I worked up a draft of an op-ed piece for PE Magazine today. I have been discussing this with the powers that be for some time now and finally took a shot at it. It explores why engineers are so reluctant to get involved with public policy issues and why that is bad. I struggled with it some, and will struggle with it some more, because I am trying to make a point without getting the debate focused on another topic. The example, perhaps even the thesis of the article, is why is Al gore the spokesman for global warming? It is not my intent to have the debate devolve into arguments over politicians, nor even to argue about global warming, I simply want to explore why a politician, with little to no education in the area is the spokesman while the engineers, by and large, remain silent.

In a way, I am reminded of the quote from Thucydides, “The strong do what they have to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.” Are we destined to suffer what politicians do because we are too weak to stand up and take part? We will let our health care be dictated by Michael Moore simply because he has a camera?

I’ll let the op-ed sit for a day or so, look at it again, and then get some input from some people I respect.