forward to doing what I've been trained to do...and to help the wounded.

Garth made a good comment about the attacks on more left-leaning opinions. I don't post on rest days on the subject at hand very often because of the fear of being attacked...I guess the right has convinced me to be afraid! ;) I've seen other forums in which there is a special area on the message board for strictly political talk. Perhaps that would be better. It's interesting that political discussions are not allowed on the CF message board whatsoever.

I do have a good time reading others' posts, however--the drama entertains me!

#51-Mike C writes:

"Anybody remember the British Army in India from about 1858 to 1948? They had soldiers who spent their whole thirty or forty year careers in India. Will we someday be talking about the "old Iraq hands" in the same way the British still talk about the 'old India hands'"

Perhaps not the best analogy. The British were better at colonialism than Americans. They often ruled through surrogates, but could be absolutely ruthless when required. The British resorted to mass execution and massacre in putting down the Indian mutiny. There were what would now be called "war crimes" on both sides, but most of the victims were the rebels.

The British were also brutal in putting down a rebellion in Iraq in the early days of the last century.

Playing the colonial game could involve taking hostage relatives of rebels -- or leveling entire towns. Such things are no longer possible. How would it look live on CNN? Or as a video stream on jihadi.com?

That said, it seems likely that there will be a sizable
US military presence in Iraq for years -- or decades -- to come. Over time, soldiers are likely to develop "area expertise." This can only help.

But it could be argued that the US should have had the foresight to develop colonial military expertise before the invasion.

Barry Cooper, Hari, you guys rock. Love your oh so logical riposte's. I wish I had half your brain...

Jolie- your article in the journal is awesome. So happy that you are a huge part of my life and One World. 2008 is starting off with a bang for you!

Love ya' lil sis!

Quote:
"I'd like to add to Hari's last statement that gathering enemy signal intelligent (intercepting communications) is legitimate, moral, and smart. That's what you do in a war. It's a normal function.

It is far from moral, it is far from smart, it is far from normal in a remotely democratic and supposed free society. It is far from the intended "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" that was supposed to be ours. The patriot act is no more than another step in the direction of a totally government controlled life. If it is in fact a revision of previous enactments, then what may i ask is its pupose? we went a good many years without a terrorist act in the US, WITHOUT THE PATRIOT ACT! Why now do we need thise massive growth in government power? If we didn't need it before, yet it is foisted upon us now, then i cannot believe it is for good.

Quote:
"Is there any good reason to have to get a judge to sign a warrant to listen in on an Al Queada sat-phone call from Tora Bora? Pretty freakin' ridiculous. You really have to WANT to lose to support that posiition IMO."

Yes, there is a good reason, the same reason the Constitution of the United States established the checks and balances. This should be very obvious. Yes maybe it is well and good that a gvnt agency can tap a phone call without prior approval, Especially when that phone call is made by potential a hostile. Understand that the same power that is granted to that agency to spy on hostile "terrorists" enables them to do the same thing to ANYONE. This is Unconstitutional. PERIOD!

Quote:
"You really have to WANT to lose to support that posiition IMO."

What are you afraid of losing? What is this thing you are saying I must want to lose by demanding my Constitutionally guaranteed rights?

Oh let me guess, I will "lose" my rights because terrorists are going to rain fire from the sky in MIG jets and poison my water supply, all the while forcing my progeny to attend a madrassa and wear a dish dash. Do you know how many constitutionally guaranteed right terrorists have taken from United States citizens? NONE! NOT ONE! But our government is slowly chipping away at them on at a time, all the while telling us it is to improve the protection of said rights. Sounds like some WWI WWII propaganda BULL to me. Being attacked and losing your rights are to totally different things. I can handle a bloody nose from the enemy, but not a full blown knock out FROM MY OWN GOVERNMENT!

Quote: "Finally, the notion that our focus should be directly proportional only to what has occurred is irrational. For example (see #47, JimmytheNoose), it makes no sense to divert resources spent on airline safety to patrolling the borders, simply because more people are killed by illegal immigrants than by airplane crashes. The two have nothing to do with each other, and the fact that more people aren't killed in airplane crashes may reflect the fact that we are doing a good job preventing them, rather than doing an irrelevant job.

