The Zen of Mountain Biking and Political Expressions

One of my favorite pastimes is mountain biking.   My mountain biking companion is Mansi (my dog).  Yesterday, we went to one of our favorite local places – the Marsh Creek Lake Park. 


My loyal mountain biking partner, Mansi, next to my Cannondale MTB



My favorite playground -- Marsh Creek Lake Park
 

I was flying down a single track trail on a nice fall day with the landscape around me presenting the beautiful fall colors of north east Pennsylvania. Mansi was running ahead or next to me (except for real quick down hills) effortlessly showing a muscular body of a magnificent looking animal full of confident strength. I enjoy watching Mansi’s muscles displaying a symphony of purpose during a full speed gallop and fast trots reminding videos of wolves during a hunt.

On a single track mountain biking trail one has to occasionally overcome obstacles. I typically scale fallen tree branches or negotiate my way over larger rocks. The technique scaling larger branches has to be fairly precise – getting enough speed, I lift my front wheel barely hitting the branch and then pull up on my pedals just in time for the rear wheel to go over the branch. This way I almost jump over the branch with minimum impact (or ideally no impact, but I am not that good).

Yesterday, however, it took me some time to warm up and perfect my technique. Jumping over first couple of tree branches my timing was off, and I hit the branches with my wheels harder than I hopped. My Cannondale Lefty’s shocks did their work and I stayed on the bike. Every time this happened I thought to myself “well this was not optimum need to improve next time.”

After thinking this in my head, I instantly remembered the same expression Obama used as a response to Jon Stewart: “Here is what I will say, if four Americans get killed it is not optimal.” Really?! I thought. Even if I really mess up on the next obstacle and take a fall, I would not call this “not optimum,” I would think something like “this was really bad”or “shit, I hope I was not hurt too badly.”

Obama’s use of this word to describe the death of four Americans in the hands of Jihadists was not only a bad use of words; it was a window into his thought process. The same time he said “you did not build it”referring to people who built their own businesses. Well Mr. President, their deaths was not only“not optimal”, their death was a result of your attitude towards the war on Jihadists Islam and terrorism – of course, you do not recognize that there is war and this is a big part of the problem. The attack on the Benghazi consulate did not fit the Obama administration campaign narrative, so they tried to cover it up and make excuses. Now there is a growing mountains of evidence that they even refused to provide help to the attacked consulate in a hope that this is just a minor skirmish not wanting to attract attention.

So let’s hope that this incident was more than “not optimal” for the Obama campaign. That as the American people learn more facts, they conclude that Obama not only failed in his domestic economic policies, but in his handling of foreign affairs and our security as well, and in November the American people send this President permanently packing to his home in Chicago. Let’s elect someone who is capable of handling our economy and foreign policy more optimally, while preserving the American values.