Lovin', Touchin’, Squeezin’*

I have no plans to protest the new TSA “you make me weep, and wanna die” pat-downs or their “you’re tearing me apart” then reassembling me scanners tomorrow. (There’s some detailed coverage of the protest here). The only flying I plan on doing is around the kitchen getting things ready for Thursday, or around my keyboard on a pre-Black Friday shopping mission.  But I don’t believe the protests are a good thing, for a couple of reasons. 

The first reason is that it'll only make it harder for other people (many of whom don’t share the same view as the protesters) to get home to their families, which I think is a pretty rotten way to make a point.  It’s the American way, I suppose — some of our best points have been made on the backs of others.  But when we should be focused on counting our blessings and being generous to those less fortunate than us, making it harder for folks to do that seems pretty petty. 

I also think the protests are wrong.  Initially, when I first saw the scanner image of that mysterious naked man, I was appalled – no way was I going to put up with that!  And I’m not saying I’d like it if I were selected for the pat-down, and I feel sorry for the person who’s in the room when my back-scatter photo comes across the screen.  But the bottom line (pun intended) is I’ve come to accept that we have to do something, and this is what we have, so this is what we have to deal with.

Now, don’t get me wrong: most the actions we’ve taken regarding airplane security since 9/11 have been reactive, not proactive. 

• Some jerk sneaks something explosive on a plane in a couple of plastic bottles; we limit the size and content of the bottles people can bring on board. 
• Some idiot tries to set his shoes on fire; we take off our shoes at security.  
• Some moron sticks a bomb in his Fruit of the Looms; we have our naked, wrinkled, inglorious images displayed somewhere in a dark room, hopefully filled with barf bags.
• The next ‘bomb scare’ will bring about the next ‘security intrusion’ as sure as Thursday is Thanksgiving.

And these steps do feel like intrusions to the American flying public, that’s true.  But isn’t the biggest intrusion of all the slime balls trying to take down the planes?  I expected our government to intrude to protect me from them and frankly if the government did nothing, I’d be up in arms, as would just about everyone else.  

Should the TSA discipline folks who are a little aggressive (or suggestive) in their approach? Yes.  Should they make sure employees are fully trained on all of the options available to passengers? Of course. Should passengers fully understand their rights regarding the new procedures?  Yep. And, importantly, should smart folks be constantly thinking of ways to get ahead of the nuts out there, so we’re not always playing catch-up?  Absolutely! But should senior citizens, nuns, children and others be given an automatic pass? Absolutely not.

If for some reason you prefer not to participate in the new procedures, "it won't be long, yes, till you're alone"...and rather than messing up other people's plans, you could always drive. 
Na na na na na na, Na na na na na, Na na na na na na, Na na na na na
*Journey’s Loving Touching Squeezing lyrics are the property of the authors.

Poll Watch 11/21/10: News, Voting Trends, and Body Scans

According to a recent Pew poll, Americans have some general knowledge of what’s going on in the news, but most don’t know very many specifics. For example, only 16% of know that more than half of the TARP loans have been repaid; and remarkably, only 53% of those surveyed know that unemployment is sitting at 10%.  Old folks are way smarter than young folks, getting the correct answer more often 10 of 12 times.  Yours truly is smarter than 98% of the rest of the population, getting the correct answer on 11 of 12 questions.

Asian voters are at least willing to consider Republican ideas, at least in California according to an LA Times/USC poll.  On how to cut the massive deficit in the Golden State, more Asians (51%) than whites (46%) or Latinos (35%) said decreased spending was the answer, as opposed to tax hikes. Among the three groups, more Asians (38%) feel that same-sex partners aren’t entitled to any legal recognition, compared to 19% for Latinos and 12% for whites.

Last but not least, what about those full body scanners? According to a CBS News poll conducted this month, 81% of Americans say they’re OK.  The poll didn’t ask about the new enhanced pat-down procedures which are used by the TSA, either as an alternative to the scanners, or at airports where the scanners are not yet available; I suspect there's be a lower approval rate on that, but maybe not.  In the same poll, Republicans (46%) and Independents (40%) believe that racial or ethnic profiling at airports is justified, while (not surprisingly) Democrats (26%) tend to disagree.

What's your opinion?

Syracuse's bagel tradition coming to an end

I had an opportunity to chat briefly with the owner of a downtown Syracuse deli a couple of weeks ago. His place, The Bagel Shop, is one of a kind and it’s been around forever. When I worked downtown, I’d stop in at least a couple days a week; now it’s more like once a month or so, when I’m working in our satellite office a block away from the deli. 

