No doubt you’ve seen a few of these. They are usually the ones that are screaming about returned cookies at the grocery stores, kicking and holding their breath when they don’t get their way and just about any kind of disruptive behavior, all in an effort to get their parents attention and agreement, no matter how foolish or worthless the request.
But how do you handle ill behaved children when they are 45 and 42 years old? That seems to be the task that the Federal Government faces in deciding how to best deal with Glenn Taylor and David Hall, the two older adolescents that took it upon themselves to destroy a 170,000,000 Utah rock formation. Oh yes, and in true adolescent form, they filmed it and it ended up on YouTube last October. Thank goodness the Boy Scouts of America took quick action and removed both of these from their leadership positions, but the damage was done and to add insult to injury they both claimed their actions were part of a public service to make the site safer. Of course, they did attempt to clear all of Goblin Valley State Parks so called hazards, just that one. One must suppose they didn’t think of reporting the apparently dangerous rock to park officials so they could determine and take the appropriate action. Nope, that simply wouldn’t have been as juvenile and fun!
Facing a maximum of 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine each, they are now scrambling to come up with any possible justification for their actions, but just one view of the YouTube video and it’s clear what and who we are dealing with. Obviously a good spanking and put to bed early isn’t going to suffice. Perhaps something more direct such as, oh say 10,000 hours of community service and a regular dose of public humiliation would be a good start. Something, just something that will really teach these overgrown children a lesson and make that lesson obvious to every boy scout, girl scout and any other person that is entrusted by the rest of us to live up to their oath & promise.
The last concern I have is just how many young people have observed this video and now think they need to do something equally or more spectacular so they can get their 15 minutes of fame? Judging from some of the comments on the film, there are more than a few out there that see it as just a rock and couldn’t care less. Truly a pity ….
Where have all the flowers gone?
RIP – Pete Seeger
It’s all a matter of perspective and which story you choose to believe. The evidence is circumstantial and the presumption of innocence should be maintained; but in matters of politics, like love, all is fair and the battle lines are being drawn rather quickly. Is the New Jersey governor a crook or is he just an innocent and misunderstood victim? Well let’s not lose sight of the fact that we are talking politics and to the best of my knowledge, I can’t say I’ve every met a completely honest one so who can say for sure. Let’s also not forget that in politics, being in a position to toss gasoline on the fire is considered a gift, not just a circumstance and the Mayor of Hoboken, being a good Democrat, is not about to let such a gift slip by.
Having watched enough of this, some of it very close up, over the years, there is no doubt a bit of truth and a measure of deception to all stories. My only question is; if a political figurehead is going to be truly effective in their job, they certainly better be able to control their staff and supporters. If they can’t maintain that control, how effective will they be in a real crises? I’m talking National or International crises with thumbs on the “button” ready to dispatch troops, nukes, or God only knows what else, to corners of the world?
Christie may be 100% innocent and if he is, then he certainly is not in control of his team; the same team that would, no doubt, follow him into the Executive Branch and help run this country. If he isn’t innocent, once again, he lacks the ability to control his team … also not a good sign. And if he’s 100% guilty all the previous still apply, not to mention he’s a lousy crook and not a good confidence man. Traits that are very important, especially when dealing with the Russians, Chinese, and a few dozen other less than desirable advisories.
Yes, Governor Christie is going to have to have one hell of a great end game to pull this one out of the fire, of course, I forget that we Americans have very short memories when it comes to politics so maybe this will be just another “groundhog day” that will need to be repeated again and again until he gets it right. In any case, the smoke is thickening and only Christie can determine if we will see flames or, perhaps something else?
As described by the constitution there are three main qualifications to be president of the US. They are (1) Must be a natural born citizen of the US, (2) Must be at least 35 years of age and (Must have been a resident living within the United States for 14 years. Contrary to opinion a president does not have to have a degree in law, any kind of college degree, or even be able to read & write. Interesting, eh? A few folks have suggested that the qualifications should be raised, but there is a great deal of disagreement on what, how, and how much. Judging by past performance I can think of one requirement I think would be highly beneficial to any potential president, senator or congressman.
