Would someone please tell Dick Cheney he is no longer the Vice-President and his opinion no longer matters?
The president will address…national security, in his speech Thursday…
Former Vice President Dick Cheney…is slated to give an opposing argument Thursday morning. Cheney has charged that Obama’s national security decisions have left the United States more vulnerable to attack.
You had your eight years; now go retire somewhere like all the other former Presidents and Vice-Presidents. Or, if you feel you need to carry on, a la Al Gore, at least choose a topic on which your own administration didn’t cock things up so badly. Al Gore was arguably more respected after being VP because he took up the mantle of fighting climate change. Perhaps good ol’ Dick could start lecturing on the best paper shredders on the market or how-to guides on electoral fraud. Hell I don’t know; just someone get him off the national stage.
I got a very important package in the mail today: my Cancer Research UK 5K information package. It contains my very first race bib number, my souvenir t-shirt and, most importantly, the ‘I’m running for’ back bib for race day. I’m very excited to take part in my first charity 5K race but I don’t want to forget why I’m doing it, why I wanted to do it in the first place.
Virtually every woman knows another woman who has had breast cancer. My mom’s friend Debbie McLelland was one of the millions. She survived the first attack. She lost a breast to the cancer but she survived. Then a few years later it came back…with a vengeance. Not only did it attack the other breast but it moved to the liver and finally the brain at the very end. Debbie was so strong and full of life. She was a lot of fun to be around. She was irreverent, unapologetic for who she was and she was my mom’s best friend for many years. She was a single mother and left behind a son named Josh.
Every year Debbie would take part in the Susan G. Komen 5K in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She would walk the course rather than run it but year after year from the first bout of cancer she was there. When it had invaded her liver and she knew she only had a few months, she was still there. That was the first time I thought of doing one of these. I thought maybe she wouldn’t be up for walking that year and offered to do it in her place, in her honour. She politely declined because she was going to do it herself. She was a determined lady. Unfortunately that determination finally ran out in November 2004.
Ever since then I’ve thought of doing one of these cancer run/walks but until the last year I wasn’t physically fit enough. Now I can run five miles without much of forethought. Five kilometres is relatively easy these days. I’ve lost more than 30 pounds and am continuing to run and lose. This race is for both Debbie and me. I’m running this particular race for Debbie and for all of the other breast cancer sufferers and survivors in the UK and the world. But I’m also doing this, just a bit, for me. I’ve already run a timed 5K last autumn but this will be my first official race. I’ve got the bib number to prove it. I’m looking so forward to it. It’s going to be an emotional and physical day.
I really hope you’ll donate to my fundraising. If you’ve visited the link (to the right and above titled race for life donations) and seen that I’ve already hit my fundraising goal, please re-visit and consider donating. I set a very low fundraising limit so as not to overwhelm myself. I’d never done this before so I wasn’t sure how much I could get. Please, please even just $5.00 or £5.00 is a great help. My friends in other countries can also donate. This probably won’t be the last you hear from me. If I get into the marathon it’ll likely be in a charity place so don’t give all you’ve got right now! Save some for later! On 28 June, please think of me, running in Richmond Park for Debbie and all of the other breast cancer sufferers, victims and survivors in the world. Thank you.