Yeah, actually illegal immigration and foriegn terrorism are related. If the United States had focused its energy on building strong relationships with foreign nation through trade and commerce while defending its borders at home WITH THE MONEY AND TROOPS THAT HAVE BEEN SPENT ON FRUITLESS ENDEAVORS AROUND THE WORLD, anti American resentment in the middle east would not exist. PERIOD. Dont believe me? ASK AN ARAB!

quote: "And the fact that there has not been another terrorist attack on US soil since 9-11, may not mean that the threat is low; it may simply mean that the threat has been managed to date."

Im not sure if your statement was lifted verbatim from a George Orwell book, I will have to check. By your logic the federal government has the right to grown in size and power indefinately, because there is always risk of an impending terrorist attack.
This is a rediculous excuse for an argument.

There have been 10,20,30,40,50 year long increments of our American history without a terrorist attack. In your eyes in sure that was just enough time for terrorists to allow us ( the west) to invent the combustion engine, the airplane, the skyscraper, and steel that melts at 1500 degrees, all of this culminating in a massive attack on Americas WTC. They must have been waiting since "Columbus sailed the ocean blue" to nail our asses huh!

Maybe Instead of founding the nation based a limited government with checks and balances our forefathers should have known that future leaders would not have the gumption to stay out of entangling alliances and just gone ahead and written the patriot act into the constitution. Because we all know now that a terrorist act to "steal" our freedom is imminent. Or perhaps we should have kept the colonial army together, put them on a boat and launched a pre-emptive strike on Iran 220 years ago.

But wait a minute that would have a negative relationship between the US and the ME, which of course we know did not exist.

AHHHHHHH, so maybe the founding fathers did not have the issue, because they didn't have time to do things the right way and police the world by foisting a political agenda on every third world country in existence. Damn if they had only live 225 more years we could have learned how to REALLY do this thing right.

Oh by the way the threat from the middle east was managed to exactly 1947, when Truman guaranteed our tangling alliance with Israel by easing the wieght of the balfour declaration off of Britains shoulders. Fine display of respect to the ideals this country was founded on.

I gotta say, we are wayyyyyy better of because of interventionalist and neo con supporters. Now instead of arguing about individual and states right we can skip the BS and just concern ourselves with how massively powerful we can make our federal government.

Last time I checked (4-5 months ago)the cert where $395 now its $1000 wow! What a bummer! I hope this site does not become a pay site next.

Oh, Don't call me a leftist either, considering these NEO-CON policies that are so widely supported lead to the Socialist/Communist government they are intended to form. Don't believe me? Read a book.

Post #91 - BrettL

Congrats on the weight loss. My husband and I are both new to crossfit (my 3rd week, his 4th) and are already seeing improvements. Dropping the extra pounds is going to definitely improve our times, etc.

I've lost close to 50 over the past two years w/diet & walking/running. Needed to start weights and dreaded traditional routines. We found this and are both loving it. When you get done you know that you have worked hard!

Keep up the good work and thanks for mentioning the weight loss - it's encouraging!

Congrats to all PR's.

Steve in OC:

Does the divide you speak of have a detrimental effect on our society? Your tone implies that you believe it does. What would you propose to do about it? If politicians and the public they represent are as disconnected from the war as the article states they are, then the most obvious remedy would be to reinstate a fair draft. This would quickly have the effect of putting malls out of business as well as democratizing the war-making process.

Past wars have been fought with a mesh of volunteers and draftees; the current GWOT is unique in that it is being carried out by an All-Volunteer force. The elephant in the room is the fact that should Musharaff lose Pakistan, it is likely that the military will have to rapidly field several hundred thousand troops to secure that country’s nuclear arsenal. The Army just doesn’t have the troops on hand to deal with this or a variety of other likely scenarios, and unless troop levels are raised drastically, it will even have trouble sustaining the effort in Iraq.

These facts are readily available, I am not inventing them. It is one thing to bemoan the effects of fighting a war with an AVF. To be willing to speak of solutions is another.

I have a "feeling" my previous post will be removed.

#104: MikeC: So, should we be running the war in Iraq as if we needed to coopt the possibility of an ACLU lawsuit? Wait, we already are.

Help me, though, with the intellectual and legal underpinnings of your argument. Upon what do you base that? The Geneva Convention, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and our civilian legal system are all different.

Moreover, you can kill people legally in wars. You can capture and intern them in wars, as we did with German and Japanese soldiers in WW2, and as we did with enemy combatants in every other war we ever fought. You might even recall we interned many German civilians in WW1, and many Japanese civilians in WW2.

