Robert's Ramblings

I've heard about enough from the whiners about how bad the United States is. Some people have some very selective memories and are quick to forget all the good we have done. They seem to forget that when a nation is in need, we are the first they call. They are also dishonest, dishonest with themselves. They have benefited from the very things they now condemn. In fact the radical Islamists are most upset about the decay of morals in the West and how those morals are infiltrating their country. Need I point out who is primarily responsible for the decline in Western morality?

Like most Americans, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I have a fairly comfortable life, a house that is not too bad, a really cool car, a loving family, the best friends in the world, a job that I enjoy and pays well (not that a raise would not be appreciated), and many opportunities to further my education and understanding. I have these things for some very simple reasons. First, I worked hard. While others were playing, I was studying. When some graduated from high school and went to work, I went to college. While some took the easy classes in college, I opted for the tough ones. While others merely did their jobs, I tried to do mine a little better than was expected. I was also blessed. Yes, I believe that I was given something to make me work a little harder than some. And of course all this was possible because I had parents who made sacrifices to make sure I got these opportunities. They made sure I lived in the best school districts, had the school supplies I needed, sent me to the college of my choice, and encouraged me in all that I did. I have nothing to be ashamed of other than those who are ashamed to be an American

I must admit, I find those people to be insulting. They insult me and all the Sailors I know. They insult those who have died in this war and those who are yet to die. But the funny thing about it is that I will fight for their right to insult me. They will not go unchallenged; they will not be allowed to have their say without the rest of us having ours, but we will fight for their right to say what they will. Why? Because we are Americans and that is the way we do things.

We, as Christians and Americans, do need to better understand Islam. It is the right thing to do but we must be careful that we do not turn this into an us against them war. This is not a war of Christians against Muslims; it is a war against terrorists who happen to claim the religion of Islam. It will be a long war and many good people will die before it is over. But we will win it.

I do still worry at times. The left has taken hold of many of our nations institutions with the belief they are doing good. I come back to the words spoken by Benjamin Franklin at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention when he was asked, "What have you wrought?" Franklin answered, "...a Republic, if you can keep it." I pray everyday that we can keep it.

Posted by robertgreen at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

Don't Help Others but, Help Yourself

Not Teaching Our Children by Example

02 October 2001

In the wake of the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, Americans and many others have been extremely generous with their money, time, and efforts. They have shown what it is like to care for others and to share with those who are in need--a trait common in most every religion in the world--and certainly one most parents would want their children to learn and practice. What better opportunity can you have than the terrible events of the recent past to show the children of today that they should give to others who are less fortunate and to reinforce the lessons they have been taught? And what better place is there to reinforce this lesson than i

I certainly do not believe that teaching morals, concern for others and proper behavior is the sole responsibility of our schools nor even one of their primary purposes but, they certainly are capable and able of reinforcing those attitudes that are taught at home and at church. Or so you would think. In Boca Raton, Florida these lessons are forbidden and woe to the poor unsuspecting student who thinks he will help others. How dare he try to help others; he should only help himself and those close to him, according to assistant principal of the Coral Sunset Elementary School.

According to new reports, an eight year old student decided to help those in New York City by taking up a collection for them at his school. He worked with the American Red Cross and was going to put a can in each classroom for donations. Sounds like a good idea, something I think we would all like for our children to do. Apparently the Coral Sunset administration disagrees.

You see, there are rules and regulations against collecting for charities at Coral Sunset. I can understand that, I can understand the need to regulate such activities at a school and can imagine the problems that would arise if anyone could collect for anything at anytime. Where would you draw the line? What would be a worthy cause and what would not? Who would make the call? Who would suffer the consequences of the inevitable charges of bias if collections for only certain charities were allowed?

The problem is that all collections are not prohibited at Coral Sunset Elementary School. No, as a matter fact, some collections are allowed according to news reports. Coral Sunset most assuredly encourages giving when the proceeds will be used to benefit the school or its students. Let's encourage students to give to themselves. Let's teach them to put themselves first.

Perhaps Coral Sunset does not believe they should be concerned at all about teaching their students proper behavior and concern for their fellow man. Perhaps they have decided that those functions are best left to parents and the church.

But this is not the case, not the case at all. Coral Sunset does indeed believe that they should teach students things other than the three R's. Their mission statement reads: Through the combined efforts of faculty staff and community Coral Sunset Elementary will educate students to apply basic skills critical thinking skills and citizenship qualities to their environment while working for excellence in their thoughts and deeds. Citizenship qualities? Excellence in their deeds? Yes boys and girls, citizenship qualities. A look at their rules and guidelines for behavior reveals that students must "obey and respect all adults representing the school the first and every time they are addressed". They must "respect school property", must "not fight, curse, tease, or make obscene gestures", and they must "treat others with kindness and respect"

They have a list of eleven musts at Coral Sunset Elementary school but, putting others before yourself is not one of them. While they must "treat others with kindness and respect" this goes only so far, and collecting money for others is going too far.

Policies and procedures are needed for any organization to maintain order and, as stated above, not allowing charitable collections at a school could be defensible on many fronts. What is not defensible in this case is the statement by Coral Sunset's assistant principal and the policy that only allows the collections for the benefit of the school and its students. How is this policy encouraging the students to treat others with kindness and how does this demonstrate work for excellence in deeds?

This is most assuredly not the proper lesson to be teaching the youth of today and demonstrates how our schools will never fill the function of parents. There should be some proud parents out there now, the parents of that eight year old student who tried to help those he has never met, to help those who have less than he does right now. Fortunately we still have parents like that who are teaching values to their children. I can only hope that in the end the parents of the world win over those who set and enforce policies that prohibit an eight year old boy from helping his fellow man by placing cans for donations in classrooms.

Note: As of 02 January 2009 the missions statement remains the same but the "rules" are no longer on the school's web site. Perhaps a new administration eliminated the rules or perhaps they have simply been removed from the web. Regardless, the point of the article is not about that particular school but about teaching citizenship in general.

Posted by robertgreen at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

From Engineer to Weatherman

This was actually written for the Mississippi Engineering Society Newletter when I was President under the President's column entitled "M.E.S.sage"

01 January 2001

It started with the intent of showing how engineers are involved in things most people would never think of and maybe showing a little bit of the fun side of engineering. A professional engineer, working in New York City, had the responsibility of determining if the winds were within acceptable limits for the balloon floats used in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The article was developed by the firm NSPE has contracted with to improve the image of the engineer.