In the past couple of years, there have been frequent rumors about his either having already closed (not true) or being on the verge of closing…and, sadly, this appears to be true.  Reliable sources are indicating that The Bagel Shop is closing for good this Friday.  

In real estate, everyone knows that it’s all about location, location, location. In this case, my favorite lunch spot is in the wrong, wrong, wrong location, and it’s become impossible for it to stay open. Why? The problem is, they’re on Warren Street, which unfortunately is not in Armory Square, where all of our downtown development attention has been focused for many years. 

Sadly, my company leaving downtown and moving to the 'burbs was a major contributor to the emptiness of Warren Street, but it was not the only one, or even the first one. Before we made our move two years ago, other companies in the center city had already had staff reductions or had left downtown entirely. When we moved over 800 people out – still a decision I disagree with, even though our new leased space is very nice - we left a huge hole in the middle of the block and in the middle of the bottom lines of downtown business, many of whom struggled to survive after we left. Some didn’t even stick around long enough to struggle.  

The Bagel Shop (and its previous incarnation Lox, Stox and Bagels) was a mandatory stop for travelers. I remember years and years ago when I worked at the Syracuse Chamber, a consultant from Colorado Springs had to stop on her way to the airport and take home a dozen bialys every time she came to town, caring not a bit how others on the plane would react to the strong onion aroma. Originally from Long Island, I remember, she had not been able to find anything close to a real NYC bagel shop in Colorado, and was thrilled we had one right here in Syracuse. More recently, we’d see folks from our regional Blue offices doing the same, taking a dozen home. 

When The Bagel Shop closes, there will be only a handful of businesses left on Warren Street, not one of which will be able to give me my favorite, everything-toasted-jalapeno-cream-cheese-on-the-side. 

It just won't be the same anymore.

No Rocket Science Required

Too often, when we’re faced with challenges, it seems we get stuck on the fact that if there was an easy solution, we’d have found it already…but since we’re still facing the challenge, clearly the only solutions must be up there in the realm of rocket science, right? 

Take Syracuse’s current situation, our string of violent acts going back to Halloween. Once we get past the shock – five blocks from my house four people were shot the other day! – and we start breaking it down, it doesn’t take too long to get to bad or non-existent parenting, poverty, abuse and neglect, the lure of gangs and drugs, bad schools, and so on as causes for the violence. These are the kind of things that didn’t start yesterday, and won’t end tomorrow; the issues are the boulder, and we are Sisyphus.  

I had a brainstorm today. It may be silly, and it may not work, but it might be worth a shot. And it's not rocket science.

I’m wondering what would happen if famous or semi-famous folks from all walks of life – elected officials like Stephanie Miner, Bill Magnarelli and John DeFrancisco; educators like Debbie Sydow and Nancy Cantor and Dan Lowengaard; businessmen like John Stage from the Dinosaur BBQ; media personalities like Matt Mulcahey, Sean Kirst, John Walsh, and Jim Reith; preachers from the local churches, and just plain folks created a whole mess of ‘stop the violence’ public service announcements? 

They could air on all of the local TV and radio stations; we could have billboards and bus cards and newspaper ads, donated or at reduced cost, and try to get the message out that violence doesn’t solve anything?

Call me crazy or idealistic or simple minded, but this wouldn’t cost millions of dollars, or take thousands of days, or require hundreds of studies, or need dozens of committees… it would take just one influential person to step up, call on their friends or call in some markers, and then it would start. School kids could get involved, and college students; parents and grandparents, and on and on.

Tonight, I reached out to one of those influential people, and asked for help for our city. I’ll keep you posted on what I hear.  Do you have any crazy ideas we can try?

Syracuse Police Chief Responds to Violence, Statistics

Coming on the heels of the recent rash of shootings, Saturday’s well-attended community meeting on how to stop the violence, shots being fired at a demonstration on Sunday lamenting the recent violence – seriously, I’m not making this up – today’s newspaper brought us a report commissioned by the Syracuse Common Council about the city’s police department and possible issues of racial profiling. 

The study shows that more blacks and Latinos are stopped, frisked, and released than are whites, so the 'obvious' conclusion is that the cops are biased against people of color. Or on the other hand, as Chief Fowler made clear, he deploys his officers where the crime is – and that tends to be in neighborhoods with higher populations of people of color. Frankly, isn't that where we want the police to be focusing their efforts? As the Chief says, his department does ‘criminal profiling’, which is not the same as racial profiling. 