The difference here is that we have cause to believe the people at Gitmo are actually guilty, where we had no such cause in the World Wars, and the war we are fighting is definitionally asymetric--at least potentially, and certainly in the designs of our enemies--in that one man with the right package of technology can do more damage in 5 seconds than has been done to America in all her wars put together. You could kill a million people in New York in one flash, and even those not touched directly by that detonation, would feel the economic and political aftershocks.

Please tell me what legal code you are applying, how you are framing the context, and what specifically you feel we are doing which violates that code.

#100 Josh K: I'm glad to hear you consider yourself a Republican. Please respond to my point by point response to the litany of complaints you uttered, with the seeming conviction that such a long list must constitute the debate equivalent of a mathematical proof. Near as I can tell, you are regurgitating something you read somewhere. That's not good enough.

I'm in a bit of an intemperate mood, because the sheer volume of nonsense that surrounds us in this Alice in Wonderland world is really, at the moment, annoying me.

I know right now that you can't defend in a sustained way any of the points you raised. Not one of them. Yet you will repeat them to anyone who will listen, and very few of your listeners will have the critical acument and command of the facts to rebut you. To be sure, you will not convince everyone, since many people--and you of course are included here--just go with their gut instincts. But you make it sound like you know what you are talking about, and people who don't read much--most people--tend to defer to self declared experts.

#99 Garth: Your position is reasonable, and I wish I could engage in more debates. There are occasional moderates--I would put Daniel Freedman there--with whom one can actually compare facts, and interpretations of facts, in ways that lead--at least potentially--to new conclusions.

But the bulk of the posts one sees are shrill, and uncritically critical. They know just what is wrong, just who is to blame, and they figure shouting is the best way to make their case. They have this large blank space in their rhetorical templates that says "insert specifics here", and they simply look around and repeat every allegation they hear. Bush is evil, we hear. We know this. That part is proven. Only "deniers" need to hear the specifics, but since some people are stupid, you have this list of Bush is evil because. . .because he lied and people died; because he favors the rich; because it's all about oil; because he used to be an alcoholic; because he is "trampling on our Constitutional liberties"; because Albert Gonzalez did something the Democrats said was shady; because he didn't prevent 9/11; because he is doing too much to prevent an attack we all know will never come; because he is eavesdropping on us; because there is a list comparing him to Hitler; etc, etc.

But every single one of these points, every one of them, every one I have ever investigated, looked in to, and learned about, shows that the stories told are either lies or gross distortions. It's not some of them. It's not half and half. It's ALL of them.

Yet one sees, over and over and over, on these discussions, person after person after person coming in and telling these stories that half of our country or more believes. Stories that influence who they vote for. Stories that, ultimately, dictate the rules of engagement for our troops, their missions, their funding, and ultimately their potential for success in missions we sent them on, which they are fully capable of accomplishing, and which we are failing them in.

Repeat this basic process 1000 or 10,000-fold, and you have what passes for "debate" today, which is basically monotone rants of various sorts dictated by vanity, devoid of unpleasant facts, and repeated with the zeal of evangelical Christians. Some of these people ARE evangelical Christians, but hardly all of them.

Hari,

#109 has your name on it. I've invested too much time as it is.

Me: 25/f/138/5"7"

Kelly: 23/f/140/5'7"

A girlfriend and I made up Helen today since we'd been slacking off the past two days. Did it outside on the track/playground. Used monkey bars for pull ups.

Only got two rounds done in 11:29. Lungs felt like they were going to explode because we were running in 32 degree weather with a wind chill of 26 degrees. Pretty stupid.

Kelly's got some nice-looking wind burn on her legs. Anything for CrossFit, right?

#103 Franklie

Yep, thats the picture in the T-Nation article. It comes in a section discussing fat loss or some such nonsense. Its got the crossfit.com on the T-shirt in the article, too. Thought it was interesting, sort of a tribute from the bodybuilders.

Theresa: Thanks! Why don't you have someone spot you or just learn to dump the weight back if you can't get up. There's nothing wrong with a failed attempt. You should always be pushing yourself as long as you're doing it safely and properly. Be bold..

