US Army – DNC-Consulting

Courtesy: The Key to Civil Society

Not to state the obvious, Roe v. Wade has been rescinded, and the political left has become the antithesis of civil society. Acting in a manner that is rude, boorish, and bloody awful. I know sugar-hyped, caffeine-strung-out, two-years-old who behave better than the supposed adults rioting, looting, and threatening violence. Frankly, after the summer of rage (2020), I am fed up with the media cheerleading criminal behavior in the name of expressing themselves; let us now affirm and cherish as sacred courtesy as the preeminent civil virtue needed in society.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints (October 1976), addressed the topic of courtesy while discussing self-management. Quoting Elder Ashton, “Courtesy and self-respect are necessary ingredients” in properly being a member of any society, business, family, etc. In a previous article, the discourteous behavior of the political left was discussed, especially those who choose to join the LGBTQ+ communities. Why has courtesy dropped so precipitously in American society and too other cultures across the globe? Elder Ashton discusses the answer:

“Seeing men and women who think, speak, and act with propriety in any community or personal situation is refreshing and uplifting. Good manners are necessary for the decency and peace of community living. [Good Manners] should be a matter of grave concern to all, yet we hear and read less about their cultivation than we do about dieting and “daily dozens” to enhance our personal acceptance and development.”

Stemming from self-discipline, courtesy is an outward expression of inner strength, and our manners precede us into new situations. As a kid, one of the deadliest sins we could commit was being late to an appointment, meeting, or scheduled event. You could lose your temper, drop the worst language, but if you were late, you were in big trouble! Sure, foul language was a punishment multiplier but was a punishment reducer if you were not late. In the US Army, we were taught if you are not 15-minutes early, you are late. 15-minutes early was on time, building the mental toughness to understand the military requirement of “Hurry up and wait.”

Yet, what do we see too often since 2000, less and less is society expecting a person to be “on time,” let alone early to a scheduled appointment. Worse, recently, I had a doctor’s appointment, and the staff in the office were grateful I had shown up, let alone was 15-minutes early to my appointment. When further discussed, the conversation drifted to how people do not call to cancel, show up hours late, and still expect to be seen, and how the staff was forced to work overtime when people showed up late. The provider felt compelled to see these patients, even though doing so meant staying late. Importantly, sourced from Elder Ashton, serenity and poise are the companions of those who practice courtesy and judgment to always be on time.

As self-discipline has been reduced, social interactions have also declined as people feel attacked when courtesy is absent. Worse, if I do not believe the same as you, social norms state I deserve to be attacked, even physically attacked, and this atrocious behavior is my fault for not having the courtesy to believe the same as you. No! This is not courtesy, self-discipline, or proper self-management, and I refuse to spend another microsecond being abused!

What is courtesy?

Jim Butcher is correct, “If you can’t manage courtesy, try silence.” In defining courtesy, the dictionary refers to courtesy as “polite behavior” and “indulgence.” Yet, I feel this is barely scratching the surface on defining courtesy, especially since indulgence is not a strong suit of mine. Courtesy is a willingness, and ability, to properly relate to others. Courtesy requires humility or a humble approach to social interactions. Elder Ashton was clear, “Proper self-management will permit us to be a team member first, a coach, captain, or superstar second.” Do we understand, and will we willingly accept, the role of a team member, participant, or active and engaged audience?

Early in life, I had some lessons forcibly taught me. Elder Ashton sums up the lessons:

“Good health habits, integrity, bearing, mannerisms, conversation, and self-control can be powerful assets in one’s balance sheet. These traits outwardly reflect the views of the management. Integrity within oneself makes it possible for honesty with God, family, and all other daily associates. A person with integrity within himself will also have it in his relationship with others.”

At my current stage of life, I lack a “cherub-like demeanor” with anyone who tries to steal, infringe upon, or impugn my integrity. This is wrong, and I struggle daily with the slings and arrows of our discourteous society. Yet, still, we find a need to define courtesy, and while healthy eating, exercise, and patience help me in my struggles, these other aspects of courtesy remain invaluable.

Courtesy, as an extension of self-respect and self-discipline, generates improved mental and physical health, further promoting courteous living and mental peace needed to suffer the fools slinging mud and practicing violence. Do we understand the connection being discussed; Elder Ashton affirms, “our self-image and general conduct [observed through] dress, grooming, and hair standards, moderation of voice, use of worthy language, good manners, respect for other’s rights.” However, does this define courtesy; not really, but they form the core of actions witnessed by those with self-respect and self-discipline.

