Promised Update

The new year - a snake year brings us many wonderful new opportunities and challenges. North Korea is more nuclear than it was, some seem to be quite worried about it. File that one under "challenges". There is a job opening coming soon at the Vatican, polish those resumes up if you're from the 3rd world. Internet rumors have it that the church, not to be outdone by the US is leaning towards a black or third world Pope for a change. If you're from the third world I think you've got more pressing concerns that race quotas in hiring but I want to wish all the candidates in the economic south well in seeking the post - good luck fellas, I'm quite sure you can't see this from there. Internet rumor quality what it is, the smart money is on a Polish or Japanese Pope instead. File under "opportunity".

I have another opportunity for consideration, a savings opportunity for the country. There is a lot of hand wringing and posturing about budget issues; Admirals cutting ship maintenance and telling the administration publicly it can't meet commitments and JOs over at the USNI blog suggesting senior leaders resign in protest, coincidentally opening up promotion opportunities for themselves. No need for the high drama, there are many simple cost-savings measures and if you recall, this blog believes sequestration is only a good start.

One reason I believe the sequester is a good start is the US Navy Reserves. As you know I've been in a simmering feud with them for some years regarding my final retirement status. Recently the 3 star in charge there has decided to appoint an ethnic employment champion for Hispanics whatever that means. Apparently, if you are from the Iberian peninsula, and blond you are not Hispanic. So they can do away with that six-figure salary person first, and this admiral who clearly has misplaced priorities. I think he's angling for a position on the Hon. Sen.  Rubio's presidential campaign staff for a 2016 or 2020 presidential run. Another reason is the DoD has long resisted common sense money saving ideas that other agencies had instituted long ago. Here at the DoC, for instance, we've altered printing habits and reduced printers inventory.

Originally I criticized the idea as too small to make much difference, and possibly counter-productive as printing volume will not decrease proportionally with the printing capability resulting in higher wear and tear on equipment, lost production time and reprints as documents are lost in shared printer schemes where office partners don't get along well. I thought it was a piece of low hanging fruit; shaving the hair off the elephant to reduce its weight when there was still a charging elephant to deal with. It might weigh a wee bit less without its hair but it might also be more aerodynamic and it's going to hit you with approximately the same force it would with the added weight of its hair. Still, the idea is a potential money saver (the jury remains out) despite the cost in man-hours to plan the excess, ship and strip equipment, re-network offices, increased wear and tear and the loss of sunk costs related to discarding equipment not yet halfway through its service life. In some cases, older printers were retained for special abilities newer (cheaper to operate) printers did not have.

Despite the idea having little proven merit, the printer reduction idea is one good example of an attempt however half-witted it might be, that the DoD resisted until just a few weeks ago when it issued a directive to reduce printing. The DoD directive was less extensive than the DoC one, in that it did not require draft quality printing of images and prohibit color but it is so late to the party as to be useless in realizing any immediate savings. Toner, paper, and maintenance contracts for existing soon to be discarded printers in inventory are sunk costs already misspent.

Okay so this sounds like a lot of complaining for nothing. Where is my big idea? In 2009 I put together a small paper and submitted it to the White House as a savings idea when they solicited ideas from government employees. My little idea might have helped then and still might help. In the beginning it would have saved over $75 million dollars, now I don't know what it might realize but I'm putting it back out there again here for reference.

Eagle and the Owl.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year and Homecoming!

If you haven’t found a fitting gift for your sweetheart it’s probably not too late. I’m one of the lucky ones, not only do I get adequate spam from various vendors of appropriately themed tchotchkes I also am well organized and forward oriented in my use of something called a calendar. I highly recommend them; they’ve been in use in one design or another for some time and can be used to ensure you don’t miss any upcoming or recurring events.  My lovely editor helped me plan our mutual gifting, our shared favorite a night away from the chaos of the rug rats who will observe the holiday with grandma. There will be the expected surprise of course, but she generously sets the bar low making it easy for me.

