A Wandering Mind

Thanks to Those Who Serve (originally posted May 3, 2011)   On Monday night, May 1, 2011, President Obama announced that United States Special Forces had killed Osama bin Laden.  Along with the rest of the nation, I rejoiced.  I am thankful for the courageous Navy SEALS who conducted the operation; we will never know the names of these dedicated professionals.  But hearing the news brought to my mind many other memories.  Mostly, I remember those who have served and continue to serve: --I remember my friend Chris who worked for me during a past assignment in the Air Force.  Chris has deployed four or so times since 9/11, and has always been in harm's way.  During one deployment, he had the very dangerous job of training Iraqi Police. -- I remember my friend Neal who worked at the American Embassy in Nairobi when it was bombed by terrorists.  Neal earned the Airman's Medal that day for rescuing numerous injured victims from a bombed, bur...

 Let's Get Serious About Debt (originally posted April 19, 2011)           Yesterday, the bond rating firm Standard & Poor's released a gloomy report stressing that unless the President and Congress do something, and quickly, about America's long-term debt, the United States stands to have its bond rating downgraded from "AAA"   ( http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/04/18/USAAARating.pdf ).   What's the effect?   It's pretty simple to understand, even for those of us who do not invest in bonds.   With a lower rating, the U.S. will be forced to raise interest rates to attract buyers.   Higher interest rates for U.S. securities translate to higher interest rates across the board, for things like small business lines of credit and mortgages.   Worse, higher rates mean the country is paying more and more each year just to service its own debt.      Although it seems that nowadays we're a...

Space Shuttle Discovery and Our Future (originally posted March 9, 2011) The Space Shuttle Discovery touched down at Florida's Kennedy Space Center today, March 9, 2011, at 11:57 AM.  This landing marks the final mission for the nation's oldest shuttle vehicle, and with only two shuttle missions remaining, one each for Endeavour and Atlantis , NASA's shuttle program comes to an end.  This era will be replaced by U.S. astronauts hitching rides with the Russian space program to get to the International Space Station, by launching satellites through already-existing NASA and commercial rockets, and by a push for Mars exploration.  But, as the New York Times opines:  "What sort of spaceship might ultimately replace the shuttle is an open question, and it is not yet clear how NASA will fare in the ongoing budget debate."  http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2011%2F03%2F10%2Fscience%2Fspace%2F10shuttle.html%3F_r%3D1%26hp&sa=D&s...

Finding Hope In High School Papers (originally posted March 1, 2011) Through one of my volunteer associations, I've been asked to judge papers for the 2011 National History Day .  This year, the theme is "Debate and Diplomacy:  Successes, Failures, and Consequences."  The first challenge for me in judging the work of high-schoolers is this:  I am not a teacher.  I have been telling myself that some portion of my second career in public service should involve teaching, but the fact of the matter is that I have never taught for a living.  The exercise of sorting through the writings of students reminds me that teachers, though much-maligned of late, have a pretty tough job.  And by the way, reading the voluntary works of willing students is probably one of the activities a professional teacher would actually relish.  There are plenty of less-than-pleasant daily tasks in which teachers must engage.         I must ...

Why Public Administration? (originally posted February 8, 2011) In its report released in December 2010, the “National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform” (aka the Bowles-Simpson Commission), the authors contend that our nation faces a “clear and inescapable” challenge.  If left unchecked, implementation of current federal law will lead to national debt equal to more than 80 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2040.  The Commission believes, however, that if its recommendations are implemented, national debt will amount to around 30 percent of GDP by 2040 ( http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/TheMomentofTruth12_1_2010.pdf ).  More recently, in Omaha, Mayor Jim Suttle narrowly survived a recall election.  Recall proponents presented many arguments in support of recall, but one of the primary arguments was that Mayor Suttle not only failed to decrease expenditures, but also used “unfair taxes” to raise ...

  Wishfulness and Yesmanship (originally posted January 4, 2011) I just finished reading "Operation Mincemeat" by Ben Macintyre, an extremely entertaining book about a British intelligence coup that fooled the Germans during WWII.  The plot involved planting a corpse, in a Royal Marine uniform, off the coast of Spain.  The supposedly top secret documents carried by the dead man indicated an Allied invasion of Greece, instead of Sicily, in July 1943.  The Germans were duped into believing in the veracity of the documents, and so failed to reinforce the site of the invasion.  But what's this ancient history have to do with us?  Macintyre lays out in fine detail how the Germans were fooled by an elaborate plot because of two common intelligence failures:  "wishfulness and yesmanship."  People analyzing a situation wish for facts to be favorable to their preconceived notions.  And even if they have doubts, they are unwilling to stand up to a...