Consider the recent media coverage of the two camps prominent in the Roe v. Wade protests since late February/early March. The dress, language, general conduct, manners, and moderation of voice distinctly identified which camp one woman belonged to or another. The distinction was easily observed long before either camp opened their mouths. More to the point, look at the Republican and Democrat audiences at their respective national conventions. The media coverage never ceases to amaze me, the camera operators and producers work tirelessly to not fuel stereotypes, but even then, the audiences are clearly distinct.

Elder Ashton states and I affirm in the strongest language, “In any community or personal situation, it is refreshing and uplifting to see men and women who think, speak, and act with propriety.” Having traveled amongst incredibly diverse global cultures, it does not matter where you are or the culture you originate from; it is mentally and physically refreshing to be among people who act with propriety and courtesy and live with self-respect and self-discipline. Clearly, courtesy is at its best when it is least obvious, and the least apparent; the greater self-respect shines through the actions and speech of courteous people. Courtesy is a manner of living; it is a lifestyle choice and is not merely a religious thing stemming from a Judeo-Christian moral code (the Ten Commandments). Aristotle is quoted saying, “We are what we repeatedly do; excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.” Consider these two quotes for a moment; courtesy is an action displaying excellence, and courtesy is courage. To Jacques Maritain goes the final word on defining courtesy, “Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.”

Thus, gratitude, excellence, and gratitude are mere pieces of courteous behavior. Interestingly, I find the best lessons on courteous behavior have arrived from the most disgustingly discourteous people. In the US Army, I was called out by an incredibly courteous person for my language. In the US Navy, I learned why courteous language was required through observing the consequences of the discourteous around me. Several department members used horrific language, acted in manners revealing their lack of self-respect, and then cursed the gods for their predicament with women and money.

I am not saying that courteous living makes people rich or loved. I merely relate that life is better the more I struggle to keep my cherub-like demeanor when stressed by those with manners more closely resembling pigs in rut than men with the potential to become God. William Wordsworth stated in his writing, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality:”

“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting. The soul that rises with us, our life’s star, hath had elsewhere its setting, and cometh from afar: not in entire forgetfulness, and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home.”

Disregarding religion for a moment, man has a tremendous imagination, but no religion yet has a discourteous god at its center. Let us so live, with courtesy, self-respect, and self-discipline, that when we return to the God who made us, we trail clouds of glory as a mark of gratitude and courtesy.

© Copyright 2022 – M. Dave Salisbury
The author holds no claims for the art used herein, the pictures were obtained in the public domain, and the intellectual property belongs to those who created the images. Quoted materials remain the property of the original author.

Flashes – Speech: An Honest and Frank Discussion

Bobblehead Doll Before I begin, I need to make clear that I am a full-on total failure on this topic. No ifs, ands, or buts, I struggle with controlling my thoughts and fight continuously to curb my tongue. My intent is to help be a road sign of what traps to avoid, for maybe I can then learn to improve. As a soldier, I struggled but appeared to master my spoken words for a time. But controlling thoughts, especially those where I want to fight, kick, and scream, remains a challenge. As a sailor, forget about it; I even learned new language and taught how to swear more effectively. Oi, I do need to change this aspect of me! I am reminded of the words from an anonymous author:

“Of thine unspoken word thou art master; thy spoken word is master of thee.”

Of all the truths most evident in today’s culture, none compares to this simple truth speak, and your words become your master. In the New Testament, Gospel of Matthew, 26:73, the reader finds the following:

“Thy speech betrayeth thee…”

While said to identify a Galilean, the sentiment remains particularly powerful; consider the axiom “swearing like a sailor.” As a child, when a person broke out in a rainbow-colored diatribe, people automatically assumed the speaker had been or was currently a sailor. I respected several people who constantly swore as they were tough, rugged, and individualistic. When I used those exact words, I wound up eating a lot of soap! Indeed, your speech betrays who you are, your intelligence, and your willingness to conform to a societal communication standard.

Speaking of my childhood, I was raised in a home by hippies, but we had three rules we were obliged to follow:

Thou shalt use the King’s English.
Thou shalt properly pronounce and annunciate your words.
Thou shalt not use any word if you do not know the meaning of that term and can find it in the dictionary.

