Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Dan, a reader, sent me a note asking my thoughts on Governor Perry’s indictment for abuse of power. Dan wrote that he was a reader of my blog. He remembered how critical I had been of Harley Lappin, the former Director of the Bureau of Prisons, when Lappin was cited for drunk driving. I wrote those blogs several years ago. I was still locked inside of a federal prison when Lappin fell into problems with the law. As a prisoner, I focused on steps that I could take to prepare for success upon release. Yet I sensed considerable resistance from bureaucrats who worked in the prison system that Lappin led.
People who represented the prison system would discipline prisoners for the slightest violation of rules. When leaders like Lappin violated rules, I sensed a great hypocrisy that didn’t coincide with leadership. I wrote about him because I wanted to point out those hypocrisies.
Dan brought another leader to my attention when he wrote about Rosemary Lehmberg. She was a career prosecutor who broke the law by driving while drunk. After receiving Dan’s inquiry on my thoughts of the Perry indictment, I looked up Lehmberg and watched some YouTube videos that showed her making a spectacle of herself after her arrest. Surprisingly, Lehmberg succeeded in staying in office as a prosecutor even after she served time in jail for her drunk driving.
Apparently, the Democratic prosecutor has a feud with the Republican governor. He wanted her ousted from office because of her drunk driving. She wanted more funding from him to investigate political corruption. Now she has played a role in bringing charges that led to his indictment. My prison term concluded last August. As I did while I was in prison, I focus on steps I can take to prepare for a better world. As Gandhi advised, I strive to live as the change that I want to see in the world. The antics of governors, legislators, prosecutors, and prison officials no longer cloud my thoughts. That said, I find it offensive when leaders refrain from acting in accordance with rules or laws that others should follow.
Days since my release from prison: 373
Miles that I ran today: 8.23
Miles that I ran so far this week: 33.48
Miles that I’ve run during the month of August: 115.15
Miles that I ran so far in 2014: 1,625.6
Miles that I need to run in order to reach my annual goal of 2,400 miles: 774.4
Miles I’m ahead of schedule to reach my 2,400-mile goal by the end of 2014: 94.79
My weight for today: 166