The article was printed in the New York Times, included a photograph of the engineer, and was picked up by several media outlets across the nation. One radio station read the article and talked about it on the air. This radio station wanted more information so they called a local university for some comments. They ended up talking to someone in the geography department of the university. The article mentioned meteorology and this is what the radio station picked up on. There inquiry was directed to the geography department because that is the department that houses meteorology.

Was the article a failure? Some could argue that it was because it did not result in more favorable coverage of the engineer. I would argue that results of the article illustrates how profoundly misunderstood the image of the engineer and engineering really is. Why did the radio station call a university about meteorology rather than engineering? Is it perhaps because the radio station thought a meteorologist would interview better on radio? Perhaps it is just because the radio station didn't know enough about the situation to call and ask for an engineer.

Improving the image of ourselves and our profession is not an attempt to make a bad image into a good image. Polls show that most people think well of engineers, at least that we are ethical. No, the problem is not having a bad image, the problem is having a misunderstood image. What concerns me most about our misunderstood image is that our leaders in society may turn to those who have less knowledge about a problem rather than ask a qualified engineer. I also worry that with an image that is misunderstood, we may not attract some fine young people into the profession.

Gaining the image we want to have is going to be a long road. The recent attempts to get some positive attention may not have had the desired affect, it did serve to illustrate the degree of the problem we are facing. There are no quick fixes and, although we can use outside help, the bulk of the work remains with us. As engineers we must always project an image of the calm, understanding professionals we are. We must make efforts to explain ourselves in terms that can be easily understood by those lacking the depth of education we have attained. Only then will the public's perception of our profession change.

Posted by robertgreen at 9:52 AM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2008

Mississippi is Not Embracing the "New Economy"

"State Face New Imperative: Turn to Global, Entrepreneurial and Innovation-based 'New Economy' to Boost Competitiveness," PA Times, Vol 31, No. 12, p. 1, December 2008 (American Society for Public Administration)

I was disappointed, but not surprised, to find that Mississippi was ranked at the bottom of this list along with West Virginia. The 2008 State New Economy index is compiled and released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation as a measure not of how a state's economy is performing but rather how they are embracing the new economy. It focuses on a single, narrow question: "To what degree does the structure of state economies match the ideal structure of the New Economy?"

One of the key factors driving the New Economy is the information technology revolution which is measured by the index. The states at the top of the list tend to be states with "a high concentration of managers, professionals and college-educated residents working in 'knowledge jobs'--those that require at least a two-year degree." Obviously the vast majority of this state fails to meet these criteria. Other states such as North Carolina are ranked lower than expected (25th), according to the article, due their concentrations of high-tech. In a sense that is also true of Mississippi. Our high-tech areas are concentrated and, while they are as high tech as any, they represent a small percentage of the population.

The concern is not so much where Mississippi is ranked now but the fact that Mississippi led the way in states that declined in their performance from the last survey in 2007. While 36 improved, 11 declined. Mississippi fell "in twice as many indicators as it increased, while Wyoming and Indiana also fell." Given this is the "New Economy" it is not going to go away so every state should be getting better, not worse. Mississippi has, in my opinion, focused far too long on the old economy (attracting automobile fabricators and their associated support industries, rather than focusing on the high-tech, new economy. This is not true in all of the state; the area around Mississippi State for example, has seen some high-tech industries develop. But it represents a small portion of the state.

To turn things around the elected officials in Jackson are going to have to change the way they think and focus on long-term goals. That is difficult for a state in which I have repeatedly heard elected officials say they did not want to tie the hands of those to be elected in the future. That kind of backwards thinking limits how progressive a state can be when long-term strategic planning needs to be done.

Posted by robertgreen at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2008

Reading Habits of President Bush

"Bush Is a Book Lover," by Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal, Friday, 26 December 2008, Vol. CCLII, No. 150, p. A11.

This is an insightful article into the reading habits of our president. What began as a New Year's resolution in 2006, to read a book a week, became a competition between Karl Rove and President Bush. Rove, like many of us, had gotten out of the habit of reading as much as he used to and decided to turn things around. President Bush joined in and it was soon a competition. Rove has won each year but that is not important, what is important is that if someone as busy as the President of the United States still finds time to read, it makes it difficult for most of us to say we do not have the time to read.

The scores: 2006 Rove 110, Bush 95; 2007 Rove 76, Bush 51; 2008 (as of today) Rove 64, Bush 40. The President has also read the Holy Bible cover to cover each year through his daily devotional. The books have ranged from history to biography and even included some fiction.

Some points I found interesting in the article are on Bush's theory of competition. Rove states:

"The reading competition reveal Mr. Bush's focus on goals. It's not about the winning. A good-natured competition helps keep him centered and makes possible a clear mind and a high level of energy."

"There is a myth perpetuated by Bush critics that he would rather burn a book than read one. Like so many caricatures of the past eight years, this one is not only wrong, but also the opposite of truth and evidence that bitterness can devour a small-minded critic. Mr. Bush loves books, learns from them, and is intellectually engaged by them."

According to Rove, the President is never without a book. He reads instead of watching television and reads on Air Force One. To read as much as he does, he obviously reads most anywhere he can. It reminds me of a story I read about William F. Buckley a few years ago that pointed out he always had a book with him. I also always have a book with me. You never know when the car might break down or you might have some time to yourself. When I know I am going somewhere that will require a wait (the doctor, the dentist, to get a haircut) I always take my own book. It is nice to have magazines in a waiting area but I prefer to take my own books.

I'm not much for New Year's resolutions but this year I may have to break my tradition.

Posted by robertgreen at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)

Military Advisers Can Be Found in the Strangest Places

"Military Finds an Unlikely Adviser In School-Building Humanitarian," by Yochi J. Dreazen. Wall Street Journal, Friday 26 December 2008, Vol CCLII, No. 150, p. A9.

The military is listening to Greg Mortenson a co-author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time. Mr. Mortenson is being courted by the military now for advice on nation building. He believes that building schools is an effective way to fight Islamic extremism. He has already visited with Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen.

