Meanderings

The Fifth Stanza

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is NOT a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

I will stand in public and recite this stanza, Mr. President.

Will you?

J'Accuse

I just finished reading a short book of poetry written by Israeli author Ahron Shabtai and translated by Peter Cole called, "J'Accuse". It was a challenging read for me, not because the material was unfamiliar or complex, but because the point of view as so very different from my own. Shabtai is a man who deeply loves his country and is harshly critical of his government's policies. He is an idealist who sincerely believes that Israel's best course of action would be to demilitarize, throw open the borders of the Territories, and to embrace those who shout for Jewish blood.

While I can empathize with his revulsion at the violence (he mentions only violence against Arabs, but it obviously goes both ways), I cannot comprehend the thinking that would assume a positive outcome for Israel if his way were made national policy. To me this is analogous to the United States inviting Al Qaeda and Taliban members to reside here so that they can see that American's aren't so bad.

No, some relationships are not reconcilable and romanticizing about a Disney ending to the Israeli-Palestinian tensions is, just like Disney, the stuff of fantasy.

Duty? I Don't Think So.

Yesterday, the president of my local teachers union sent the membership an email that said, in part: "I also want to thank all the people who attended Tuesday's General Membership meeting.  In order for a union to be effective, it requires all its members to be engaged. Voting during elections and turning out for General Membership meetings are the basic obligations for everyone. The MIEA leadership will continue to work toward setting up structures that enable all members to meet their basic duties next year."

Excuse me, but my obligation to the union ends with the dues that are taken from my paycheck each month. I have no duty to attend meetings, vote for board members, campaign for democrats, or do anything else to support union activities. With my non-involvement I understand that my voice will not be heard, but I am quite clear that what I would have to say would not be welcomed in their meetings anyway. I also understand that non-participation means that I forfeit the right to complain about the quality of their representation. I am fine with that as well, just don't lecture me about my so-called "duty" to the MIEA.

TSA: Two Steps Behind

When I see and read about the enhanced security measures that are being put into place at airports nationwide, one thought comes to mind: If I were a terrorist, what would I do to thwart these measures and humiliate TSA/Homeland Security? First of all, I would NOT try to repeat a 9/11 type of attack. Why? Because that is precisely what the U.S. security infrastructure is trying to prevent. They are building a big wall between the world and the aircraft. This assumes that the aircraft are either the targets or the delivery mechanisms for distant targets. What if the bad guys changed their targets from the aircraft to the people? The bottleneck created by the enhanced security, particularly if travelers boycott the "naked x-ray" machines, sets up an inviting opportunity for Al Qaeda planners.

A dozen bombers armed with explosive laden backpacks enter the TSA screening lines at airports nationwide. Once they are in the middle of the crowd, they detonate their bombs; maiming or killing everyone within the blast radius. Their body count is not as signficant as the 9-11 attack, but the horror is even greater. This time they attack Main Street and not Wall Street. They wipe out families, college kids heading home, grandparents, it's awful. No one feels safe traveling afterward. The government grossly overreacts in an effort to stabilize the situation and to restore confidence in a shaken populace.

And the terrorist planners disappear into the darkness, protected by the laws of the country they call "The Great Satan".

No Negro Dialect?

 

Today Senator Harry Reid is apologizing for stating that President Obama was "light-skinned" and did not use "Negro dialect, unless he wanted to." Why isn't the Congressional Black Caucus calling for his resignation? Helloooo??? Senator Burris? Congressman Conyers? Congresswoman Jackson Lee? Where's your outrage? Where is your righteous indignation? Where are your paid protesters?

More importantly, President Obama, why aren't YOU standing up for YOURSELF?

Have a Greedy 2010

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good. 

Greed is right. Greed works.

Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.

Defeating Somali Pirates

Today's Seattle Times reports that a group of Somali pirates has been paid $4 million to release a Chinese container ship. Including this incident, Somali piracy has cost shipping companies and their insurers $100 million in ransom over the past two years. Payment to these thugs is unacceptable. Each success demonstrates to other would be pirates that this is a growth industry with plenty of inventory to go around. While the naval forces of several countries patrol the area, there is too much ocean for this disunified contingent of ships to protect effectively.

So what should be done about Somali piracy? I suggest the use of "bait ships". Much like bait cars that police agencies use to discourage car theft, container ships manned by military personnel would cruise through the pirate infested waters with the intention of luring the pirates into a hijacking attempt. Once the hijacking was attempted the pirates would be greeted by heavily armed naval commandos rather than unarmed merchant seamen. I don't think it would take many encounters such as these before piracy in the area began to decline.

Right now, container ships are fairly easy pickings for the pirates. We need to put a few surprises out in the water so that the pirates think twice before they attack.

More Inconvenience, No More Security

After Friday's botched terrorist attack, the TSA and Homeland Security are imposing additional security measures on flights and at airports in an effort to stop future attacks. Based upon what I've read thus far, these new measures add little or no new security and simply make flying a less convenient mode of travel. Let's take them one at a time:

1. Clearing one's lap and remaining seated for an hour before landing. If I'm Ahmed the Evil and my plan is to destroy an airplane, why wouldn't I go and assemble my nefarious device an our and ten minutes out? This doesn't solve anything. And what if I'm just a dad traveling with my small kids and one of them needs to pee? Are they going to make the kids wait until we land? If I were in that situation I'd be tempted to have my kids pee right on the floor in protest.

