I’ve been neglecting this space again, thanks to a busy work schedule and family visits…..

First, a little Rally Turkey wrapup. Seb Loeb won the rally, though he had quite a moment on the very last competitve stage — a wheel bearing on the Xsara seized, and he was forced to crawl to the finish on three wheels. He had a enough of a cushion, however to keep his lead. Marcus Gronholm took second place and Petter Solberg took third. Nobody had an easy time of it, with Gronholm struggling with gearbox problems in his 307 and Solberg damaging his Impreza on day two. Loeb maintains his lead in the driver’s championship, with Solberg nine points behind. Markko Martin and Marcus Gronholm are roughly twenty points out of the lead, though Martin is watching the season slowing slip away after a non-points finish in Turkey. Solberg and Gronholm have their work cut out for them on the next few gravel rallies — they’ve got to keep Loeb in their sights before the championship turns to the tarmac rounds, where Loeb is expected to completely dominate.

Bike stuff — I graduated to a 42 tooth chainring this weekend. The rides to and from work have gone a bit faster now, since I don’t spin out as quickly on the downhills, and I get more bang for the buck on the flats. I have not, however, climbed much in this gear, so we’ll see how the first trip up 40th Street goes….

A couple of thoughts on theocracy….many theocrats are dyed in the wool conservative free-market types, and I want to ask them a question. If your faith is really Biblically-based, and you understand that people are going to bend and break the rules for their own benefit, how can you believe in a completely free market? Shouldn’t a Christian government be looking out for the have-nots and protecting the less fortunate?

Posted on 29 June 2004