The dictionary of my youth was not full and complete, and I have long since learned that there are many dictionaries in existence. That being said, there are ways, mannerisms, and styles of speaking that our constant moving introduced us to; having now traveled ¾’s of the way around the globe, and having met thousands upon thousands of people, the rules of social etiquette where speech is concerned remain powerfully appropriate. Each society has its communication standards, requirements, and even specialized language. With that said, general society also has its own rules, styles, and conditions that, when in public, should be respected. Speech Therapist Quotes. QuotesGram

For example, I had spoken to people who chose to be offended when a man spoke harshly, or with colorful language, in front of children or to a female. I mistakenly dropped a colorful rant in front of some elderly people who were strong enough of character to issue a verbal harangue to me for breaching social etiquette. How grateful I am for their remonstrations. The words of Solomon come to mind:

“The tongue of the wise is in his heart; the heart of the fool is in his mouth.”

It never surprises me how often this flash from the eternal semaphore is being communicated to the world, “Hold thy tongue” for “Thy speech betrayeth thee!” All through the history of man, many a philosopher, author, speaker, and leader has uttered words to be careful how and what you say, for “Thy speech betrayeth thee.” One of my favorite from this category is Halifax, who is quoted as saying:

“True merit is like a river; the deeper it is, the less noise it makes.”

It was my very great displeasure to work for a person in the US Navy who was a fool. No merit, no redeeming grace, lazy, obnoxious, and he had risen to the maximum level of his incompetence as a Fireman (E3), and his current rank was Second-Class Petty Officer (E-5). This person could not be trusted to complete any work but talked a good game; the department chief pulled me aside and told me on my first day, “He talks a good game.” The chief meant this dude was full of BS, but the chief also highly favored this person, and it was my fault I spoke better and less. Hence, I was to be punished with every dirty job, horrible detail, and tedious task until this twit left the ship. Truly, every time he opened his mouth, his ignorance was displayed for the world to see, and I often swore his jaw was double-hung to allow him to blather tediously 24/7. Even sleeping, this guy’s ignorance was displayed heroically. Speech Quotes. QuotesGram

I do not know the author, but the following is spot-on:

“Look out for your tongue; it resides in a wet place and may slip.”

“You can tell the kind of wheels a man has in his head by the spokes that come out of his mouth.”

Elbert Hubbard is the author of the best one; it has been quoted to me numerous times. “After all, perhaps it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” The last three quotes strongly introduce a truth, knowledge is a check on the tongue. Knowledge is a composite of education (formal and informal), time, and reflection after experiences. The idea of knowledge is to allow yourself the time to fail into wisdom, to reflect on better paths, and spend time discovering how to improve using the formal and informal education received. There are certainly times when I think I have failed enough; I have sufficiently reflected and obtained the education, when do I obtain the knowledge? These moments serve to pop my ever capacious ego! "Mend your speech a little, Lest you may mar your fortunes." - Kwize

Jeremy Taylor provides counsel on the power of knowledge worthy of consideration:

“Great knowledge, if it be without vanity, is the most severe bridle of the tongue. For I have heard all the noise and pratings of the pool, the croakings of frogs and toads, are hushed and appeased when the light of a candle or a torch is brought upon them. Every beam of reason and every ray of knowledge checks the dissolution of the tongue.”

Since knowledge has been defined, knowledge without vanity, let’s review vanity. I kick against a lot of pricks. I hate bullies, liars, and despise thieves with the passion equivalent to a thousand suns. Yet, vanity provides an interesting lesson; excessive pride, conceit, worthlessness, pointlessness, or futility describe vanity. Superiority is synonymous with vanity. While I do not feel superior to anyone, I have been counseled to stop showing superiority many times. I am not vane in my appearance, and I am not conceited (possessing fanciful ideas of oneself worth); I would think vanity is part of my problem in curbing my tongue—knowledge without vanity, a worthwhile subject to study.

Bringing up an interesting point; in fact, it was a question I asked a supervisor in the US Navy. If I possess a lot of knowledge from reading and learning, is it vanity (or superiority) to readily use that knowledge? My bosses told me I was narcissistic for possessing all this knowledge and wanting to share it; I pointedly disagreed. Yet, even when dropping foul deprecations, my speech still betrayed me, and I was considered a fool for “casting my pearls before swine.” Leo J. Muir was given fatherly advice through his older brother:

“Keep your feet warm; your head cool; your mouth shut; your eyes open, and you will get along all right.”