Simply put, a degree in world & US history. Seriously? Yes, seriously! The reasoning is pretty simple and direct. Think back. How many wars, political misdeeds and actions have you seen that were repetitive of past history? How many times have you said to yourself, “oh, it’s going to be another Vietnam or Bay of Pigs or other such things”? How many times within the boarders of this country have we seen debates and other actions that were contrary to the last decision made on a particular subject? And lastly …. Just how much time, effort and money could have been saved by not covering the same ground again and again?
Iraq is a perfect example. We are on the verge of seeing the US make a decision about committing more resources (perhaps even soldiers) back into a country that has been fighting the same religious wars for over 1,000 years with the outcome just as foggy as it has ever been. Africa is another country where the US is contemplating further involvement despite the fact that they too have been fighting over the same issues for a very long time. We have yet to successfully “democratize” any country out there that hasn’t taken huge swings after our eventual departure. Why can’t we respect their chosen pathway and work more towards finding common ground? Negotiation, oh hell, just plain old bribery and a lot more effective, a lot less costly, and spare our young people from fighting in wars they will later regret and we will regret even more when our VA falls down on the job of taking care of the veterans.
I have seen that TV show “The Presidential Book of Secrets” that has some very interesting items but I really think there needs to be a book of “Presidential Lessons Learned” that is published and is mandatory reading for any president, congressman, or senator that intends to run for office. A test with a minimum required passing grade would be nice; I mean really, we now have that sort of thing for all our High School students to get their final diploma’s, don’t we deserve the same from a future leader or representative?
Personally, I’m sick of all the money, effort, and lives being wasted in some of these prolonged wars, particularly when there is no clear cut gain, goal, or finality about the darn thing. Shortly after we pull out of Afghanistan it will return to the same degree of madness we are seeing happen in Iraq. A little history about the region should have been enough to dissuade our leaders from have gotten into this mess. For the money we are shelling out on all this high powered leadership, I certainly expect a better return on my investment. Hmmmmm …. Wall street got a nice bailout, could we get the same for all these recent bozo decisions we have been living through?
The water crises that nine counties of West Virginia have been enduring in recent days is slowly coming to an end. Steady readings of at or below one part per million have allowed their health department to begin further testing and corrective actions that will eventually return some normality to their water supply, but there are a number of questions that must be answered and corrections made. The question of criminal charges is still in the air with no resolution in site.
The real issue seems to be the all too regular compromise of health and safety for the simple reasons of profit. Companies seem to constantly battle with state and federal agencies to avoid and/or ignore these regulations rather than work with the same agencies to be in compliance at a reasonable cost. In most case (not all) compliance can be achieved reasonably, but let’s not kid ourselves. Some of these issues are great enough and expensive enough that they could close a business or entire industry. We are seeing that very thing happen to the Kentucky coal industry with so many closures of coal burning power plants. At times it appears to be one of two choices; live poor and healthy or die early and wealthy. Not much of a choice. While methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) isn’t deadly it certainly can cause eye & skin irritation, nausea and vomiting. It’s used for washing coal and has been for a long time. This contamination hasn’t caused any deaths but more than 70 people have been treated for exposure and in all honesty the greatest impact has been the personal inconvenience to residence, businesses and the community at large. Still, in an age where less than 1% of the worlds water remains unpolluted and drinkable, it’s not a resource we can well afford to waste.
From the news accounts and video on the news a few very basic questions come to mind. Judging by the appearance and age of the tanks, they were most likely a single wall unit with no inner coating or leak detection capability. They also appear to lack any kind of containment dikes around the tanks or the entire yard and lastly, there appears to be no kind of temporary containment ponds that the leaking material could be re-directed to in case of a leak, further preventing leakage into a waterway. As the probe digs deeper one obvious question would be why on earth was such a facility located next to a waterway where pollution could compromise the drinking water? All of these are points that should have been asked and addressed prior to the opening, sale or re-sale of such a facility. Whether they were or were not remains an open question.