Adam: Grr.. I have shirts with sleeves but I cut them off! ;)
I'll tell you what's getting my numbers up - CrossFit. Just stick with it, work on form big time and the numbers will go up. It doesn't hurt to add stuff to the WU that you want to get better at. I put DLs in my warm-up.

Tell your wife I said good luck!

I'm going to BK to check out CrossFit Brooklyn! I'll post later about the gym :)

Made up missed 5K from the other day:

24:07

Had to do something after I got out of work a bit early today...

To,
Annlee #37 you have all great points, my hamstring is healing very quickly. The doctors said my large muscle mass, "thanks Crossfit" LOL saved my leg.

Tony #44 Rings sound like a great idea, never realy thought of it. I'm just worried, of the motions themselves. Potential for increased injury. But I'll give them a try.

Garth #99 Thanks for the offer on the rings, but have my own from rehab. And you are right on your views of being absent for long periods of time. People change, loveones change, communities change, etc. Even me being in the hospital this short time, changes people around you. I could never imagine 12-15 months and then have to come home to a family and start over.
Thanks for all the comments guys, I knew I could come here for help.

One in the hopper. Should come out around #110. Given the current fulminations on this thread, I do not view it as excessive, but the call is not mine.

Justin,

Just out of idle curiosity, if a nuclear weapon is detonated in New York City, or Tel Aviv a few years from now, killing for the sake of argument 1 millions men, women and children, and that bomb is traced to Iran, or Pakistan, what is the story you tell yourself? What is it we could have done that we didn't, or is that a moot point, since that cost can be borne by those unwilling to submit to the "Orwellian" possibility that a foreign terrorist might dial their number by mistake, and that conversation recorded by the NSA?

Does being dead make you more or less free? I'm not clear that you're clear on this point.

I also note that you nowhere adduce any evidence that the often stated desire on the part of Islamic militants to inflict mass civilian casualties on the US, coupled with actual and effective efforts in fact to do so, has disappeared. On what basis do you make this claim? Are you reading CIA intercepts? Does it feel safe? Does the fact that no attacks have happened mean that they are impossible?

Other than afflictions which you have created in your own mind, what concrete suffering has any policy of any Neocon inflicted on you personally?

And out of idle curiosity, have you read Washington's Farewell Address in full, and have you bothered to investigate the context within which he made the "foreign entanglements" comment?

I didn't think so.

#110-
Which certs are $1000? The most expensive one I see is $595. I had to go look, I really want to do one one day and thought maybe that was going to be impossible. Am I looking in the wrong place?

# 109 JAJ exhorts us to "read a book". which would you have us read, oh wise one? One written by Ron Paul perhaps?
You display as much ignorance as he does if you think the founding fathers were isolationists, particularly with regards to the ME (remember that our first overseas intervention was against the Barbary States).
It's ok if the facts dont support your tirade, but I'm glad you arent aloowing the neo-cons to control your mind by forcing you to employ logic.

#120 Barry

I would rather have my freedoms and rights than live in fear of a terrorist attack.

#109, Justin, writes,

"Yes maybe it is well and good that a gvnt agency can tap a phone call without prior approval, Especially when that phone call is made by potential a hostile. Understand that the same power that is granted to that agency to spy on hostile "terrorists" enables them to do the same thing to ANYONE. This is Unconstitutional. PERIOD!"

The Fourth Amendment does not prohibit searches and seizures without a warrant. It prohibits "unreasonable" searches and seizures.

I'm sorry I didnt see Barry's response B4 I hit "post" otherwise I'd have held back.

Well said Barry Cooper.

MikeeG: what rights and freedoms do you retain if you and your family are dead? What rights and freedoms are currently denied you?

Let's say for the sake of argument you don't read blogs telling you how victimized you are. What concrete evidence could you adduce that anybody anywhere cares in the slightest what you think, what you say, and what you do? I don't. Bush doesn't. You have the right utter opinions that are critical of the Administration without the slightest fear. You need fear no police violence, or for that matter mob or criminal violence, since our system of government works.

You have the right petition for the address of any and all grievances peacefully. You have the right to assemble, the right to attend or not attend a church of your choice. You have the right to attack, verbally, those who do attend church, or don't attend church.

You don't have the right to litter. That's against the law in most places, but that's a good thing.

You don't have the right to smoke in most places any more. This is because smoking kills people.

You do have the right to a trial by jury, and to avoid self incrimination.