What wonderful advice; I wish, like anything, I could apply that last bit about keeping my mouth shut. I answer when someone asks a question, even when I shouldn’t. I tend to start conversations, especially when I should not. I am so excited to share; I even talk to myself and about myself in the third person, just to speak. I wonder if this reflects what Homer was talking about:

“The smaller the caliber of mind, the greater the bore of a perpetually open mouth.”

Since moving to an employment situation where I work from home, I have learned the truth of this old rhyme:

“A wise old owl lived in an oak;
The more he saw, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke, the more he heard;
Now wasn’t that a wise old bird?”

Often I have asked, how do I live more like this wise old bird? The answers elude me. Yet, knowledge is power, the power to act, think, and speak. But, knowledge is not authority and authority is the key to understanding when and where to speak. On my first day in the US Army, I made this mistake on a grand scale; you would think I would have learned over time, or at least over a couple of hundred push-ups. You would be mistaken, though; I did not learn what I should have learned long before my first day in the US Army. I met some incredible people while pushing Fort Leonardwood to China, but that’s a story for a different venue. Quotes About Public Speaking. QuotesGram

In Christendom, there is a story, true or not; it relays a truth. As Jesus was about to bestow speech upon a man mute from birth, it is related that the Savior of the world stopped for a moment, cast his eyes heavenward, and paused in contemplative thought. Considering how great a power He was about to bestow upon a person. The ability to get into and out of trouble using speech, a faculty of passion, power, and peril; indeed, the Master might hesitate, and so should we. In reading and watching the unfolding drama in Ukraine, I am often caught thinking about the peril in speaking, especially when President Biden opens his mouth. Socrates was right, “Know thyself!” kingly counsel indeed.

Interestingly, and in conclusion, there is one more power-filled truth to expound upon, the words uttered represent the heart. When “Thy speech betrayeth thee,” the words uttered represent the heart displayed for good or ill. Of all the truths discussed, this one brings me to pause before discussing further. Long have I prayed for a change of heart, for a line from Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary” rings forever in my mind:

“The soil of a man’s heart is stony ground. A man grows what he can, and he tends it. ‘Cause, what you buy is what you own. And what you own… always comes home to you.”

Knowledge Check! I have tended some bitter fruit because that was all the stony ground my heart would grow. I own that bitter fruit, and bitter fruit comes home, generally because I opened my mouth. Surely, “Thy speech betrayeth thee.” May you, dear reader, find wisdom in my sign and learn better, so you may teach more perfectly.

Year End (2021) – An After Action Report

Between Christmas and New Year 2019, I accepted an offer to write more frequently for a group that, at the time, was calling itself “No More BS.” What an amazing opportunity the challenge to write more regularly became, and how much I have come to enjoy writing. Like all things in life, the challenge came with a cost; I had exhausted myself mentally, I was spent by October. Physically my body could not answer the call of my mind, and my mind was screaming at me to stop. Let’s talk about drivers and BS, for the importance to American society success is found in ending the BS.

Little Joey Biden and his Afghanistan Debacle are still unfolding, and I fully admit this turn of events from August 2021 has left me numb. When America left Hanoi (April 1975) and Vietnam fell, many Americans, especially veterans, felt defeated in ways hard to describe. Who knew that in such a short space of time (less than 50 years), America would repeat Hanoi (August 2021) by a couple of magnitudes? Some very cynical veterans I know suspected the politicization of Afghanistan would lead to a repeat of history; but, I can honestly say I never expected Biden to act in such a disastrous and self-defeating manner.

Leaving Americans, allies, and stakeholders on the ground, holding the bag of responsibility, remains the quintessential yellow-spine craven move of the new century. One of the greatest insults from my time in the US Military was the corporatization of the military officer corps. Disconnecting responsibility and accountability, honoring weak-kneed drivel to the detriment of the professional NCOs and the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines has been utterly unacceptable. Why; because every corporatized military in history has failed! Now, America has Afghanistan and Vietnam, and the government leaders refuse to acknowledge they are the problem, and the sitting president rewards pubescent behavior. Sickening!