There are many legal issues to be investigated and compliance with regulations will certainly be near the top. Freedom Industries seems to be a bit of a mystery to many. It is a merger of Etowah River Terminal and Crete Technologies. Freedom Industries was founded in 1986. Currently the conglomerate is part of another company called Environmine, Inc, which supplies “environmental chemistries & services” to coal companies. In an age of economic downturn, many local, state, and some federal regulators may ease regulatory requirements in order to attract business, create jobs, and increase desperately needed revenues. It all seems legitimate and logical until the unfortunate event happens and the proverbial poop hits the fan. Considering all the businesses and companies that have been shuttered for the past 5 days, those economic gains from the new company are probably long since lost and the PR nightmare will live on for a long time for everyone involved.
It reminds me of an all too often heard maximum from my fathers era, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Yep, those old folks certainly did know what they were taking about … I wonder if enough of us are passing on that wisdom to our own kids and grandkids?
I have been following the heartbreaking story of Jahi McMath, the 13 year old girl who’s simple tonsillectomy turned into tragedy. The issues of medical competence, liability exclusion and a host of other issues will no doubt play itself out in civil courts and that too will become quite a public spectacle. My interest is in some of the tactic’s used by the hospital, state and local coroner’s office in this matter.
Did you notice that the county coroner’s office has already issued a death certificate for the girl despite, by classical definition, her body, hence “she” is still alive. Apparently the coroner has taken it upon themselves to redefine the terms alive and dead. One has to wonder when they will move on to declare those in coma’s as being dead because they cannot open their eyes, speak, or directly communicate? How far could it go? Could this be a preamble to the state using this excuse anytime they want to rid themselves of some malcontent? Yes, it certainly sounds completely absurd … but if that is indeed the case, then why is the state in such a rush? What possible reason could they have? Could there be some conspiracy between the medical community and the state? Somehow it appears that the old maximum of “follow the money” might just expose a few facts that a great many people would just as soon not have made public.
It is difficult to take issue with the realities of brain death. That is one condition that, according to medical historical files, does not reverse itself no matter the treatment but if the family has the ways and means of moving that living body into another facility and paying for it’s upkeep, why should the hospital or the state care? Why would they put up such resistance to the families wishes? Why would they be in such a hurry to pull the plug? Are they attempting to destroy evidence that might be useful to the prosecution in a medical incompetence hearing? Could they be sited as a co-conspirator because they knew of some incompetence on the part of the doctors, staff, or others?
So many questions and such a rush to sweep the case under the rug. I dare not suggest that any of this has to do with the race or financial status of the family, but a competent lawyer would certainly want answers to that question too.
Is it just another unheard wake up call to all of us that the state has and continues to become far too powerful? And if any of this is even slightly true … are any of us safe from also becoming a victim? Plenty of arguments here and not enough facts … so why are those in power is such a big damn hurry to make it all go away rather than search for justice?
It was September 5, 1972 when the world observed one of the worst acts of terrorism in Munich Germany at the Olympic games. It was the first time the Olympic games were held in Germany since 1936 when the Nazis hosted the games. The first few days went smoothly but on the 4th of September the Israeli team were attached and taken hostage. What played out over the next 36 hours ended with all but three terrorists dead. All of this played out, to the horror of the world, on international television, giving attention to the plight of the terrorists and renewing the concept that through terrorism, something could be gained.
Prior to this event there were sporadic demonstrations at Olympic events, but for the most part the world (good and bad guys) recognized this event as one of peaceful competition between nations athlete’s, who were untouchable. Since that time we have seen developments throughout the world that remind us that there is nothing quite secreted any longer and may never be so, again.
These memories were stirred by the recent events in Russia over the past weeks. What some would call terrorists and others might call “freedom fighters” are competing for attention to their individual plights on the world stage with the complete cooperation and perhaps a bit of encouragement of the international media. Volgograd, Russia is indeed in the spot light and this will most certainly be another test of the Russian president’s willpower and authority. Most interesting has been the response of each of the political prisoners he has freed over the past weeks. Each has remained outspoken and defiant and renewed their efforts to bring down Vladimir Putin and his form of leadership.