You have, in short, rights which to a greater or lesser extent are denied to nearly every person living on this planet. There is no Freedom of Information Act in other nations. We are, to the extent of my knowledge, the only nation with a Constitutionally enshrined Bill of Rights, although there are likely English analogues.

What freedoms and rights are you missing, and how do you know?

Yehoshua, I'd just like to make the distinction that Ron Paul is not an isolationist, but a non-interventionist. See a reprint of his discussion of the difference at WFS http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul413.html

25/f/138/5'7"

Made up Helen today. Only did two rounds with a time of 11:15.

Was running against a 26 deg. wind chill. Not good for the lungs. But whatever, I'm gettin' it done as best as I can. Afterward, my teeth freakin' hurt. Cold wind against enamel = Ugggh.

Webb, see what I do for you!? LoL.

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." Patrick Henry

I did Helen today as well.. 19:23, including transit time to the indoor track. What shocked me was 2 weeks ago when I started, I could do about 3 pullups with 55# assist on the gravitron.. now I can do 12 with only 25# assist! Now if I'd just lose the 20# I've gained in the last 5 months I'd be much happier.. =)

Josh K.: I will direct the same questions at you I directed at Justin. Decontextualized quotes are insufficient when engaging with actual people asking concrete questions.

I will add that you ignored my point by point response to your list of complaints. Pick one and show me where I'm wrong.

#121
Its the CrossFit Level I Certification and I assuming Level II as well.

Josh K.,

Ok, wrong choice of words but I dont see how Ron's approach would have resolved the Barbary issue. You would agree that forceful intervention was appropriate in that case, no?

Thanks. I kinda answered my own question after I posted! Well, guess I gotta start saving now!

33M / 189# / WOD #230 / CFT 845

Day 2/7 of right knee recovery (patellar tendonitis)

Pre: Row 5K

WOD: Bench Press
45x5
135x5
155x5
165x5
175x5x3
185x1
195x1

Weighted Ring Dips, singles @ 25, 45, and 55lbs

Post: Ice Cream Makers @ 4 sets of 7 reps + lots of foam roller, the stick and stretching

Yehoshua - from your post #113 -

Not sure what solutions you're talking about, nor did I allude to any. My comment referenced the article. Nothing more, nothing less.

BTW - all conflicts since 1973 have been carried out by an AVF, so, contrary to your statement, GWOT is not unique in anything other than it's duration. (Think Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Gulf War, Somolia, Bosnia - all volunteer and all quite short in duration.) Perhaps that's what dragging America down - the duration of this fight. It's what our military leadership has begun to refer to as "The Long War." If we had had enormous success during Phase IV in Iraq, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Now that we have to slug it out for the next five to 10 years (and I believe that's how long it will take before we "win" in Iraq and Afghanistan), the American public can't stomach it. Very similar to Vietnam in the loss of public confidence; however, different in that the public still has confidence in the military, but much less in our civilian leadership.

Solutions? Too numerous to discuss here. Let's just say that the disconnect between what's going on in Iraq and "America at the mall" could change if more people really cared about what we're doing over there.

Made up the CFT today.

Back Squat: 265
Press: 135
Deadlift: 284 (PR)

WOD
DL 400lbs (pr)
hpcp 135lbs 5x3

31/M/163

Baby, I knew you would catch me here...

Thanks for the B-day shout out.

Playing catch up on CrossFit Total

BS 230
SP 155 (pr)
DL 335 (pr)

If CrossFit Games comes to the East Coast, and I'm back in time, we're in.

Look, Barry, your attitude and approach is demeaning and disingenuous. I have no interest in "debating" with a demagogue. You may be a great guy in person, but, online, you need to work on your manners.

I'm voting on Feb 5 to take back the Republican party from the neoconservatives.

Yehoshua: Didn't the Barbary pirates attack us? Ron Paul supports reprisal in cases where we are actually under attack. Article I, Section 8, paragraph 11 of the U.S. Constitution authorizes Congress to "grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water." He suggested just such an approach in dealing with Osama bin Laden.

Yehoshua: Here is a WFS link to a Ron Paul's approach to dealing with such threats. http://www.house.gov/paul/press/press2001/pr101101.htm

CFT=

DL= 125# (I think I could have done more)
Press- 65#
Bk squats- 105#

All PR's!

I AM getting stronger! Yahoo!

Gnat

Josh K.