"General Petraeus, who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, read Mr. Mortenson's book, which recounts his school-building efforts, and recommends it to his staff." Nation-building, something once abhorred by the military has now become a part of the military strategy. People like General Petraeus are, I believe, responsible for much of this. In the past he military was quick to divide fighting wars and rebuilding following the war. The military did the former, NGOs, aka civilians, did the latter, but in the new age of warfare it is more difficult to divide these two phases, especially when fighting an insurgency where winning hearts and minds is critical to winning the war.

"Education is the long-term solution to fanaticism,: says Col. Christopher Kolenda, who commanded an Army brigade in a part of eastern Afghanistan where Mr. Mortenson founded two schools. "As Greg points out so well, ignorance breeds hatred and violence."

This seems so obvious but many of us tend to miss the obvious. Not only does "ignorance breeds hatred and violence" apply to Islamic insurgents; it applies to people across the world. When you look at those who are the most racist, the most protectionist, and most violent also tend to be the most ignorant. Let's face it, when was the last time you read about a gang of Ph.D.s terrorizing a neighborhood?

Mr. Mortenson has come face-to-face with an issue that concerns me and one I have been looking into for several years--the military-NGO incompatibility. When offered to have $2.2 million secretly funneled to him to build schools, he "...realized my credibility in that part of the world depended on me not being associated with the American government, especially its military." This is a sad yet real part of the world in which we live. NGOs and the military could do great things by working together but there are serious issues which must be overcome and the most serious issue is the one of perception.

Mr. Mortenson has another book coming out in January. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time, scheduled to be released on 22 January 2009 is geared for younger readers. If his first book is recommended reading by General Petraeus to his staff, surely this one will be recommended to the children of his staff.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

Posted by robertgreen at 4:25 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2008

Lots of Talk, No Action

Barack Wrote a Letter… Wall Street Journal, 29 October 2008, p. A16

The Wall Street Journal had a telling article about Obama’s work on the subprime lending crisis. In his 07 October debate, the Journal says, Obama stated that he “’never promoted Fannie Mae’ and that ‘two years ago I said that we’ve got a subprime lending crisis that has to be dealt with.’” The Senator wrote some letters to the Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke. The letters, says the Journal, called for decisive action. Obama suggested that they “’consider options’ and that ‘the relevant private sector entities and regulators’ might be able to provide ‘targeted responses.’” My favorite line from the article is “Then in paragraph four, the Harvard –trained lawyer dropped his bombshell: a suggestion that various interest groups get together to ‘consider’ best practices in mortgage lending.”

This scares me to no end. For all those who tout the Senator’s vast experience at “community organizing” this is the result of that experience. An executive makes decisions; an organizer gets people together to talk. When the Senator was blowing the top off of this crisis all he wanted was to get people to talk. We need decisions in Washington not gripe sessions. The lack of leadership in this candidate is astounding. The number of people who fail to see that lack of leadership is scary.

Posted by robertgreen at 11:57 PM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2008

Presidential Search

IHL has elected to not reopen the search for president. It’s a mistake, in my opinion, for several reasons. First the board does not seem to realize that perception is reality and the perception/reality is that anyone selected from this pool is the second choice. There is also rumor that one of the preferred candidates had associates bring forth the charges against Watson resulting in magnoliagate so he will be doubly-troubled. Third, and I think most important, the board’s own consultant said at the beginning of the process that the pool of candidates would be limited by having the interim in the mix. Well, he is not in the mix now so I suspect a much different pool of candidates would result.

What really troubles me is the reports that the previous presidential search had a pool of candidates of 100 but this one has a pool of 13.

Posted by robertgreen at 12:22 AM | Comments (0)

October 2, 2008

General Colin Powell Speaks at MSU

What a man! I attended the Colin Powell talk tonight and was more than impressed. I read his autobiography many years ago and was impressed then but seeing him in person was even more impressive. He is clearly a very intelligent person and has a keen sense of humor. His talk was informative and entertaining.

We had some students present who embarrassed me, and their fellow students. Some kid (yes, kid) showed up on the floor wearing a “colorful” t-shirt and black and white checked shorts. Most everyone else was wearing business dress. Perhaps he thought he was cool, but I, and even the students sitting near me, thought he was ridiculous and an embarrassment to the university. Some students even called that he be taken off the floor.

Questions were submitted to General Powell and read by students who apparently had some role in deciding which questions to ask. One question dealt with how you could work with someone and work on topics you disagreed with. The implication was that General Powell continued to work on the Iraq war even though he disagreed with President Bush. The General set the student straight and noted that the question assumed he and the president disagreed. He clearly stated that he did not. He was in agreement with going to war but differed in how things were handled after the fall of Baghdad. Another question was so boggled and senseless I can’t even remember what it was. I only remember that the General did a great job in handling it with dignity. I was impressed with the answers given but disappointed in the questions asked.

His talk covered his time in the military, his time as SecState, retirement, and his outlook on life--he looks ahead, not to the rear.

General Powell is definitely a speaker to hear given a chance.

Posted by robertgreen at 2:58 PM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2008

Air Force Birthday Ball in Columbus

I attended the 2008 Air Force Ball in Columbus tonight with my wife. I was there actually representing the Greater Starkville Development Partnership Military Affairs Committee but Navy uniforms were authorized so I added a touch in joint service. It was held celebrating the 61st birthday of the Air Force and the 66th anniversary of Columbus Air Force Base. We had a good time, with good food, with good people. Harding Catering handled the food and I have never had Bridget serve anything I didn’t like.

The guest speaker tonight was Major General Michael Gould, Director of Operations and Plans, US Transportation Command. He did a really good job with is talk. Like most, not all, but most, flag and general officers he was able to give a talk that was on topic, had the right amount of humor and serious content, and was of an appropriate length. Sounds like it is easy to do until you try it yourself and realize how difficult it can be. Of course the central theme was the excellence of the Air Force and the pride in CAFB and among those serve. But the greater theme was family and keeping them first. He made some excellent points but, unfortunately, it is difficult to do, especially in today’s world with today’s OPTEMPO. On the other hand, by doing what we do, we allow others to have that family time.

My wife and I actually danced to two songs. Doesn’t sound like much but for someone who does not dance (me) it was a lot of dancing. I really did enjoy the night. Happy Birthday Air Force!

