Day 36 (Monday).  Elliptical Trainer:  4.04 miles, 40:00 minutes, 631 calories. 400 crunches.  Weight: 187.8 pounds. 

Day 35 (Sunday).  Off. 

Day 34 (Saturday).  Briskly walked (from door-to-door) for approximately 3 hours.  Broke a sweat passing out campaign literature for Ron Bigelow and Susan Lawrence.  Susan’s district, the neighborhood I was assigned, was all hills.  It was a great cardiovascular test.

Day 33 (Friday).  Just as the clock struck midnight, I realized I hadn’t made it to the gym.  So it goes during campaign season.

On Monday (Deer Hunt Weekend) the kids were off school so Kim and I took the family up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls for a walk along the falls trail.  Stopped for moment and took this picture.  Afterward went to Brick Oven for dinner (used to be Heaps of Pizza when my wife worked there a few years ago). It was great family time.

Day 32 (Thursday).  Elliptical Trainer:  43:30 minutes, 4.3 miles, 720 calories.  370  crunches.  Weight: 186.8 pounds.

Day 31.  Elliptical Trainer: 40:02 minutes, 4.0 miles, 620 calories.  0 crunches.  Weight 188.0 pounds.

Here’s an update for the House Majority Leadership races:

*** WITH CORRECTIONS AS OF 10:30 am, 10-18-06 *** 

Speaker — Greg Curtis (unopposed) 

Majority Leader — Steve Urquhart, David Clark

Majority Whip — Becky Lockhart, Wayne Harper, Gordon Snow

Majority Assistant Whip — Craig Frank, Mike Morley, Ben Ferry, Brad Dee, Jim Dunnigan (I just spoke with Jim in the hallway of the Capitol Extension Building–he confirmed that it was the Assistant Whip he’s running for.)

Now, more than likely this list will grow or shrink after tomorrow’s Interim Day meetings.  So…stay tuned!

Day 30 (Tuesday).  Elliptical Trainer:  40:00 minutes, 4.23 miles, 650 calories.  360 crunches.  Weight 187.2 pounds.

Day 29 (Monday).  Elliptical Trainer:  44:00 minutes, 699 calories, 4.5 miles.  350 crunches.  Weight: 189.0 pounds.

Day 28 (Sunday).  Off

Day 27 (Saturday).  Off

** BEFORE YOU READ THIS POST–CLICK HERE! **  (The most eye-opening 42 seconds of your life–remember, I ran the “School Uniforms” legislation last session.)

Having been through CWP (Concealed-Weapons Permit) training and being one of 80,000 CWP holders in the State of Utah, I was a bit saddened to see the article in the D-News this morning about the lack of attendance by teachers at Clark Aposhian’s (pronounced Uh-PO-shan) FREE CWP firearms training class on Friday.  Held specifically in conjunction with the UEA (Utah Education Association) “holiday,”  it used to be called the “deer hunt,” the class was offered during this “off” time for public educators to enhance their knowledge of what has become a very serious and very real threat to students and teachers throughout our state and the nation.

What did excite me was ten more individuals, teachers have a better understanding (and probably a greater comfort level) of hand guns and Utah’s weapons laws than they had on Thursday.  A little education never hurt anyone.  BRAVO TO THE MEN & WOMEN WHO ATTENDED THIS FREE CLINIC.

Now, I’ve only been to one CWP training class and Clark Aposhian was the instructor, and I can tell you the teachers in attendance at this class spent their valuable “off” hours receiving an education they’ll remember the rest of their lives.  I was so impressed with Mr. Aposhian’s calm and matter-of-fact demeanor, I’ve encouraged several acquaintances to seek training or further training from him.

On KNRS 570 Radio the other morning, I listened to a discussion between the host Bob Lonsberry and AG Mark Shurtleff.  Bob and Mark discussed the pros and cons of ”deputizing” teachers in the classroom.  The general feel of the conversation was that the state would be looking into this cutting-edge proposal to understand more of the concequences, and unintended consequences, of the Officer/Teacher position in our public school classrooms.  It sounds like an interesting idea–a half dozen, or so, “resource officers” right there in the classroom–armed.  No longer would someone have to run off campus to secure a weapon for firstline defense (certainly the outcome of such a strategy is a “too late” scenario).  No longer would students’ and teachers’ lives be momentarally comprimised while waiting for full-time law enforcement officers to arrive at a potentially critical “situation.”  The Deputy/Teachers are there, right there, in the classroom, and if not in the classroom, two doors down.  What an interesting idea!

The State Board of Education, the AG’s Office, the Legislature, and local Public Education Administrators & Teachers need to investigate the possibility, and the feasibility, of arming well-trained, law-abiding citizens, teachers (and administrators) in our public school classrooms–Let’s Do It For The Children!