From the many comments on different web sites and news bureau’s it is obvious that our world has long since dropped the philosophy of “love one another” and is again competing for everything with a “me first” approach to life. Whether the focus is on Muslins, Jews, Arabs or any of the other nationalities, religions or other aspects that make us different, it remains the same. We blame anyone and everyone else, point fingers and never give serious consideration to our own level of involvement that helps contribute to this continued unrest.
Perhaps it is simply the nature of man to always be in competition with each other to “win”. We all most certainly will do whatever is necessary to be the dominate group and apparently we only feel safe when we are the strongest. Unfortunately, we have proven again and again that we can no longer be trusted to act at the worlds policeman since we are every bit as guilty of misconduct as the next nation. Proof lies in the fact that history is written by the winner and rarely is it accurate beyond our own self promotion. Only time uncovers the truth and when revealed, we tend to spend inordinate amount of effort trying to justify our actions.
The recent developments with the NSA brought out one of the best quotable quotes of the year, decade, and perhaps century. It stated simply “Just because we can doesn’t mean we necessarily should”. If our world leaders don’t start setting a better example, how can they possibly expect those around them to do any better?
Seriously? Has the press in the free world become intensely stupid, over night? It’s call diplomacy, a simple gesture that can have a positive impact that could result in a phone call and the two parties deciding there is more to talk about. It helped bring down the Berlin wall, free countless political prisoners and forge some of the most lasting friendships across the globe.
Has the brain and soul of our media completely disappeared? Do these people no longer study and idolize the likes of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite? Don’t these people at least think for ten seconds before blasting out the next “hot scoop” to make sure what they have fished up isn’t just another pile of whale dung? Haven’t some of the more recent embarrassments by our press at least slowed them down to light speed before jumping to even more conclusions?
You can blame it on a lot of things including technology that has caused us to fire this stuff off in the hopes of getting the next “scoop” but if the management of these so called news bureau’s don’t start to actually manage their resources, they could very well start the next major conflict over a meaningless observation that any rookie can identify as just that. Lost is the time to think, analyze, confirm and reconfirm BEFORE broadcasting to the world.
Basic Civic’s lesson: Fidel Castro made his name and reputation on the backs of “the revolution”. He had chi quaver assassinated when chi suggested that the revolution had achieved it’s goals and a new direction was needed. Fidel’s very existence is based upon revolution so when Bill Clinton shook his hand some time before, Fidel could not afford to do anything that was anti-revolutionary. Raul is more of a businessman and diplomat. He understands that with the fall of USSR his funding is all but non-existent. They can no longer export guerilla warfare and mercenaries because they are too well known and easily tracked in a world where mercenary for hire is a dyeing profession. Drug running is out because he simply doesn’t have the talent the Columbians have so why should they throw him a bone? And most of all, he knows of the financial success of Batista and how he could once again return Cuba to financial success along with a reasonable amount of free trade and, God forbid, capitalism! But, until he and Obama open a dialogue, nothing moves forward.
Whether you hate, love or are just tolerating this president, it is important to recognize diplomacy for what it is. Having Secretaries of State communicate is helpful, but when world leaders publicly acknowledge each other with pleasantries and diplomacy, it can start a dialog that will change the world. Living long enough to see an open Cuba where we are free to visit and vacation …. Priceless!
If you haven’t caught this latest development, Amazon is developing a system to have your deliveries come directly to your home from the fulfillment center via … wireless drone. Yes, that’s right and apparently it’s not a joke. Implementation is still another 5 years away, but they are dead serious about this (check your calendar, April first is long past). They are developing a small fleet to these things that will be able to deliver anything up to five pounds directly to your door …. At an earthshattering 30 minutes from completion of the order … talk about your immediate gratification for the impulse buyer!