Naturally, there are different opinions about the report. The local NAACP chapter offered this, according to the Post Standard: '“Actually, the study didn’t tell me anything we really didn’t know,” said Preston Fagan, president of the Syracuse/ Onondaga Branch of the NAACP. What it tells him, he said, is that more blacks are being stopped, searched and then let go because police can find no reason to hold them. The police have a job to do and most Syracuse police do theirs well, Fagan said. But it’s easy for someone who was not breaking the law to conclude that police stopped and searched them because they were black, young or fit some other profile, he said. That spawns resentment that ripples through the community, he said.'  He did suggest that the study be conducted more frequently, to 'track changes in behavior'.  

What an impact it could have had, if instead he had said “The report is interesting, and the SPD needs to be aware there's a perception in some parts of the city that there's racial profiling going on, but what’s much more important to our organization and our community is the fact that so many crime victims and the suspects involved are black. This is a huge concern and we will do whatever we can to support the police in their efforts to stop this senseless violence, even if that means putting up with additional attention from police in our neighborhoods."  

That's the kind of statement all community organizations should be making, but I won't be holding my breath waiting for them.

Gun violence shatters Syracuse's nerves

Yesterday, sitting in the gazebo in My Sweet Baboo’s garden (one of the most peaceful places I know), it was hard to comprehend that only about five blocks northwest of us, four people were shot last week while playing cards. And a couple dozen blocks northeast of us, two more teenagers were shot last Thursday. Coming on the heels of two shootings on Halloween, these incidents have really challenged the Syracuse community.

Many of these crimes involve people who know each other – they’re retaliation for some real or imagined slight – and most of them involve shooters and victims no older than their early twenties – in some cases, considerably younger than that.

Citizens, including local notable Mary Nelson, are reaching out to help; Nelson’s nephew was one of the victims on Halloween. One of the messages coming out of Saturday’s community meeting was very simple, very clear, and right on the money:  If you see something wrong, report it. Kids loitering, drug sales, people hanging around the neighborhood who don’t belong, comings and goings from the wrong places at the wrong times – call the police.

We have to get to a point where people are more concerned with what’s going wrong than they are fearful of calling for help. For one reason or another, whether based on a real or imagined bad act by police, some folks simply won't call the cops. (Witness the reaction to possibly putting cameras up in certain crime-prone neighborhoods.) The intent is not to spy on people, and it's not to identify illegal immigrants, it's to help deter crime.  In fact, it was because of a camera that someone was arrested in a recent murder.

Sadly, but not unexpectedly, the folks who complain about the police are the ones who tend to live in higher crime areas, so it’s a ‘cutting off the nose to spite your face’ kind of situation. At the same time, police need to respond when things are reported, and create a pattern of responsiveness which will encourage people to call.

Frank Fowler, the police chief, needs to be front and center with his men and with the community, making it clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that the police are here to protect all of our citizens – rich and poor, white and black, Asian and Hispanic, young and old - equally and without delay.  It needs to be equally clear, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the police will act within the law while they enforce the law.

Where possible, we need more police on the streets, out of their cars, walking the blocks, keeping an eye on things. I may be old-school, but it makes me feel better when I see cops walking around the neighborhood. (Seeing them drive by too fast for me to flag them down if I needed them is somehow not as comforting). We know where the crime is happening, and that’s where we need the police to be.

What else can we do? There are those that would say we need more programs for at-risk kids, so they don’t become shooters or victims, but of course programs need funding, and there’s no extra money to go around. We need fewer abandoned houses (we have more than 1000, I think) and more people living in the city, so the tax base is stronger, but it’s a tough sell lately to convince folks to move into the ‘hood. We also need fewer people pushing their own agendas which only distract us from the real issues.

We need parents to parent, we need fathers not sperm donors, we need adults having babies not babies having babies, we need the churches to kick it up a notch with their congregations and get them more active… it’s almost an endless list, and that makes it hard to figure out where to start. Some of this stuff is sytemic; it didn't fall apart in a day, and it won't be corrected in a day.

But hopefully what comes out of the meetings and discussions and the horrors of the past two weeks will be one community focusing on one big problem – guns and kids.

Point/Counterpoint: Two Tokes

Dateline The Netherlands:  Police and municipalities in Rotterdam and The Hague this week mailed 30,000 scratch and sniff cards that give off the pungent odor of cannabis plants to help people identify and report marijuana plantations, according to a story in the Washington Post. The campaign, sponsored in part by energy company Stedin, aims to weed out (pun intended) and put a stop to illegal pot plantations, in part because growers sometimes steal the power necessary to keep the lights on.   