In that position, given an understanding of my platform, I would have shown my opponent the manifest foolishness of their ways by deconstructing their arguments meticulously using facts and logic.

What you will not find me doing is resorting, first, to a desire to avoid debate by declaring it beneath me, or my opponents so nefarious that rational discourse impossible. I am highly rational. I am making rational points. If you believe them to be irrational, then show me where they are irrational. Show me where what I have said, specifically, is inaccurate. Show me where it leads to a necessary contradiction, or stands opposed to known facts.

This is what big people do. Lincoln and Douglas would debate for hours, and hundreds--sometimes thousands--of people would sit and listen. They would, at the end, understand that both men understood their positions, were capable of articulating them in the face of opposition, and capable of rational responses to the charges of their critics. Some people would walk away thinking Lincoln won, some people watching the same debate no doubt found for Douglas. However, no one walked away not understanding the gravity of the issues, or the importance of exercising effort to work as close to the marrow as possible.

Your argument consists in assertion, and my efforts to give you cause to flesh out your positions--which I will give you the hint is actually an opportunity, not a chore--have done nothing.

Yes, the Barbary Pirates did attack--often--American commercial interests. Jefferson understood the fundamental importance of commerce and economic well-being for the nation, and consequently started the first of many wars in which Congress was not consulted, and for which it did not give authorization.

According to his own interpretation of the Constitution, he also did not have the authority to pursue the Louisiana Purchase, but he did it anyway.

I am not the dogmatist. I read history, and have a better understanding of both the present and past than most, and change my views as needed. You have given me no cause to do so.

#70 Hari,
They may not be tapping phone lines, just working with the phone company http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/05/70908

IR WOD

100 Single-unders
50 Sit-ups
50 Squats

3:16

DL, 135x5/155x5/175x5/195x5/215x5/235x1 (fatigued, form broke)

Oh no, another rest day Justin Joiner "I don't spell check and Hate the Omipresent Government" rant. I'm sorry, but once you get past high school if you want to be taken seriously, you simply cannot write like that.

I must be getting old and cranky.

Justin, your thinking (and writing) are so loose and filled with nothing more than slogans disguised as fact and/or reason, that you're on the verge of being unintelligible. Reread your own rant about the Founding Fathers and what they could have seen in the Future (our current present). It's crap. Please, whatever you do, do not let your high school English teacher ever see that (if you're out of high school - it's tough for me to tell).

Brother, seriously, are you advocating that we (as a nation - through our representatives) can do nothing that the Founding Fathers had not considered? That's the premise you operate under as if it were somehow passed down as Holy Writ. From whence did you get that piece of "fact"?

Does this mean that (a) we could never, ever have lawfully used the atomic weapon against Japan - because I am certain the Foudning Fathers had not contemplated Einstein, relativity, E=mc2, etc. or (b) even have undertaken such an expensive and costly program such as the Manhattan project in the first place?

If you can answer that question, or distinguish it, then please tell me what role the Supreme Court has in determining what various laws mean when they are challenged as unconstitutional? Must the Supreme Court seek to divine what the Founding Fathers would have done when faced with such legislation? How do they do that exactly? And who exactly gets "Founding Father" status, by the way? Is it only those present at the Constitutional Convention? How about the representatives for the various states who ratified it - even if not involved in the drafting? Or is it people you happen to agree with? And how about among those founding fathers whose views changed or evolved over time - is it issue specific? The Founding Fathers enacted a Constitution in which blacks were slaves and treated as property while women were not allowed to vote - how do you square that one with the Civil Rights Act?

Brother, go home and let the adults talk or grow up and stop your childish rantings. I have never chided anyone like this, but you have to do better because you're starting to sound like the guy in Kenmore Square who hasn't had his meds in a few days.

I'm back as of two weeks ago after a low back injury that lasted quite a while. Looking for any ideas on supps. Anybody heard anything about arginine? Worth a try along with a good diet? In the past I haven't had much success with anything other than a sensible diet and excersize.

Barry: when discussing issues in my free time, I prefer to use my manners. You sound like a guy in a bar who's had one too many and is ready to take a swing over a hotly contested issue.

