busybusymom
08-03-2007, 08:03 AM
My prayers and very best wishes go out to anyone who is suffering the agony of a missing loved one, or the trauma of a near-miss in the collapse of the I-35 bridge.
I know it's early for this discussion, given that the victims have yet to be retrieved from the river. However, I cannot help feeling a deep sense of frustration and outrage that such a collapse could occur, that such a danger was not recognized and addressed, that our infrastructure is so perilously maintained.
My outrage is further deepened by the knowledge that we are have spent billions of dollars -- and thousands of precious American lives -- in a war globally recognized as having failed in its primary, oxymoronic objective (a stable, democratic, and U.S.-friendly Iraqi state). Sure, we had the best of intentions, but our leadership has failed us by not planning appropriately, not sharing with us the identified possible outcomes, ignoring predicted complications, and simply not executing workable plans that would have come at too much "political cost." Such tragic hubris...
The current adminstration and those who speak for it have frequently flung accusations of "emboldening the terrorists" at anyone who questions their policies, their results, and their conduct.
My question is: Do you doubt that the terrorists, Wahabbists and "Islamofascists" are out there saying to themselves and others, "Look how Allah has favored us. We do not even have to bomb them, or send 'martyrs' to America. Allah is destroying their country for us!"
Neglecting our country's infrastructure, our environment, education, and our children's future is just as "emboldening" to the terrorists, if not more so, than anyone demanding accountability, effective strategic planning, and some simple realism from our leaders.
Anyone with business sense, Republican or Democrat, knows the following: success in any major initiatives requires:
a realistic assessment of the situation
goal-oriented strategic planning
specified 'ownership' of all action items
alignment of all practices with the goal, the plan
metrics to measure outcomes
accountability for results
consequences (strategy change and/or personnel change) for failure to execute those plans.
Fellow Americans: Let's stop hiring the guys we'd like to have a beer with, and get someone with some successful management experience. Please join me in holding our leaders accountable for their failures, and let's all vow not to be taken in by accusations of "emboldening the terrorists." This bridge collapse has likely done more to that end, worldwide, than we yet know.
Thank you for reading.
I know it's early for this discussion, given that the victims have yet to be retrieved from the river. However, I cannot help feeling a deep sense of frustration and outrage that such a collapse could occur, that such a danger was not recognized and addressed, that our infrastructure is so perilously maintained.
My outrage is further deepened by the knowledge that we are have spent billions of dollars -- and thousands of precious American lives -- in a war globally recognized as having failed in its primary, oxymoronic objective (a stable, democratic, and U.S.-friendly Iraqi state). Sure, we had the best of intentions, but our leadership has failed us by not planning appropriately, not sharing with us the identified possible outcomes, ignoring predicted complications, and simply not executing workable plans that would have come at too much "political cost." Such tragic hubris...
The current adminstration and those who speak for it have frequently flung accusations of "emboldening the terrorists" at anyone who questions their policies, their results, and their conduct.
My question is: Do you doubt that the terrorists, Wahabbists and "Islamofascists" are out there saying to themselves and others, "Look how Allah has favored us. We do not even have to bomb them, or send 'martyrs' to America. Allah is destroying their country for us!"
Neglecting our country's infrastructure, our environment, education, and our children's future is just as "emboldening" to the terrorists, if not more so, than anyone demanding accountability, effective strategic planning, and some simple realism from our leaders.
Anyone with business sense, Republican or Democrat, knows the following: success in any major initiatives requires:
a realistic assessment of the situation
goal-oriented strategic planning
specified 'ownership' of all action items
alignment of all practices with the goal, the plan
metrics to measure outcomes
accountability for results
consequences (strategy change and/or personnel change) for failure to execute those plans.
Fellow Americans: Let's stop hiring the guys we'd like to have a beer with, and get someone with some successful management experience. Please join me in holding our leaders accountable for their failures, and let's all vow not to be taken in by accusations of "emboldening the terrorists." This bridge collapse has likely done more to that end, worldwide, than we yet know.
Thank you for reading.