Dateline Arizona:  Voters barely approved a medical marijuana initiative this month; the margin of victory was about 4300 votes out of 1.6 million cast. "Voters in Arizona have sided with science and compassion while dealing yet another blow to our nation's cruel and irrational prohibition on marijuana," said Rob Kampia, Marijuana Policy Project executive director. Some 120 clinics could be established under the law; for folks living more than 25 miles from a clinic, home grown’s alright for them.

Onondaga County well represented in Cuomo's transition

Seems like we’re going to have a voice in the formation of the Cuomo administration, which is a very good thing. 

Several locals, including County Executive Joanie Mahoney, Common Council President Van Robinson, businessman and former state Republican Chair J Patrick Barrett, and economic development promoter Rob Simpson, head of CenterState C.E.O. (the organization formed when the Chamber of Commerce and Metropolitan Development Association merged) were chosen to help with the transition itself (Mahoney is one of the co-chairs), the Committee of Economic and Fiscal Advisors (Barrett) or the Committee on Economic Development and Labor (Robinson and Simpson). 

There are other solid representatives of Central and Upstate NY, including Danny Wegman, Buffalo mayor Byron Brown, and of course Lt. Governor-elect Robert Duffy, who’s currently mayor of Rochester.  I can’t remember for sure who was on Steamroller Spitzer’s team, and of course our lame duck Accidental Governor David Paterson didn’t really transition so much as he had his feet pressed into the fire -- but I suspect our neck of the woods hasn't been this well represented in previous transitions in quite some time.  

The teams are a mix of Dems and Reps, government and private sector, union and business, and include regional, ethnic and gender diversity. I would have preferred not to see the ever-colorful Ruben Diaz - I'm not sure what he really brings to the table - but in the overall scheme of things, it looks like a reasonable team.  After all, the Reverend Al was complaining about it before it was even announced – so it can’t be all bad.  

And to those who complain that Joanie Mahoney is abandoning the Republican Party or trying to feather her own nest,  you're missing the point, and the benefit, of having her involved.  We need a voice – any strong voice – that can have an impact on reducing the burden that state government places on local governments. We need an advocate for bipartisan collaboration and cooperation to help set the tone for the new administration. Heaven knows we’re not getting it from Senators DeFrancisco and Valesky or the rest of the local legislative contingent.

We’ve got some great representation with the folks Cuomo selected; now it’s up to them to rise to the occasion and take advantage of the opportunity to make a difference in how the new administration governs us for the next four years.

PPOD 11/10/10: Please. Put us out of her misery.

A while back, I wondered why it is that we Dems seem to shoot ourselves in the foot by continuing conversations that are long past done, or by beating drums that no one’s listening to, or by in general acting poorly in some way shape or form.  At the time, the national issue was our bad reaction to Joe Wilson, the moron who yelled “You lie!” during Obama’s joint address to Congress last September.

This time around, the chief moron is Nancy Pelosi, who thinks it’s in our best interest to have her continue in a leadership role in the House.  After the beating taken last Tuesday, when the House pendulum took a huge swing to the Rep side of things, pretty much everyone assumed that Madame Speaker would leave, get out of the way and let someone else try to lead us from the abyss.  Sadly, we were wrong.  And where does that leave us now? 

Shooting ourselves in the foot.  While the Reps blabber on about their ‘mandate’ and try and figure out what the heck they’re going to do with the Tea Party, Dems are trying to figure out how to politely get rid of Pelosi while pretending they support her.  Private whispers, public votes, inner and outer turmoil – these are exactly the things we don't need to be worrying about right now.  And the more time we waste on this, the more we show that we're not capable of leading the real conversations we need to be having...the economy, jobs, war, health care, immigration, and on and on. 

But alas, we’re Dems, and we simply can’t get out of our own way. And that's my Pet Peeve of the Day. 

A Lover's Lament

He was the silent, sophisticated type, and I worshipped him from both near and far. It was hard for me to be near him without feeling an overwhelming sense of longing. Even as a young woman, I knew he was the one for me, that I’d never find anyone more perfect than him.  

Over the years, even though I tried to stay away from him, even though I knew it was wrong, there were times when I just couldn’t stay away, when I had to be with him, when I just had to take him home with me. We’d steal a few hours here and there, when we could, when no one else was around. 

Curtains drawn, we’d sit by the fire, and I’d indulge in him, consume him, taste him, and it was always perfect. We never argued – we didn’t have time for arguments. We had frenzied moments, where I couldn’t get enough, couldn’t be satisfied, when I’d take and take and take all he could offer.