2. Additional baggage screening devices at the gate: This says two things to me. They know that the TSA screeners are inept stooges and let dangerous devices through all of the time AND there are potentially lethal items sold at the stores inside of the security checkpoints. Adding an additional layer of stoogery at the gate doesn't make the plane any more safe, it simply inconveniences travelers and makes for a less enjoyable travel experience.

3. Allowing only one carry on item: If the screening stooges are going to miss my shank they're going to miss it whether I'm carrying one item or two on board the aircraft. Case in point: until my recent trip to Arizona for Thanksgiving, I had flown cross country at least a half dozen times with a metal multi-tool in the side pocket of my carry on backpack. I had forgotten that I had put it there and found it while I was rearranging the items that I was packing for that trip. This item had gone through the screener every time and was never even questioned. The item itself contains two knife blades, pliers, a screwdriver, a bottle opener, a corkscrew, and several other sharp or pointy utility tools. I would have had no problem if they had confiscated it but they never even acknowledged its presence.

4. Adding undercover TSA personnel at airports: If I'm going to assemble a bomb I'm going to do it in a restroom stall, are they going to follow me in there? Likewise, how many of the TSA personnel speak Arabic, Farsi, or Urdu? If I'm Ahmed the Evil, chances are I speak one or more of these languages.

5. How motivated is Justin the 19 year old, minimum wage earning TSA officer in the first place? Does he really connect his job to the dangers he is supposed to be preventing or is he there just to punch the clock?

Here's what I would do if I were in charge of airport/airline/flight security:

1. Reconsider the entire TSA operating philosophy. You hire no B.S. professionals run the security checkpoints and compensate them accordingly. A half-dozen well trained studs making 75K a year will keep passengers a lot safer than 20 screw offs making 25k a year each.

2. Forget about the civil libertarians and profile passengers. 88 year old Matilda Crabblewhite from West Lafayette, Indiana is much less likely to detonate a bomb on your plane than 23 year old Mahmoud Al-Jibri from Gaza City. This isn't about fairness or equity, it's about risk management. Manage the damn risk and tell the whiners to STFU.

3. Learn from the best. TSA needs to bring trainers in from El Al and from the Israeli army to teach the screeners and flight crews what to look for in passenger behavior. Which common things may indicate a hightened risk profile?

4. Bring in the dogs. Each checkpoint should have a K-9 on duty 24-7. Some people are more intimidated by dogs than they are other humans so a deterrent factor is built-in simply by having them there. They are also more effective at finding contraband than most humans are. Let's put our most effective resources to work.

5. Create meaningful career paths from the military to the civilian security sectors. By hiring personnel that are known to be trustworthy performers you enhance your workforce from the moment a person is hired.

With just a few changes, new efficiencies can be reached and security can be enhanced rather than simply added-to.

Bull Simons Quote

History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight, someone who has the will to fight will take over.

Colonel Arthur "Bull" Simons
November 21, 1970

Legislating Waste...

Here is a brief email exchange that occurred between me and the MISD's Director of Food Service, Katie Watland, followed by my own commentary:

Hi Katie,

After going to Islandwood Environmental Learning Center for several years as a 5th grade teacher, I became much more aware of the amount of food waste that occurs during our lunches. This is particularly true during the primary lunch sessions where I see the smaller kids sometimes throwing away half of their meals. I was wondering if the food services team has recently discussed the notion of differentiating portion sizes for smaller kids so that they received enough food to be nutritious, but not so much that they would throw it away. For example, smaller pizza slices for smaller kids, fewer chicken nuggets, etc. Given our new online payment strategy, maybe they could be charged a bit less for their lunches - a real win for parents as well.

Thanks for the great job you guys do for the kids every day.

Best Regards,

Ellis Reyes

Katie's Response:

Hi-

Thank you for your concerns for potions with the primary lunch.  We are part of the National School Lunch Program and with that we are required to follow the guidelines setup by the USDA.  We are required to offer at least 2 oz of Meat/ Meat alternative, 3/4 cup of fruit/vegetable, 8 oz fluid milk, and a serving of bread.  We have to treat every student equally with portions and would not be able to charge two different prices for elementary.

While we can't change the portion sizes maybe somebody at  your school would like to take on composting like they do at Island Park Elementary. 

If I can be any further assitance, please let me know.

Thank  you,

Katie

++++++

 

That's right. One size fits all. A Kindergartner with a size 2 stomach gets the same amount of chow as the 5th grader with a size 12 stomach. So the size 2 dumps half of her food into the trash because she's full, and the size 12 goes back to class with a growling stomach. How is this a wise use of resources? Can we afford to be this wasteful? Wouldn't a little bit of flexibility be useful in this situation? Changing this ridiculous law is going to be my class' public service project for the year. We will begin by performing a statistical sampling of food waste over grade levels and lunch periods to gather data. We will then then use the Food Service's costs to calculate an average food waste cost per day and then extrapolate that number to a per year cost. Then we will compile a list of elected officials whose voices may be persuasive in changing the law and will start writing letters and sending emails.

We'll see where things go from there.