Posted by robertgreen at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2008

Read, Think, Write, and Publish--But be Prepared for the Conequences

"Read, Think, Write, and Publish' by Admiral Jim Stavridis, U.S. Navy, US Naval Institute Proceedings, August 2008, pp.16-19.

In the August 2008 issue of Proceedings, Admiral Jim Stavridis, USN, Commander of US Southern Command makes a compelling case for military officers, actually military members, to air their ideas. In his article entitled “Read, Think, Write, and Publish”, he quotes Benjamin Franklin as saying “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing” and then Admiral Stavridis adds, “Do both!” The John Adams motto “Read, Think, Write” has long since been adopted by the Naval Institute, and is also my personal motto, and now Admiral Stavridis asks that we all adopt it but take it a step further and publish. [John Adams actually said “Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”]

Such a request is not without its risks, however. Putting ideas out in the open can be a dangerous thing at many levels, especially at the personal level. Reciting the widely-accepted mantra of the day, or merely restating the obvious is usually not risky. But then again, it accomplishes very little. The best writings, in my opinion, are those that get people to think. Even if in the end the opinion expressed is not widely accepted or the idea is relegated to the trash can, the act of getting the thought started is worth the effort. Of course the audience must be willing to listen and willing to have an open debate and that, unfortunately, is not always the case. When an unpopular opinion is expressed publicly, whether is right or wrong, does not matter, it can carry a high personal price. This is something I recently learned the hard way.

My former church had been going through rough times. The internal issues, which are too numerous to list here, but which were, in my opinion, not being addressed. The Session was, again in my opinion, too concerned about not hurting feelings or not offending someone than they were in doing the work they were supposed to be doing. Now I must be clear here that this is not a condemnation of any individual member on the Session or in the church—the problem was one of the organization as an entity. There were strong members of Session but the Session as a whole was unwilling to look at the problems. Membership growth had stalled, if not declined; weekly attendance was falling; the number of people removing their names from elder ballot was rising; and the minister was being blamed for all of this. Sermons were, according to those dissatisfied, “too intellectual”, “too long”, “not exciting”, and a host of other things.

The church, over my objection and against my vote, removed the minister and then pronounced the problem was solved and we needed only a healing period. I was ready to leave then, like many of my friends did, but I stayed in hopes of being able to get things back on-track. However, what followed were group discussions and surveys which resulted in little and ignored those of us who were not into group therapy. Further, those like me were being told that we needed to get with the plan. But I had a finger on the pulse of the church membership and I knew that roughly a third of the church members attended so sporadically that they were clueless as to what was happening. Another third was happy because they “got their way”. The final third was still hurt, not happy with the things were going, but were either sticking it out to try to make things better (like me) or were sticking around because they did not feel comfortable going to another church.

Recognizing this I chose to write an article for the church newsletter. I had written them in the past and they often would stimulate some thinking. The article was entitled “A Message to Garcia” and referred to the story by Elbert Hubbard which recounted the struggles of Rowan to deliver a message to General Garcia in the Spanish-American War. I pointed out that there were those of us who were still not healed and that problems remained the church. I acknowledged that there were also Rowans’ within the church who were trying to deliver the message that all was not well. Interestingly, I also pointed out that the motto of our church was “Open hearts, open minds”, in hopes that the message would be heard.

What I found was that the church seemingly no longer had an open mind. The reactions to my article ranged from “I was wrong, everything was fine”, to “who is Garcia?” There were also those who came up to me and thanked me for saying what needed to be said. Rather than stimulate debate it raised defenses of those who wanted to pronounce the church healed. Further, it was stated that if I had concerns I should take them to the Session and not publish such articles. There was even brief discussion of having Session or a committee review articles before being published. Call it what you will but in my book the church with open minds was seriously discussing censorship.

The price I paid was coming to the conclusion that it was time to leave. I hated to leave; I had really hoped that things would turn around and get better. I joined another congregation in town and have been very happy ever since. They put God first in the church and their membership is growing. My old church has seen little to no growth and even fewer members are leaving their names on the ballot for elder elections. They now have a new minister and I truly pray things get better. However, before I left, the interim minister resigned. I have this hope because there is a need for such a church and because I still have friends who attend there. There are also some friends who attend there, share many of my thoughts and concerns but, for whatever reasons, are not comfortable joining another church.

I still agree with Admiral Stavridis and John Adams, but I am now keenly aware that reading and writing do not necessarily result in thinking, and there may well be a high personal cost associated with the publishing.

Posted by robertgreen at 1:57 PM | Comments (0)

September 4, 2008

Good Feedback on Ethics Presentation

Back in July I made a presentation on engineering ethics to the annual meeting of the Consulting Engineers Councils of Alabama and Mississippi in Panama City Beach, Florida. I had planned to turn it into a little mini-vacation but my wife broke both her ankles and couldn’t travel. It turned into a quick drive down, do the presentation, and get back home—two nights and one day away.

I tend to be very critical on myself and I gave myself a B or B- on the presentation. But I just got the feedback sheets and it looks like the audience gave me an A to A+. Some comments were that the best part of the presentation was the presenter! Can’t beat that. I always sweat these presentations because ethics can be a very boring and very difficult topic to present.

Posted by robertgreen at 12:51 AM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2008

Generation Entitlement

The Navy and the Generation of Entitlement, by LCDRSteven L. Rogers, USN, Naval Reserve Association News, August 2008, p. 14.

This commentary struck a chord with me. The article mentioned that we have the baby boomers, the Gen-X and Gen-Y crowd, and even the Millennials, but the author described a new generation he calls Generation Entitlement. This is the generation that my generation messed up by trying to make sure they did not do without. It seemed like a good idea at the time but now I think we, and they, would have been better served by experiencing a little more adversity in their lives.

LCDR Rogers points out that “[t]hese individuals question all authority, care little about tradition, and refuse to embrace a work ethic which requires ‘earning your way’.” He also states they are arrogant, self-serving, and impatient. He says they do not belong in the Navy and I would add they do not belong anywhere.

Before I run the risk of generalizing about an entire generation, let me be the first to add that within this generation are a large number of exceptions. These are the people who are hard-working, dedicated, and believe in sacrifice. They look at what has been given them not as an entitlement but rather as a gift to be used to better themselves and society. They really are out there and I have had the privilege of meeting them.