Getting Ready to Graduate (originally posted December 8, 2010) I'm taking a couple of minutes worth of break time here from writing my final research paper for my final course at the University of Nebraska-Omaha's Master of Public Administration program.  I've experienced a fantastic two years in this program.  After I left active duty with the Air Force, I decided to take a self-imposed "educational sabbatical" with a couple of goals in mind.  First, I wanted to make myself more current as I prepare to reenter the public or non-profit sector for my next career.  Second, I wanted to reengage my intellect from an academic standpoint.  Well, I accomplished those two goals.  I found that my mind still works fine...I will graduate with honors as a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Public Administration National Honors Society.  But I gained so much more that cannot be measured by a G.P.A.  I met a cross-section of students composed of traditional gr...

Dallas Cowboys Stadium (orginally posted December 6, 2010)        I got my first chance to be inside the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the Big XII Championship game on December 4, 2010.  As a Huskers fan, I was disappointed in the outcome of the game, but it was great fun being inside that facility, which is something like the Disneyworld of Stadiums.  The stadium looks like a giant spaceship from the outside, complete with a retractable roof that opens onto massive bridge support-like tracks.  From the outside, one could expect a grand roof opening with the Cowboy greats of the past ascending out... Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, even Dandy Don Meredith who just passed away this weekend (R.I.P. Don).  Inside, the facility features the famous Giant Screens (two large, two smaller).  One is tempted to watch the entire game on the big televisions, but you need to look at the action on the field, because there is literally...

Talking About Debt (originally posted November 22, 2010)      Here is a website that should become required reading for university and high school students in the United States--the rest of us ought to read it as well. http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fiscalcommission.gov%2Fsites%2Ffiscalcommission.gov%2Ffiles%2Fdocuments%2FIllustrative_List_11.10.2010.pdf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFrqEzdva3huMfH1UW5Z2PAkQ4FLNyhqRw        This is the draft document released by the Erskine Bowles-Alan Simpson "National Commission on Fiscal Responsibilities and Reform" chartered by President Obama.  Already the release of this draft during the past ten days has stirred up debate among politicians; among its 58 proposals, there is probably plenty for politicians of any leaning to either love or hate.  Some pundits have commented that the report is significant and worthwhile, while others have decried it as missing the point ...

Ever Watch "Survivor"?  (originally posted November 19, 2010)          The CBS show "Survivor" is the original and still most popular of its entertainment genre.  The show features a group of ordinary folks of all ages and backgrounds trying to survive in some exotic environment.  One by one, the survivors vote each other off the tribe until only two or three are left to be voted on by everyone to see who earns the title of "Sole Survivor."  On the show, things that make for good television are the things that make for lousy relationships in real life:  men versus women, city people versus country people, race versus race, and my favorite:  old versus young.  Invariably, the young are pictured as physically strong yet also as vain, overly-sexy, and ditzy.  The old are shown to be smart yet condescending to the young, weak physically, and set in their ways.  As I said, it all makes for good television, espe...

Thanks Staff Sergeant Giunta (originally posted November 17, 2010)      Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta of Iowa was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor yesterday (November 16, 2010).  SSG Giunta demonstrated his selflessness and courage in the face of enemy fire in Afghanistan on October 25, 2007.  While putting his own life on the line, he made sure two of his comrades, who died on the battlefield, were not left behind.  In the Pentagon, the portraits and stories of all Medal of Honor winners are displayed, and SSG Giunta will now join them.  Our nation owes a continuing debt to the Sal Giuntas among us, most of whom, as SSG Giunta acknowledged himself, will go unnoticed.  So while it sounds trite to say, thanks for your service, Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, United States Army.

Let's Smell the Roses (originally posted November 16, 2010)      I was with my spouse today at a professional place of business, waiting to be seen.  Inside a television set was showing CNN, and the many other clients were busying themselves watching television, checking their Blackberries, chatting or otherwise engaged.  I looked out the picture window and noticed that the entire front sidewalk, parallel to the building, was lined with roses of the "Knock Out" variety.  I don't know that much about roses, but apparently this is a hearty one.  We planted one Knock Out bush in in our yard a few months back, and it flourished without much care from us at all.  The 30 or so bushes we saw today were doing equally well.  Keep in mind, today is November 16th, and we live in Nebraska.  While this winter has been far milder than last year's (so far), we've still had a few hard freezes overnight and a rapid-fire wet snowfall last Friday n...