And then, embarrassed and disgusted by my lack of control, I’d swear I’d never do it again.  I’d keep him at arm’s length, I’d refuse to make eye contact when we were in the same room, I’d do everything I could to maintain my composure. Ah, it was so hard, he was so perfect, and I was so much in love.

I loved the old Mr. Peanut. I really did. And then they went and made him look like Al Roker… and they made him talk… and they ruined it for me!

Poll Watch 11/5/10: Is Anyone Even Listening?

Here's what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) had to say about Tuesday's election results: “Over the past week, some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office,” Mr. McConnell says. “But the fact is, if our primary legislative goals are to repeal and replace the health spending bill; to end the bailouts; cut spending; and shrink the size and scope of government, the only way to do all these things it is to put someone in the White House who won’t veto any of these things. We can hope the President will start listening to the electorate after Tuesday’s election. But we can’t plan on it.”    

Here’s what Americans actually said in exit polling shared by all of the major news networks and conducted by Edison Research in 26 states. 

• 52% of us view the Republican Party negatively, compared to 53% who similarly view the Dems.  Of the folks who view the Reps unfavorably, only 75% voted for a Dem, 23% still voted for the Republican.
• On health care, 48% say repeal the legislation, but an almost equal percent say minimally leave it alone (16%) or even expand it (31%). 
• On what the priorities should be, an almost equal number (37%) say the focus should be on spending to create jobs as say reducing the deficit (39%) should be the focus.  
• When asked if ‘one reason’ for voting was to express support for Barack Obama, to express opposition to Barack Obama, or Barack Obama was not a factor, an equal number (37%) said to express opposition as said he was not a factor.  
• It’s almost a dead heat on whether the stimulus helped the economy (32%), hurt the economy (33), or had no impact (32%).  
• And on the Bush-era tax cuts, 39% said continue them for everyone, 37% said continue them only for those families earning $250K or less, and 15% said let them expire for everyone.   

I wonder who the heck Mitch McConnell's listening to?

Shots Fired: Election Edition

“As you heard me say last night, we are humbled by the trust that the American people have placed in us and we recognize this is a time for us to roll up our sleeves and go to work on the people’s priorities: creating jobs, cutting spending and reforming the way Congress does its business. It’s not just what the American people are demanding – it’s what they are expecting from us. And the real question now is this: are we going to listen to the American people…?" --House Majority Leader-elect John Boehner, who will replace Nancy “Pole-vaulting” Pelosi. 

"The time for politics is now over. And now that Republicans have more members in both houses of Congress, they must take their responsibility to present bipartisan solutions more seriously. Simply saying 'no' will do nothing to create more jobs, support our middle-class and strengthen our economy. We must spare no effort to get back to work immediately in order to restore the American Dream for …all Americans." --Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who won a contentious race against Tea Partier Sharron Angle. Across Nevada, 64.5% of all eligible voters turned out. 

“We overcame great obstacles to get this far, and I could not be any prouder of the race we ran. I gave it my all and so did you. We came up short, but certainly not for lack of hard work, determination and a clear vision for making our state better…The journey is ending, but the mission is not. We did not achieve the victory we worked so hard for, but that is not a reason to give up on what’s most important. We love California and we still believe our state can be a better place.” --Meg Whitman, who lost to former Governor Jerry ‘Moonbeam’ Brown after spending $140 million of her own fortune.  

"I have a message for Andrew Cuomo, the next governor of New York...I've always said my baseball bat is a metaphor for the people who want to take their government back. But this isn't my bat after all. As our next governor, you can grab this handle and bring the people with you to Albany. Or you can leave it untouched and run the risk of having it wielded against you, because make no mistake: You have not heard the last of Carl Paladino." --From the concession speech by baseball-bat-wielding, raunchy-joke-spreading, self-imploding Tea Partier Carl Paladino, who lost by more than 1.1 million votes to Andrew Cuomo in NY’s gubernatorial race.

Tomorrow's Election Day -- you know the drill

Last year on Election Eve, I posted a message encouraging folks to vote.  At that time, the big race in the area was to replace North Country legislator turned Secretary of the Army John McHugh.   This year, of course, all seats at the state level are up for grabs, including Governor and Attorney General.  There are also a number of races at the local level across the state, and of course the Big Enchiladas, the US House and Senate.  

I thought it was worth taking another look at that post, which included several encouragements on why voting is the right thing to do.  Take a look.

Please. Vote. I don't care if you're a Tea Partier, a Libertarian, a Green, or even a Rent is 2 Damn High-er.  Let your voice be heard. Don’t sit idly by and let everyone else determine your fate.