However, I have also had more than my fair share of meeting the self-serving Gen E’ers. Over the last few days I have been dealing with more than fair share of them. They have been asked to sit out of school for various periods of time because of poor academic performance and have been petitioning for readmission. Far too many have had parents and distant relative intervene on their behalf. I have heard all kinds of excuses as to how they got in trouble and how not they really will work hard to do better. Some really have identified their difficulties and taken action to correct the problems. Others simply want a bye because they feel entitled.

I also have the privilege and honor of dealing with many other students who have shown remarkable maturity and insight. They have recognized problems that they have and are working to correct those problems. They are the students I like. They realize why they are in school and know that their success depends on them. Even though some of them have found themselves in trouble I have never spoken to their parents about those difficulties. I do know that their parents care, and care deeply, but they are letting their children handle the problems while they provide emotional support. These students will be successful. They are going places and I am proud to be a part of their journey. The others are destined for either failure or a big wake-up call in the future.

As for me, I much prefer those who do not feel they are entitled.

Posted by robertgreen at 12:18 AM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2008

Interactive Video in World Wide Web world--Zooming into the 20th century!

MSU interimm president to hold interactive chats

This was first titled "MSU interim president to hold Web chats" but was changed when a commenter pointed out it was not the web. It is an easy mistake to make though. After all, in this day and age anyone else would have had a web chat with questions submitted either on-line (similar to the web conference I was involved in yesterday!) or email them in. Going to extension centers for this? Give me a break. I think is more about solidifying Ag support rather than getting word out.

The word that comes to my mind is--disappointing. I also fear that our future is going to look a lot like our past. But hey, it's just my personal opinion.

Posted by robertgreen at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2008

Character Matters--and John McCain hs it

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—character matters. When forming judgments about people or institutions, the most important factor to consider is character. Although the saying that past performance does not guarantee future results may apply to investments, the past behavior of a person is the best indicator of their future behavior. Promises have no meaning unless the person making them has a history of living up to them.

Thirty-five years ago today, John McCain came home from the Hanoi Hilton where he spent five and a half years of his life. John McCain is a hero but he is a real hero, not one of the new-fangled heroes we have today. The term hero is thrown around so much these days that it has almost lost it meaning—but McCain is a hero in the truest sense of the word.

He is not a hero because he fought in Vietnam. He is not a hero because he was shot down while completing a bombing mission. He is not even a hero because he spent time in a POW camp. Those actions were merely part of or a result of doing the job he willingly chose to do. John McCain is a hero because of what he did, and what he did not do, while a POW.

During his time in the Hanoi Hilton, John McCain was offered early release because of who he was. He was not only severely injured while ejecting from his airplane as it was hit with a surface to air missile, he was injured further by his captors. The easy thing to have done would have been to accept the release. I honestly think that most people would have understood had he accepted the release. Instead, he stood fast and said he would go home as soon as everyone who had been there longer than he had was also released.

John McCain is a hero because after he came close to death in the fire on the USS Forrestal, he requested a transfer to the USS Oriskany so that he could continue to fly missions. It was from the Oriskany that he would fly his mission before being captured.

To see more about this check out this video.

Is John McCain perfect? No. Do I agree with everything he has done? No. Do I think he will be elected as President and then never make a decision I disagree with? No. Do I think he will be a man of character and make decisions for the good of the country, as best as he can? Absolutely. Why? Because he has character. He has the character that will allow him to put country before self. He has shown he can make the hard decisions—even they have significant personal costs.

Senators Clinton and Obama seem to be fine people but what we know of their character? Senator Clinton and her husband have yet to release records that could show her character. Senator Obama has done nothing but talk about change without really defining what that was. He has yet to point to any decisions he has made that had a personal cost.

If you agree with me, how about making a contribution to the John McCain contribution? Click here.

Posted by robertgreen at 5:13 PM | Comments (0)

December 6, 2007

Fred

A few days ago I was given the book The Fred Factor: How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary to read by a “Fred”. "Fred" called me today to ay she was changing jobs and asked if I could return the book. I told her I hadn’t finished it so she said she would put her address in my mailbox so I could mail it to her. Well, it was a short book so I took a little time and read this afternoon and returned it to her.

My “Fred” was actually Shelly. Shelly works at the counter of the Mississippi State Post Office and tomorrow is her last day before she moves to another post office. One day when things were very slow I went to the post office and when I walked up to the counter Shelly put Fred down to help me. I asked her about the book and if she enjoyed it. She then asked if I would like to borrow it. I said yes and she said she had one other person lined up to read it before me.

Fred is a book about doing a little extra to make someone’s day special. It is about giving that little bit of extra of customer service. In the book, Fred really is a postal worker; a “street walker” as my former Master Chief referred himself in is civilian job as a mailman. When I got the book I noticed that someone had given it to Shelly because they recognized her as a Fred. And a Fred she is indeed. I’ll miss seeing her every day when I walk in to check my mail.

Shelly is not the first Fred I have met; I’ve met several. One was an international worker, Indian I think, who was working at Sbarro’s in Washington. I was staying at the Crystal City Marriott and Sbarro’s was in the mall next to the hotel. I had some work to do in the room so I decided to gt a slice of pizza to take to the room. All of the pizza looked good and I asked about some of them. Then I narrowed my choice down to two and couldn’t decide. I almost got both but finally decided to only get one.

I had paid for the pizza and was sprinkling it with cheese and red pepper when the guy called to me and was handing me another piece of pizza. It was a slice of the other pizza I wanted. His English was not very good and I thought he thought I wanted both pieces. Then I thought about it and realized I had only paid for one slice. I told him this and said thank you but I have my pizza. He kept insisting that I take the pizza and I kept telling him I had my pizza. Finally he said, “here, me, you, friends.” I was astonished that this perfect stranger, in a large city, was given me a slice of pizza. I took the pizza and thanked him several times before I left.

Now, I do realize that the restaurant was closing in about 15 minutes and there would have been several pieces of pizza to throw out. But this guy did not have to give it to me. He could have kept for himself, but he didn’t. I honestly doubt that guy remembers that night because I was just one of thousands people he sold pizza to. But I remember that incident and remember his word. I also never pass up eating at Sbarro’s when I’m hungry and near one. His small gesture, his slice of free pizza won the company a loyal customer. He was a Fred, long before Fred was ever written.