Speaking of calendars and recurring events though – things that happen again and again like revolutions, there is way too much angry, paranoid, socially withdrawn talk out there about revolutions again. I don’t want to revisit the Stop It post, so I won’t. The recent open justice ‘revelations’ about the torture program carried out by the CIA is nothing new. The DOJ memo discussing and endorsing the legal killing of citizens (including minors) with remote control robots and without due process is nothing new either. I would encourage those who are in opposition to these abusive policies carried out in their names to use the processes we have to oppose them, reverse them and restore some semblance of sanity and accountability. But in the spirit of the holiday let’s not take any hostages okay?

As a nation we collectively watched as one little boy with some social developmental difficulties was taken hostage, after his unarmed citizen defender was gunned down by some very angry old fellow and held for a week in a bunker. Did you know the gunman and hostage taker was a veteran? You probably couldn’t escape that “fact”.

No word on the military status of the bus driver, the hero in this episode.

Nor has the DoD officially verified that this kidnapper fellow was a veteran or that he served honorably.  It’s alleged he was a Vietnam era vet and thus possibly a draftee from another era, another time – hardly representative of all veterans.  Since his service some 40 year ago he has become a wholly different person. His life since Nam has since shaped and altered him over time far more than his service might reasonably be blamed for.

This kidnapper’s service had nothing to do with his killing of the bus driver, or his decision to be a violent sociopath – we have many of those in the civilian populace to which he belonged to until being killed by our government. Rumor has it his neighbors knew this man was dangerous but no one reached out to him – why? Are we not our brother’s keeper in the age of ever expanding friend networks across the World Wide Web? Do we embrace only those at a safe distance and ignore our neighbors as a matter of course?  

I for one am tired of hearing servicemen and women smeared as damaged or incapable, less equal and dangerous because of PTSD which does not make one violent. We don’t look at victims of other trauma that can cause PTSD (rape for instance) and marginalize them as ticking time bombs of violence waiting to go off. Why not? Because it’s not right, it’s quite stupid. Somehow the media and pop culture has decided they get a pass on civility and are allowed to smear veterans and military service writ large. The former Navy sniper killed this past week by a fellow veteran wasn’t just murdered in cold blood in a horrible tragedy; he was killed by a veteran with PTSD (whom he was trying to help). We might never know the details, and perhaps that’s for the best but nor should we be suggesting that PTSd is to blame.

First, it’s not a disorder, post-traumatic stress is a normal reaction to trauma, its normal and we heal with time usually, though sometimes a little help is necessary. Symptoms vary widely but it’s hardly a disorder. Second, not every veteran has it, not everyone who has it is a veteran and PTS, while presenting different ways is not normally violent. I do make the mistake of blaming my dad’s violent tendencies on PTS in TO&S but that isn’t fair – I too guilty of the conditioning by the media anxious to avoid attributing it to a character flaw in his own nature but it wasn’t the PTS that mad my dad prone to violent outbursts.  

It’s Valentine’s Day, enjoy and celebrate the spirit of romantic and filial love. Say hello to a neighbor even if he may not be the friendliest chap, maybe he or she is just lonely or enduring a loss. Perhaps it’s seasonal affected disorder. Stop being angry at the government for making our veteran’s ticking time bombs or shredding the constitution or what have you – take a deep breath, smell the roses and eat a chocolate truffle with a loved one, a neighbor, your cat – a picture of an old friend and be happy for a moment. No one you can think of? Go hug a veteran coming home off a plane. Lots of them come home to empty apartments or in the case of sailors an empty pier. Bring one flowers; guys like flowers too.

This would be an appropriate occasion to write a letter to your wife, girlfriend or even your mom.  And if for some reason you are unable to be excited and happy for the holiday, say you’re not catholic or don’t believe in saints or hallmark holidays guess what? Chinese new year’s is just around the corner (Feb 10^th) and I promised a post about it but I’ll be neck deep in adventure this weekend (of the romantic kind) and so a brief update of the prior new year’s post next week will have to suffice. Mom, Sis, if you’re reading this I love you both. My lovely editor gets her sentiments in analog format. Wolf, Alvie, Josh and Nick (both of you) I love you guys too - better brothers couldn't be wished for or coceived in the wildest work of fiction - I'm forever proud to have been in your company.

Good luck out there folks, keep your head on a swivel and remember when gifting – there is an art to understatement don’t get crazy!