The military, to be effective, must be out of sync with the society they protect. A sacrifice principle is required from those who love country more than themselves and voluntarily wear their country’s uniform. Yet, the politics and political leaders refuse to allow the military to act at home and abroad, so we repeat history. May I ask, how many more Vietnam’s and Afghanistan’s does America need to relive before accepting that personal sacrifice is quintessential to a strong military? Mr. President, Little Joey, when does the BS end, and the motivation to lead return from bureaucratic hands to professional officers and NCOs? For I warn you, what you have right now is a mob, and you desperately need a military!

But, Afghanistan, in all its depravity, is not the only outrage from this year where BS needs to end. Consider something with me, the power of jury trials. High-profile trials have been occurring and continue through this holiday season and end-of-year celebrations. How incredibly grateful I am for the rule of Constitutional Law that provides for a jury by peers. More often than not, juries get the law right and hand down fair verdicts. Yet, the Corporate Media refuses to accept that jury trials are the best method for handling problems in a constitutional society. I have seen the media meltdowns repeatedly when juries hand down verdicts the media have tried and failed to influence.

Now ask yourself, dear reader, why does the media try cases before all the facts have been presented? Power, the answer remains ever simple, the media have become what they consider as THE single greatest power in American society. The self-delusion is a steaming hot pile of BS dished up for public consumption 24/7/365, and the media refuses to eat the BS they are serving. Considering themselves better than common citizens, above the law, the media companies have decided they can arbitrate, decide, and deserve to be listened to and obeyed. Well, jury trials work, and it is time more journalists are introduced to the concept through defending themselves in a court of law.

Worse than the corporatization of the US Military has been the continual erosion of the rule of law. The Uniform Code of Military Justice is regularly abused for the benefit of the powerful and the destruction of the weak. When the law is cheapened, joked about, and castigated, the trust in civil society is broken, and the military is but a smaller example of what is occurring in American society as a whole. When warriors are not judged by their deeds, but upon their political connections, the society hiring warriors, training warriors, and sending them into harm’s way will quickly find the warriors are gone. Their replacements are not worth the honor and trust. Leading to society being taken over and destroyed.

Feel free to disagree, but Rome remains the quintessential example in history of what happens when a republic fails to accept social consequences, infects its society from within, and then picks fights with neighbors. Rome had the greatest military in recorded history, and it fell ingloriously all because the military, a microcosm of the society as a whole, decided politics was more important than the rule of law. Popularity became more important than law and obedience to the rule of law. Who taught Rome to fall; who brought the Roman Legions to their knees? Look no further than their politically elected leaders who spent their time and the people’s money in riotous living, perversions, and trying to evade responsibility for their actions. Tell me, are we not seeing the same exact abuses in current society that is witnessed on the pages of history with Rome falling?

What is the only difference between Rome’s fall and any other government with elected political leaders? Advanced weaponry to include nuclear weapons. What is the only safeguard in republican and democratic societies strong enough to save those societies from repeating Rome’s example; learning history and obeying the rule of law. Of the two, learning history is more important, which is why learning history was the second casualty in the fight to overthrow the rule of law. The first casualty was teaching students how to read.

The abuse of children remains an utter abomination, and rightly so. But until the political leaders can be made to accept they are facilitating abusers of children masquerading as K-12 School Districts and teachers, the abuse of children, the wasting of precious resources, and the sacrifice of innocence will continue and worsen. In Virginia’s gubernatorial election this past November, the central theme was public education. Virginia, as your newly elected officials come into power, are you willing to watch those elected and demand they obey the electorate’s will and change education in your commonwealth?

Over the holiday, I watched heart-wrenching videos of parents who almost lost their child to suicide because the teachers groomed the child into transgenderism, all without the parent’s knowledge. Worse, the parents were abused by the government when the teachers involved called “Child Protection Services (CPS).” Tell me, when bureaucrats join together for the abuse of those they are duly sworn and duty-bound to protect, who is at fault; the elected leaders! What did the elected leaders do when the parents complained; they joined forces to continue abusing the child and the parents. The exact opposite of what they were hired to do, scrutinize the government employees and protect the electorate from abusive government operations, practices, and people.

Unfortunately, some of you think this is only happening in California, Virginia, New York, or some distant city/county/state. No, the truth of the matter is this is occurring in your child’s school district right now. Your children, grandchildren, cousins, and neighbors are all being abused and harmed, and the rot is at your doors. Don’t take my word for it; investigate for yourself. Go to local school board meetings and ask to see the curriculum your child is being exposed to, and you will find the truth, and the truth will first abhor, then anger, and then motivate you.