I want more Fred’s!

Posted by robertgreen at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

December 4, 2007

Day One Leadership

We had the final Day One Leadership Program luncheon for the Action Team Leaders. We all got certificates, an umbrella, door prizes, and an item from the grocery store picked by our teams to describe us. I got a bottle of V8 Splash because I “add a splash to the traditional”. It was a fun event but I’m sad it is the end of Day One for year.

One of my team members won the Day One Leadership Idol award from the pod and it was presented to her at the Air Force ROTC Dining In last week. She could not stay for the presentation following their presentation but it all worked out well.

I had a great team and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Posted by robertgreen at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2007

University of Mississippi Fires Head Coach Even Though They Said They Wouldn't

The University of Mississippi fired its head football coach Ed Orgeron today. It’s not my place to comment on what the reasons might have been for this firing, because I am not a football expert. But I do a thing or two about leadership and integrity and I have seen precious little of either in the upper ranks of leadership at the University of Mississippi. The specifics:

1) About three weeks the administration came out in support of Orgeron and said he would be back next year. I certainly understand that when the upper administration has to come out and issue proclamations of support for a coach that it means they have been fielding some irate fans and alumni. I also know it is the beginning of the end. So was the UM administration simply blowing smoke? That appears to be the case.

2) According to the Clarion Ledger, the Athletic Director Pete Boone said the statement of support was based on the assumption that the team would have a strong finish. But, he also was quoted as saying that one game was not responsible for firing the coach. The actual quote is:

"There's several criteria that I look at," Boone said in the news conference. "There should never be a point in time where one game, one call, one quarter has anything to do with such a monumental decision as this, and that's not the case here.

"That endorsement several weeks ago, it was in anticipation of finishing on a strong note, which Coach O and I both felt we would do. That did not happen. In concurrence with the chancellor, we felt for the Ole Miss people and the program that we needed to change directions."

Khayat did not speak at the news conference, but afterwards he told The Clarion-Ledger that Boone convinced him on Friday night that a change was needed. "It would be bad management on my part to get into everything that he does," said Khayat, when asked if he made the decision of if Boone did.

Well, let’s see what has happened since the statement of support. UM played and defeated Northwestern State. They then played and lost to LSU. Now come own, no one at the UM could possibly drink enough to think for even a second that they stood a chance at defeating LSU. Heck, the fact that they scored 24 points says a lot about the team. Then there was the loss to MSU. Oh yeah, and there was pillowgate—the 20 UM football players who stole clocks and pillows from two hotel during team stays. But the administration said that was all taken care of—you know; boys will be boys.

So, it appears then that there is a game that could have saved Orgeron his job but not one that cost him his job.

3) The administration, according to the Clarion Ledger, sent text messages to the football team announcing the firing because they were all out of town for the holidays. Now what kind of leadership is that? The proper thing to have done would have been to meet with the team and make the announcement prior to making it public. There was no reason why this could not happen. Boone says that he does not have anyone in mind to take the job so why could he not wait until Monday to make the announcement? What would it have cost the UM? They would have had a little more time to think things through, Orgeron could have enjoyed the holidays as best he could (even he knew the news was coming on Monday), and the players could have been properly informed.

The more I think about it the more I understand why the UM players stole the pillows and clocks. There is a definite lack of integrity and leadership on their campus.

Posted by robertgreen at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2007

Strengths Finder 2.0

I completed the Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment and got the following as my top 5 strengths:
** Learner
** Strategic
** Input
** Achiever
** Intellection

These compare to the follwing strengths that I got from taking the first version of this given in Now, Discover Your Strengths.
** Learner
** Futuristic
** Strategic
** Input
** Achiever

Not much difference and, according to the Strengths Finder 2.0 book, this means that futuristic which fell off my list and intellection that came on my list, are probably strengths that are just below the top five.

Posted by robertgreen at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

July 9, 2006

LONG DAY OF MEETINGS

Dateline: Boston Marriott Copley Place

Today was real fanny-buster. The day began with a meeting of the Southeastern region members which lasted for two-hours. Part of the business conducted was making a decision not to have a meeting in January. We then discussed, to a degree, the need and function of a regional committee as it was pointed out that the region was successful long before it existed as a region. It is true that we have produced a disproportionate number of NSPE Presidents.

Then, after a short break, I went to the leadership training for the House of Delegates. It was long but had some interesting aspects. I anticipated much of it would be actual training on how to be leaders, similar to what we did many years ago in a city I can’t remember, but it wasn’t. We spent much of our time talking about the structure of NSPE and the changes the organizations is undergoing. While it was important, is does not always make for exciting days.

My main complaint about the meeting is that we are spending much of our time talking about how governance works. Governance is important but it is not the purpose of any organization, it is merely the process by which an organization does its work. We must move on from how to do work to actually doing work. However, given the membership made this same observation at a consensus congress some five or six years ago and we are still talking about “how” rather than “what”, I have some concerns about where we will end up. The incoming President holds some promise but he also ahs some challenges. Taking over any organization with this much change going on is a huge challenge.

Posted by robertgreen at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2006

A WALLET CARD I RAN ACROSS

Dateline: Home Study

In going through a drawer looking for something today I ran across a wallet card I picked up somewhere on Integrity. It had some interesting quoates that I put here.

The first step in greatness in to be honest. -Samuel Johnson

Do not try to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly. --St. Frances De Sales

Always do right. This surprise some people and astonish the rest. -Mark Twain

So live that you wouldn't be ashemaed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip. -Will Rogers

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. -Martin Luther King

For when the Onew Great Scorer comes to write against your name, He marks not what you won or lost--but how you played the game. -Granland Rice

I do the very best I know -- the very best I can; and mean to keep so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. -Abraham Lincoln

And some more of my favorites:

What upsets me is not that you lied to me, but that from now on I can no longer believe you. -Friedrich Nietzsche

Remember: On lie does not cost you one truth but the truth. -Christian Hebbel

No man of honor ecer quite lives up to his code, any more than a moral man manages to avoid sin. -H. L. Mencken

Posted by robertgreen at 10:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 12, 2005

MOST UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS DON'T SERVE ON BOARDS

Dateline: Home Study

Article from the Clarion Ledger entitled Most University Presidents don't Serve on Boards. Wonder why? What could corporate America possibly be looking for that we do not want to have in academia? Must be that "L" word thing again. Perhaps corporate America knows something academia doesn't?