It will certainly take quite a few hurtles to clear before it’s ready to go on any imaginable scale but some of the more immediate concerns are certainly going to be things like, what happens during bird hunting season? How obvious to potential thieves? If you live in NYC or Boston and don’t have a porch the next alternative is the roof, door man, what?? And just how long before the NSA requires them all to have camera’s so they can photograph our shopping habits (there already doing that through the web, of course!). By the way, no comment yet from the FAA, how they will steer around restricted air spaces, etc have not been addressed and I shudder to think what the impact would be if a good copy of War & Peace where to go through a jet engine taking off …. Ugh!!
OK, seriously, from the economic standpoint, what would be the financial impact on UPS, FEDx, and other delivery services? Can you imagine if the US Post Office decided to try this with your mail? Seriously? I’m sure there are more than a few people that get over 5 lbs. of junk mail each day and if these things crash, who’s responsible for litter clean up, etc? Live mice through the mail? Better have a heater on board and those legendary Sea Monkey’s I saw as a kid, and they still sell … they are meant to swim, not fly!
OK, OK, I am having way too much fun with this, particularly when you think about things our parents scoffed at, yet came true. My own father said repeatedly that computers were just a passing fad as were skate boards, radio controlled planes, and more other things than I care to mention. Perhaps I’m suffering from the first real signs of old age in not being as accepting of each new bit of technology. Oh well, no worries, I will remain calm. After all, I have my pet rock here to keep me company so it can’t be too bad.
Perhaps you have not heard of the controversy looming at this nation’s cemetery. The general policy at Arlington prohibits individuals from leaving personal mementos at the graves. This policy was relaxed at the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to give families more latitude in their grieving process but this relaxed policy is due to run out at the end of 2014. Section 60 is that area where these fallen are interned.
Part of the problem is that others are leaving various mementos throughout the cemetery and in some cases, individuals are trying to permanently affix objects to the head stones. Things like commemorative coins football helmets, letters, liquor bottles and painted shoe’s to name a few. The practice has clearly gotten out of hand, but who is to tell a grieving child they cannot leave their father a hand written letter or favorite stuffed toy to help keep Dad or Mom company during their long sleep?
As a veteran who has attended the internment of many friends, including some of the servicemen that served under me in and out of combat I am terribly conflicted by both the practice and the limitations. Forgetting the added maintenance costs for just a moment, it does take away from the overall appearance. The intent of the starkness of so many identical headstones is a reminder of the sameness of the services and service members, all fighting for a common cause where individualism is not nearly as important as the whole. But … there is a mistaken opinion that this cemetery belongs to the Government or even the services. It is consecrated ground that belongs to the dead and as an extension, to their families as well, as we have heard Abraham Lincoln say in his Gettysburg Address.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion …
These are, by far, some of the most difficult decisions for any person or group of persons to make. To honor the dead and their families while preserving the image and ideals of Arlington. Perhaps it’s just a bit too soon to change back this policy, after all, the families of the last casualty will not be afforded the same consideration of time as the first casualties. In any case, I hope the decision makers remember how offended our nation was with the last president choose to prevent the press from photographing the coffins arriving at Andrews AFB in the attempt to shield the nation from knowing how many and how often the dead were returning. The nation deserves the right to morn it’s fallen hero’s while preserving these hallowed grounds.
In anyone’s lifetime there are usually 2, maybe 3 events that prompt that “where were you when …” question. Over the past 50 years there have been more, many more. The 911 attack, the first and second gulf wars starting with a night of “shock & awe”, Impeachment of Bill Clinton, Resignation of Richard Nixon, end of the Viet Nam war, assassinations of Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and of course John F. Kennedy. I was a little young to take in the Cuban missile crisis, but that one would be in there too.
The Kennedy Assassination has kept the country pondering all the facts and unknowns for a very long time and even today there continues the theory of a 2nd gunman despite the ever growing body of evidence now being shown to the general public. At this point the biggest mystery that remains is primarily the “why” this evidence was not shown to the public much earlier. Granted some items like the digital enhancement of the three primary films (only recently did the other two appear) have only recently answered a number of questions and re-enactments by proper forensic scientists seem to have answered the balance of the remainder. Hats off to National Geographic for their recent articles showing this evidence and clearing up a lot of misconceptions. More remain and some can never be answered, but that which now exists, helps tremendously.