Veritable Pastiche Endorses Andrew Russo

Most regular readers know that typically the only endorsement I give at election time is an endorsement of the power of voting itself.  But this year, I’m actually endorsing a candidate, Andrew Russo, in the race for NY Senate in my district.  

Like most Empire Staters, I’m fed up with the nonsense that passes for ‘government’ in Albany, particularly in the Senate.  The governor’s mansion and the Assembly have their own issues, but the poster children for bad behavior, selfish partisanship, failed promises and do-nothing-ness have to be our Senators (read more here, here, and here). 

My senator David Valesky and John DeFrancisco, who represents pretty much the rest of Syracuse, are both key players in their parties.  Both have had ample opportunity to make things better, to collaborate on behalf of the citizens of Central New York and all New Yorkers as a whole. 

Instead, both were involved in the disastrous, embarrassing, and paralyzing coup in 2009 and since then neither have acquitted themselves well.  While I can’t take part in voting out DeFrancisco (I can only encourage his constituents to do that), I can participate in sending David Valesky home. I believe now is the time to do that.

Why now?  Because he squandered the opportunity he had as a member of the Senate leadership, at a time when the Dems controlled all three houses of government in Albany, to really make a difference for New York, to enact real legislative reform, and to make the hard decisions we needed him to make to help secure our future. 

Why Andrew Russo?  Because he believes in term limits, pension reform, and he talks logically about campaign finance reform. He believes that legislators should have real jobs (as he does), and get their benefits from those jobs, rather than from our tax dollars. He believes that good ideas come from people, not from political parties, and that the way to govern is to bring people together to put those good ideas into place. And of course he’s in favor of more jobs, lower taxes, reduced spending and increased growth in our state.  

How do I know this?  Because I asked him, and he answered me. Which means that, even before he’s in Albany, he’s a couple rungs up in my book because Valesky has never had the courtesy to answer my email. 

I’ve always considered myself a centrist Dem, but over time, I’ve become more fiscally conservative. I still believe that when citizens truly need help, government should be there, but to offer a leg up, not a handout. We can’t afford to make promises to and protect every corporate interest, every constituent group, every union job, and remain solvent. And we certainly can’t continue to afford a legislature as dysfunctional as the one we have today.

Andrew Russo is not perfect.  I think some of his ads were on the negative side, I'm not excited that DeFrancisco was an early supporter, and I'm not thrilled with the money and support he got from the Republican machine. I'm concerned about his ability to say no to them, and to collaborate with Dems if his leadership doesn't want him to. And I told him that.  He says I'm more important than they are, and I hope he's sincere.  

But under the circumstances, I think we could do a lot worse, including maintaining the status quo.  And that's why I'm voting for Andrew Russo. I hope you'll consider doing the same.

The piece of paper on the floor

I was recently invited to participate in a program at work, a 'change agent' development program.  I won’t go into a lot of gory details about the program, (which I fully support) but I'II still have some confusion on what exactly it is that a change agent does.

At a meeting this week, I asked the question, "do we tell our fellow employees we’re here and offer assistance, or are we supposed to just sort of exude changiness?"  One of the HR mentors at the meeting equated being a change agent to walking down the hall or the street and seeing a piece of paper on the ground…do we leave it there or pick it up? I pondered that response a bit, I’ll admit, trying to apply it to situations at work.

But the piece of paper analogy got me thinking about politics, and change, and how some of the local candidates would do with the whole paper on the floor thing.  Here’s what I came up with:  

• John DeFrancisco, the ‘pit pull’ of the NYS Senate. He’s an entrenched incumbent Republican, been in office way too long, and sadly sees his primary responsibility as regaining control of the Senate for the Reps. DeFrancisco was a player in the disastrous coup of 2009.  He would only pick up the piece of paper if it would give him the majority of the paper, otherwise he’d simply ignore it. 
• David Valesky, a Dem, is actually my Senator, for a couple more days, at least.  He’s had some challenges in the past couple of years as a high-ranking member of the majority party leadership, and is facing a tough battle.  He wouldn’t pick up the paper unless he thought it would be good for residents of his district (if you listen to him), or unless he was ordered to by the Downstate party bosses (if you listen to the Reps).  
• His opponent is classical pianist Andrew Russo, a ‘citizen politician’ with strong support from the Republican party, which can practically taste victory on Tuesday.  But he’s got some unorthodox ideas for a Rep, including supporting term limits (good luck with getting that done here in NY).  I think he’d pick up the paper, but only a limited number of times.  
• Andrew Cuomo, Dem for Governor, of course would pick up the paper, then find some Wall Streeter or industry bigwigs to whip into compliance so there’d be no more paper on the ground under his watch.
• Last, we have Carl Paladino the Rep-ish who miraculously won the primary to flail against Cuomo. I pity the paper if Carl found it first; he’d cut it by at least 20% and leave it in tatters, then email raunchy photos of it to his friends. 