Posted by robertgreen at 11:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 11, 2005

VICE ADMIRAL COTTON GIVES FEDS AN A+ FOR KATRINA RESPONSE

Dateline: Home Study

Vice Admiral Cotton said he gives the federal government an A+ for their response to Katrina according to this news story. I'm a big admirer of the good Admiral. His speeches are invigorating andmake you want to go do something. He also exhibits the core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.

His announcement in this story merely shows the courage he has. It is oh so easy ot blame everyone and give grades of F to everyone involved in the response. No one argues about that, you simply become one of the many. But to say the government did a good job, and not just a good job but an A+ job, ahh, that takes courage.

I'm not going to argue the A+ grade because that would be just plain dumb. Admiral Cotton sits in a office in the Pentagon, I don't. He obviously has a better picture of what was done and what was not. I must admit however, I do tend to lean more towards his grade of A+ than the pundits' grades of F.

Posted by robertgreen at 9:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 10, 2005

TYPICAL REACTION: UNDO SOMETHING

Dateline: Home Study

The calls have been pouring in for the last few days over Katrina, Homeland Security, and FEMA. The very politicians who put FEMA under the new DHS now are calling for removal from that organization because it "should report directly to the President." The reaction is hardly unexpected for poor leaders often want to "do something" when they don't know what else to do. And many times the easiest thing to do is to undo what you just did--especially if you have to have to appear to your constituents that you did something.

There are times that decisions should be reversed, namely when they were wrong, but other times they should be left alone. Placing FEMA under the DHS was not necessarily a bad decision and it should not be undone just for the sake of having something to undo. Things may be broken but all that means is that they need to be fixed, not scrapped.

Lest we forget the lessons of 11 September 2001, what has been missing is coordination--coordination between local, state, and federal agencies, not to mention between local and agencies themselves. It is still important, after all, for the police department to talk to the fire department in an emergency. Could they in New Orleans?

But the cries now are that FEMA needed the ear of the President. Why? If FEMA had a cabinet position, what would have changed? Would help have arrived sooner? Would more help have arrived? Is having the ear of the Chief Executive the requirement for quick action? If so, then why did the Louisiana National Guard not react quicker? They were under the direct control of the so-called governor Kathleen Blanco.

Bureaucracy is slow and troublesome at times, but it also serves a purpose. The bureaucracy is the structure by which things get done in government, and when the bureaucracy gets in the way, then ways need to be found around it and that can not be legislated. What got things going in New Orleans? Simple: Lt. Gen. Honore. He got things going because he summed up the problem, developed a solution, and took action; all qualities of a leader, and all qualities lacking in the government of Louisiana.

There is a model in existence already that should be considered and that is Goldwater-Nichols. There are similarities here and lessons to be learned if we only had leaders with memories longer the last election. Goldwater-Nichols created the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff who serves as the principal military adviser to the President. Instead of having the President get hit with requests and comments individually by the Army, the Navy, the Marines, and the Air Force, he has a single point of contact, the Chairman, JCS. And if through that process he does not understand what the Navy or the Army needs, then he needs to look for a new Chairman, not the elimination of the process.

We also have a Secretary of Homeland Defense who does (should) have the ear of the President. If the President didn't know what was going on and if was needed but not given, then we should look to the Secretary to see what went wrong, not simply give a place at the table to FEMA. If we give FEMA a direct connection today, what do we do for the next emergency where perhaps the National Guard, or the Navy, or even the state Fish and Game Commission need help? Should they all have a direct link to the President?

And let's lay of the President and others, especially Chertoff, for not having a complete picture of the situation. I've heard all the television news programs ask how they could not have known what was going on with all the coverage it was getting. Well, simple, the media is not perfect; sometimes it is not even good. For the first few days after the hurricane the major news broadcasters had you believing that only New Orleans was impacted. Mississippi and Alabama were all but ignored on television and had the government acted on that information, they would have mobilized too few resources.

It must also be remembered that journalists are just that. They have no special insight, no real strategic thinking skills, and often no real understanding the big picture. If they did they would be part of the action and not simply observing it: they would be doers, not reporters. The media do not know what the priorities should be, or even what they are.

Are there lessons to be learned? Yes. Will they be learned? Yes. Will mistakes be made during the next disaster situation? Yes. Why? Because we are all fallible humans and no matter how hard we try, we never seem to be able to get it quite perfect. We will get better, but there will always be something else to learn.

The biggest lesson to be learned from all of this is that the American people must learn to elect leaders at all levels of government. Voting based on promises of money, new programs, or shared beliefs on a few issues is relatively unimportant in the grand scheme. What is important is leadership, leadership to get a city, a state, a nation through the tough times that are unexpected. On 11 September 2001 the comment was frequently made that it was good Bush instead of Gore were in office. I still felt that way with Katrina. I felt bad for Nagin and Blanco. Without a doubt things could have been better, but they also could have been worse. Imagine Blanco or Nagin in the White House…makes me go brrrrrrrrr…

Posted by robertgreen at 10:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 7, 2005

WILL THE FEDS TAKE OVER

Dateline: Home Study

Recent arguments have been that the federal government was too slow to repsond to Katrina. This ignores the fact that 1) the federal governemnt did prepare to repsond but it takes time, and 2) the local and state governments are the first responders and should have made better plans.

So what next? Amid all the calls for the federal government to take a more active role, will they be allowed to? Are the local mayors and state governors willing to sacrifice their power and be told what they need to do by the federal government? I think not, but that be what's coming. It will be interesting to hear the charges then, after Katrina has faded from memory some. And yes, katrina will soon be forgotten for crying out loud! Remember Camille? If you do then apparently you do not live in New Orleans or the Mississippi Gulf Coast because there were a lot people who wanted to "ride out Katrina". The results were much the same...death.

Heritage has a interesting article that points out that the current block grants are not working. Much of the federal money given to New Orleans used to buy equipment now sits under water at the fire stations. How would the now indignant Mayor Nagin of New Orleans have responded if the feds had tried to tell him what equipment he could buy and further, where he could put it?