Howdy All,
I'm relatively new to the Crossfit family. And it's been a rush so far! At the end of my first workout with Dave Warner at Crossfit Seattle he had me finish with a sequence of 500m row, BW deadlift and box jumps (x3). I got so worked, by the end when he was talking to me I could barely see or hear. His lips were moving but the volume was muted. It was awesome! I didn't think I could get that bent in under 15 minutes! But I do have a question for y'all about the 21-15-9 protocol. Is there any particular reason or science for that breakdown as opposed to say 15-15-15 or some other permutation? Happy New Year.

#110-I am going to the level 1 cert in North carolina and its $1000-its my first cert though.

For everyone interested in how the Certification process works check out the below link for info all about it.

Quote from the web page "Cost The cost of certification seminars progressively decreases, regardless of level. Your first cert attendance is $1000, your second is $500, and subsequent ones are $250."

I would like to go to at least one cert before I deploy this time next year. Doing so will allow me to "sell" CF with more credibility and coach the ones I talk into trying it.

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/certs.shtml

no rest for the addicted

25/f/5'2/130#

breakfast: run 46 minutes = 4.12 miles

WOD: "Gwen"
clean & jerk; 15-12-9
touch and go at floor only (even a re-grip off the floor is a foul). no dumping. use same load for each set. rest as needed between sets.
today = completed with 65#

whew! my forearms were burning after the 1st set of 15. i wish i could use the hook grip on the bar at my big box. i think my thumb is just too stubby; it doesn't reach around the bar enuf; fingers can never seem to keep a hold on it.

10 rounds for time of:
15 x double-unders
15 x box jump @ 20" box
15 x burpees (chest to deck, finish jump w/clap high overhead)
10 x pull-ups
time = 29:15

think i miscounted and actually did 11 rounds.... i'm always doin that. woulda been nice to have a workout partner for counting on this one. o well. guess i just hafta put better effort into staying focused and present.

Worked out at Crossfit South Brooklyn:
Squat
225x5
245x5
265x5
275x5
295x5

10 mins of:
40# DBL Muscle Snatch/OHS/Sott's Press Complex 20 Rounds L/R

#149, Krista, writes,

"They may not be tapping phone lines, just working with the phone company"

You realize, of course, that the NSA is surely working with CrossFit as well?

I was fortunate enough to see the filthy 50 LIVE AND IN PERSON (Pittsburgh)... I forget his name... BUT that D-TRAIN that finished first from Fairfax did a sub 3 minute Fran and a variety of other displays of power all within 24 hours... That guy is an animal!

cheers

#109, Daniel Freedman, writes,

"But it could be argued that the US should have had the foresight to develop colonial military expertise before the invasion."

When and where in its history has the US taken any more of any country than it has needed to bury its dead?

JOLIE! Even your name means pretty. It was great to see your hotT photos (more proof that lifting weights at X-Fit only makes you more gorgeous). What a treat to learn more about you and what an amazing athlete you are.

Got me a lil' ol' pr 2day: 105 on a push press. i felt like i had more in the tank & there were more platters to add, but there was much left to do at the gym before i went home. truth is: Mark Toorock at Primal Fitness can get you to lift some pretty serious stuff. Thank you M2R!

And, anyone in DC who's going to the fitness expo this weekend, shout it out to me & we'll hit china town 1st for some sunday morning dim sum.

i've been silent about foreign policy on rest days. it's not because i suddenly got shy or stupid or uninformed. it's just that my new life prevents me from mouthing off about Pakistan, Iran, Kenya... Got much to say.

Okay. Well, just between us CrossFitters, when it comes to Musahrraf (who I bought a presidential plane for not too long ago when I worked at big safari) he's turned into a right saucy malev..

MMMMAAAAgrraah! Oh crap, the peaceful ones just shoved a sock in my mouth.

But, kindly souls that they are, they apologized, handed me a tic tac and left.

Sweet! Before they come back, just let me say that when dealing with gangsters like that we need to aaarrrrrrgghhhmmmmmmpppphhh! dude, that 2nd application of the diplomatic sock of silence was way too filthy nasty. lesson learned. i'll just keep my pipehitting thoughts about being honest about striking deals with the devil to myself, and continue my daily practice of sticking flaming poison pins in my ever growing collection of middle eastern voodoo dolls.

drat. it was so much easier when I was making war, at war, and in the war. much evil. much at stake. much i could do. now, i'm just the ounch of prevention trying to outweigh the pound of cure.

Anybody afraid of a pissed off butterfly? Didn't think so.