Ironically, on the two days after the change agent meeting, I found a piece of paper on the floor; I picked it both times. There were no witnesses, so I'm not sure I shifted the culture dial. I wonder how far it's going to shift on Tuesday...

One last thing on Muslims wearing their garb

Our never-ending ‘news’ cycle aided and abetted Juan Williams in his desire to no longer be employed by NPR, and led to the ridiculous firings of former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod and CNN’s Rick Sanchez, the ‘retirement’ of Helen Thomas, and the perpetual circling of countless other recitations of stupidity uttered by both the famous and the infamous, the well-known and the unknown. 

Imagine how hard it would have been for Howard Cosell (remember the ‘little monkey’? ) or Jesse Jackson (painfully realizing he’d be relieved if the people who were following him were white), if we’d had this heightened sense of urgency about everything -  good or bad, important or inconsequential -  back in the day when their comments were misunderstood, taken out of context and repeated without nuance. 

But one cool thing has come from the Juan Williams flap – and could only really have come in our current highly creative technological age - a great new blog on Tumblr, called Pictures of Muslims Wearing Things.  This website in only a few short days has amassed pages and pages of pictures of Muslims wearing all kinds of garb, from athletic uniforms and tutus to kilts and tuxedos.  Some of the folks pictured are well-known Muslims; some are famous people you may not have known are Muslim; and some are just your everyday, garden variety Muslims. And yes, Muslims, like the rest of us, come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and varying degrees of sartorial splendor.  Some are even wearing ‘traditional garb’ such as the kind that occasionally make Juan Williams nervous. 

So thanks, Juan Williams - had you not said what you did, we wouldn't be seeing these great pictures. I encourage you to check them out!

What if Juan Williams had said this?

Seems folks continue to be up in arms about NPR’s firing of Juan Williams. In some cases, the sense is he was fired for saying what ‘everyone’ thinks. Other folks are upset that he was fired un-nicely, instead of in some nice way. Although, If you’ve ever been fired (I was, once) there really aren’t a lot of nice ways for it to go down. 

My post yesterday, which prompted a few comments from folks, took the position that the guy had an employment contract, he’d had issues in the past, and the company with whom he had a contract had a Code of Ethics which he appeared to have violated. I didn’t get into whether what he said was true or right or wrong, but simply that he should have known better based on his prior experience with NPR over the years, including a shift from anchor to ‘analyst’, NPR’s request that his appearances on Fox do not make reference to his alternate reality on public radio, and the NPR ombudsman's published support of his work but not so much his actions.

There are a couple of things about the whole situation that bug me, and it’s not that Williams got fired. First and foremost was the almost immediate call for pulling public financing for NPR by current and former nitwits of the Republican variety --and by Juan Williams himself. No slowpoke, this guy - nope - immediately starts earning his new $2 million contract with Fox News. 

But here’s the bigger thing that gets me -- what if Williams had said something really scary? What if he had said this, instead: “…when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in clerical collars and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as priests, I get worried. I get nervous.”

After all, Catholic priests molested considerably more children than there were people killed on 9/11. And there are many more priests accused of molestation than there were extremists who attacked us on 9/11.   The ramifications of the priest sex abuse scandal are worldwide, and the scariest thing is that they were (and perhaps still are) hiding in plain sight, under the protection of their collars.  

What kind of outrage would be expressed if someone - anyone - put this kind of opinion out there on Fox News?

Firing Juan Williams

So, Bill O’Reilly, one of the main Fox gasbags, had a hard time on ABC's The View when he announced  that Muslims attacked us on 9/11.  In the ensuing flap, two of the hosts, Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, walked off the set in a huff, but later returned.  Since then, O’Reilly has been talking about his View appearance, ostensibly looking for support, and last Monday, he got into a conversation on this with Juan Williams, a news analyst under contract with NPR who also has a contract with Fox News and appears regularly on O’Reilly.  

Here’s what Williams said, after professing that he was not a bigot: “…when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you  know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.” 

Now, Williams is probably not a bigot, based on most reports, but what he said was foolish for someone who walks both sides of the line.  Williams has long been a ‘lightning rod’ (to use NPR’s own words) because of the opinions he expresses during his other appearances.  In this February 2009 post by NPR’s ombudsman, we learn that Williams himself appreciates the difference between what he says (or how he says it) on Fox and what he says (or how he says it) on NPR after some comments he made about First Lady Michelle Obama.  He was even asked to remove his NPR affiliation from his appearances on Fox.  