As the song says, "you better careful what you ask for, becasue you just might get it." Take heed local and state leaders. Before you complain too loudly make sure you are willing to live with the solution.

Posted by robertgreen at 11:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 4, 2005

WE WANT YOUR HELP BUT...

Dateline: Home Study

It seems the Dems in LA want the Feds help with Katrina but only on their terms. According to MSNBC the Bush Administration tried to get Louisiana governor Blanco, to turn over the evacuation of New Orleans to them. She didn't want to.

According to MSNBC's article entitled White House shifts blame for Katrina response

Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.

The administration had sought control over National Guard units, normally under control of the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request, noting that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. State authorities suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who is an adviser and does not have the authority to speak publicly.

Blanco made two moves Saturday that protected her independence from the federal government: She created a philanthropic fund for the state's victims and hired James Lee Witt, Federal Emergency Management Agency director in the Clinton administration, to advise her on the relief effort.

Apparently she can't do it on her own but she wants to stay in control. Wouldn't be bad if she were a leader but...she's not.

Posted by robertgreen at 7:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS SUMS UP MY THOGUHTS ON NEW ORLEANS FAIRLY WELL

Dateline: Home Study

The Good Captain has done an admirable job of summing up my thoguhts on the problems in New Orleans in his post. This was a local and state failure. They had no plan, they took no action, they had (have?) no leadership.

Leadership is more about talks and about appearances. The older I get and the more I see the more I realize that many people in leadership ositions are far from leaders. Disasters such as Katrina drive this point home.

Posted by robertgreen at 1:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

WHY DIDN'T THE MILITARY GET THERE SOONER?

Dateline: Home Study

I've been asked several times or heard comments several times, over the last day or two, asking why the military did not respond faster to the hurricane. The answer is really quite simple--Title X of the US Code. To make it plain and simple: this is the United States of America, not Iraq. We have civilians who control civil law, not military.

Compound the problem further by the New Orleans Police Department officers who resigned. They certainly have no honor, no courage, no commitment. If the Mayor and Governor have any leadership qualities, they will pass a law forbidding those cowards from ever holding a public job again.

The National Guard can essentially be deputized by their respective governors and can then enforce laws, but the active duty can not.

Why didn't they get there sooner to provide humanitarian relief? Again, you have to first ask and then it takes time. From what I've seen the Navy actually began executing a plan before the storm hit but it takes times. If you put troops close, they become casualties. If you put ships in the Gulf of Mexico, they sink.

There was also a lot of damage. When the storm moved on and the winds died down there was very little infrastructure left. Roads were blocked, bridges washed away. I heard last night that some National Guard trucks were stranded in Meridian, Mississippi because they didn't have fuel. Why? It was a combination of the lack of electricity to pump fuel and the freaking idiots in the state (and now surrounding states) who panicked and made a run on gas.

Will it be better in the near future? Certainly. Will we have fuel here soon? I hope. Of course all the fans who came to town to see a football game that should have been canceled have surely consumed what little there was available earlier today. I wonder, is "I can't get gas" an excuse to miss work? I would not be surprised if we did not hear that reason in the next few days, particularly for those who commute to work from out of town.

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September 3, 2005

GAS LINES IN STARKVILLE, LACK OF LEADERSHIP EVERYWHERE

Dateline: Home Study

My wife just got back from running a few errands and had a 30 minute wait in line at a gas station. Compared to what is happening in other places perhaps that is not that long of a wait. Compared to the people on the Coast who can't even get gas, or don't have cars to put it in, it is nothing. But the question I have is, why are we playing a football game, encouraging people to come to town in their SUVs, when there obviously is not enough gas for the residents? Where is the University leadership and why could they not call off the game?

As Gregg Ellis said in his article yesterday, there are reasons to have the game but there seem to be many more reasons to not have the game. I think this is yet another decision that will come back to bite some people.

Posted by robertgreen at 1:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 2, 2005

KATRINA

Dateline: Home Study

Katrina has come and gone, leaving death and destruction in her path. We suffered relatively little here. We lost electricity for a little over two days—nothing compared to how long it will be out in the southern parts of the state. Katrina certainly made us all aware of the power of Mother Nature and the relative powerlessness of man, especially man without electricity.

Without electrons I had no computer and pretty much everything I need is on the computer. I’ll move more of it on to my laptop but what I really need are removable hard drives. We use them in the military when working on the “high side” so that they can be locked up in the safe, but wouldn’t it be nice to have them at home for emergencies? In the event of an evacuation you could simply pull the hard drive and take it with you. Would that not be better than trying to pull paper files with insurance information?

It was also hot, especially at night. There have been editorials written about how we used to survive in the olden days without air conditioning. Yep, we sure did. I was a teenager before I lived in a house with air conditioning…in the southeastern United States! But you know, we always had a fan or two. At least at night, when the wind died down outside, we could have breeze blowing through the house. And those days were before the energy crisis of the 1970’s after which houses were super-insulated and sealed. In other words, in the olden days, houses were designed to function without air conditioning, today they are not. I wish the editorialists could remember that.

The other thing we are learning is that there are disasters and there are DISASTERS. Most of what we deal with throughout the year are isolated incidents such as a tornado. The damage is localized and relatively few people are affected. We can then send in huge assets to a small area and really work the problem. September 11, as tragic as it was, fell into this category. The Pentagon in DC and World Trade Center in New York were local sites. Panic spread and cities were affected but even then it was still localized and the infrastructure, for the most part, was functioning. Katrina is just the opposite—A large area was affected, infrastructure was not just damaged but is missing, and we can send in huge resources but they are spread over a large area. It will take a while to recover.

I also learned how stupid some people can be. Yes, stupid. True, some of the people in Katrina’s path couldn’t evacuate but many could. You can see them every night on the news now, especially in New Orleans, screaming for the government to bail them out of the mess they got themselves into. Yes, there are arguments that they didn’t have cars. Well look past the people and tell me what you see underwater. I see lots of cars and SUV’s. No, some people were stupid enough to ride it out and now they are paying the price. Unfortunately it cost some of them their lives. And it is not like this was unheard of. When you mention Camille in this state people immediately think of the 1969 hurri