I personally remember our grade school being suddenly dismissed and everyone sent home on the bus without explanation. One of my teachers was on the bus, which was highly unusual, and she broke the news that the President was dead. We all started crying, many of us not really understanding why but we all sensed there was a great loss that day, even if we did not know why.
As I think back over so many tragedies that we, as a people, have endured I am somewhat surprised we survived it all; but in retrospect, I think it all acts as a reminder of just how enduring we are. We survive things that weaker countries have fallen apart over. We put our shortcomings and politically embarrassing episodes right out in front for all the world to see, we get up and dust ourselves off, returning to the path we travel, hopefully a little wiser for the experience. I can think of few countries that can make a similar claim.
So while I watch our President apologize for his mistakes, watch our congress prove again and again that they can find just one more stupid thing to do badly, watch our economy struggle for what seems to be an endless cycle, watch our system of education continue to decline, and so many more …. I still find myself thankful to live here. We continue to survive and we continue to grow stronger and can only hope our own kids are learning a few lessons along the way.
On November 22nd at 1 pm (Dallas time) I will again shed a few tears remembering a sadder time when a promising young president was taken from us; but I will also remember that our nation stood as one and learned a harsh lesson that served us well as time marched on. We are so very fortunate to be a part of this history. We can only hope that the historians are writing it all down so our grandchildren and their grandchildren can continue to understand the price of freedom as well as it’s benefits.
The infamous Mr. Snowdon has once again served up a knuckleball to the NSA. Another round of “traitor” clamors is on the wing and we will be treated to more countless news accounts of how badly he has hurt the country and our intelligence efforts. I am reminded of the other infamous “Walker Spy Case” of some time ago when similar issues came out, of course those were not released to the general public but the results were no less damaging, or are they?
I pose the question because, like any agency or large company, a lack of significant challenge tends to make the organization a bit lax, perhaps even sloppy. Competition is the fuel of industry and the same applies to those in the intelligence circles. When facing the challenge of development of bigger, better, and more sophisticated methods, this country rarely shirks it’s responsibilities and the same will happen again with our own intelligence experts. The other eventual winners will be our own Dept. of State and several other governmental agencies that will be forced to relook their means and methods and come up with new and better ideas. Yes, necessity is indeed the mother of invention as well as creativity.
Our relationships with our allies certainly will benefit from greater conversations and a review of current and past practices. After all, if you don’t tell someone how much you appreciate them from time to time, the relationship suffers, but implant some meaningful conversation and be forced to re-explore why they are important to you, and it can open a lot of new doors and make relationships that much stronger. We’re seeing this in practice with our country and Saudi Arabia at the moment. We are no longer so energy independent as we once were and the door to Iran and their vast oil reserves has caused SA some concern. Perhaps they will realize just how important the Americans are to them and we could see a much improved relationship. Hell, it could turn into a win-win before it’s all over with.
There is little doubt that Mr. Snowdon’s actions were certainly damaging to the US in the short term, but in the long term, he might have just given the nation a well-deserved and much needed kick in the pants. I’m not saying we shouldn’t lock him up and throw away the key … but we should consider the flip side of the issue. There’s more to come and as the old saying goes, “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. If the administration plays it right, it could turn out as motivation for a windfall of idea’s and methods that will place us again, well ahead of the “bad guys”. Bin Laden quickly learned to avoid technology because of our ability to infiltrate his systems and we went back to the older forms of information distribution. This forced our own intelligence circles to explore the value of old methods, which eventually provided the winning efforts. A little old fashion detective work, talking to the right people, gathering basic information face to face, door to door. The old ways aren’t necessarily bad after all. I wonder how many other methods and systems are worth revisiting?
Calligraphy & an abacus anyone?
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