And in this latest instance, it at least appears that Williams has violated the NPR Code of Ethics which (when this post was originally published)  said in part: "10. In appearing on TV or other media including electronic Web-based forums, NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist. They should not participate in shows in electronic forums, or blogs that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis." And while the ombudsman feels that the firing was handled poorly, she agrees with NPR for doing it. 

Juan Williams exercised his freedom of speech, and NPR exercised their freedom to employ independent contractors who act in accordance with their employer's rules. The bottom line is that sometimes expressing your own opinion can get you in hot water -- not because you're not allowed to have an opinion, or voice one, but because sometimes there are consequences. 

Should everyone who expresses an opinion that differs from their employer's face termination? Nope.

But should someone who has to know he's crossing the line - since this is not the first time it's happened - be surprised when he does get fired?

Nope. 

Poll Watch: 10/21/10

In a Fox News poll taken last week, we continue to disapprove of President Obama’s performance, but by a lesser percent than in September; last month his disapproval number was 52%, and now it’s down to 47%, among registered voters.  Likely voters are likely to like the President less – 52% disapprove.  Turning to Congress, both Dems (57%) and Reps (60%) are letting us down, with higher disapproval numbers than the President.  Fortunately, while 55% of  respondents think that ‘an everyday American’ can do a better job than most current members of Congress, only 43% of them think they can do a better job, so we might be OK for a while longer. 

Concerning the Tea Party, an ABC News/Yahoo News poll shows that 31% want to see it become its own party; 28% want to see it become part of the Republican party, and 25% want to see it simply fade away.  Dems and Independents, more than Reps, want to see it become a separate party. 

The Kaiser Family Foundation has released their latest poll regarding our impressions of health care reform legislation; 42% express generally favorable opinions, (more Dems than Reps), with 44% generally unfavorable.   When asked to describe their emotional response to HCR, disappointed (48%) and confused (47%) led, followed by pleased (41%), enthusiastic (30%), and angry (28%). Of the angry people, most (75%) are not angry about health care reform specifically, but about Washington in general.  Go figure.

A New Reality Show for NY?

My head is still spinning from Monday’s prime time political extravaganza, the alleged debate between the seven candidates for Governor of NY. Broadcast live from Hofstra University on TV and on NPR, it was more of a reality show or infotainment than debate. Of course, around here we never get ‘debates’, we typically get smarmy sound-bites from major party candidates only, with no air time at all for any of the lesser-party representatives.  

All that changed on Monday.  

On the stage, in addition to Dem front-runner Andrew Cuomo and Tea Partier-pseudo-Republican Carl Paladino were: Kristin Davis, a former madam representing the Anti-Prohibition party; Warren Redlich, a Libertarian attorney/entrepreneur; Howie Hawkins, a hometown Syracuse guy who is always offered up by the Green Party; Charles Barron, a former Black Panther and now NYC politician from the Freedom Party, and Jimmy McMillan, the larger-than-life representative of the Rent is Too Damn High party. Seriously.   

There was a lot of silliness, and gentle ribbing, and posturing, and fun-having by the minor parties, with digs aimed at both Cuomo and Paladino from pretty much everyone on the stage. McMillan tied everything to ‘the rent is too damn high’, at one point causing Cuomo to laugh out loud, something the audience did regularly. Somehow, for the most part, the moderators stayed reasonably in control, and for that they have my admiration.   

Davis wants to legalize marijuana and casino gambling, to bring in about $4 billion in new revenue, 50,000 new jobs….and countless other problems, which she didn’t get into, naturally. She is a former madam, however, and has a track record of delivering services on time. Former Governor Steamroller Spitzer can allegedly attest to her business acumen.   

Redlich wants smaller government, and he was true to that throughout. Barron and Hawkins had many similar positions, including their union support. They favor progressive taxation as did most of the other minor party candidates, and everyone thinks we need to do more about education – although there were some differences on how best to effect change.  

Paladino and Cuomo tried hard not to make a mess of things; Cuomo was successful, Paladino seemed less so, stumbling over his speaking points and frequently running out of time. They tried to stick to their scripts without controversy, and I think folks can forgive Paladino his hasty trip to the men’s room during the closing statement round.   

In the end, we didn’t learn much about the folks most likely to win – but we learned that there are lots of other voices out there, and somehow, someone found them and invited them to the show. I loved the pilot for "The Real Gubernatorial Candidates of NY" -- it’s too bad we are never likely to see Episode Two.