I hope the motivation will be sufficient to inspire action to become more informed, pay closer attention to local political races, and stop allowing incumbents a free pass to officiate in the destruction of America. One of the frequent conversations in my home is, “What are my plans after I complete the Ph.D. degree I am chasing?” The temptation is real to run for political office, either mayor or school board, sheriff, or judge; I want to get into this fight to defend the America I love. Most people think the battle for America’s soul is being fought in the US Senate or House of Representatives when the reality is the fight for America’s soul is being fought and lost in local elections, and it is time to find strong candidates who are willing to run for office and fight this fight locally.

The biggest lesson I have learned in writing this year, a degree doesn’t represent smarts or capability; those come by working in the trenches for something more important than self. The US Navy taught me endurance in the face of insurmountable odds and enemy shenanigans, and the US Army taught me to think and have grit and determination. I know I am not perfect; I am not the “picture perfect politician.” I prefer blue jeans and button-downs to suits and ties, but I know people, and I prefer real people to the fake effrontery currently holding the reigns of political power.

Writing this past year, I have faced my demons, and while I still fight those demons, I know the need to engage is real, helping others promotes healing, and teaching provides the opportunity to learn more perfectly. I know the power of citizens motivated to protect hearth and home, and I celebrate freedom. I would see my neighbors armed with knowledge, possessing the motivation to speak out and act according to beliefs and win the American heritage left us. I believe in America, and I know that when Americans are left alone, they use the power of freedom to change the world; all we need is to shrink the government, and America will begin to blossom again.

Shrinking the government begins locally. The local government protects against county and state government abuses. The state government protects against federal violations. The federal government protects borders and provides for the common trade of goods across state lines. Limiting government is not a bad idea at all; in fact, it is the only good idea that can help save America. Join me!

© Copyright 2021 – M. Dave Salisbury
The author holds no claims for the art used herein, the pictures were obtained in the public domain, and the intellectual property belongs to those who created the images. Quoted materials remain the property of the original author.

Build People – Focus on Potential, a Leadership Task

Tools While walking through Home Depot, my favorite aisles are those aisles with tools, power tools, hand tools, and so forth. My mind always goes on imaginative wanderings, thinking about what those tools will go out into the world and do. Will an inexperienced hand learn on those tools? Will they build grand buildings? Will they destroy? What will those tools help accomplish? The potential held in a tool is as much a mystery as looking at a babe in arms and thinking, what will that soul go forward and do? I never become bored thinking about the potential held in a tool as part of the ongoing saga of humanity.

Without hands, a tool is useless; the tool cannot act independently. Guns do not shoot themselves; hammers do not strike anything alone; thus, we can see that tools need someone to fulfill the measure of their creation. For good or ill, the tool is only ever a force multiplier and requires intention through another party to act. A critical point to understand is the person’s intention of holding the tool, who decides whether that tool will build or destroy, and the value to the owner.

Knowledge Check! But, this article is about people’s potential; why begin discussing tools? To a leader, each person is a tool requiring training, delegation, trust, and motivation to achieve the measure of their creation. Have you ever witnessed an unskilled manager use, or abuse, their people? My first officer in the US Army National Guard was one of these unskilled managers. The stories and experiences from this manager are legion, fraught with examples of what not to do and the hubris of a person placed into a position of power above their competence level. I have long wondered, what did this officer’s boss think about this officer’s performance?

The first lesson in building people is this; everyone has someone they report to. Do your people know who they report to, and are they comfortable talking to this person? Consider the following:

“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – General Colin Powell

In more than nine years of Military Service, I can count on one hand the number of officers I trusted enough and were approachable sufficient to bring problems to, and I won’t even need the pinky and thumb. In talking to friends and family about this issue, their experiences are similar. Worse, the same problem exists with the non-commissioned officer corps. In my professional pursuits outside military service, I have worked with precisely one boss to whom I felt comfortable bringing issues.

While I strive to be the leader I wish I could take problems to, there is a realization that to my teams, I am being measured, weighed, and if found wanting, will never know I failed to be the leader to whom I would bring problems. Consider this for a moment. A leader could be solving problems and thinking, “My people bring their problems to me QED: I am a good leader.” While never realizing they are detestable and hated by their people. All because their people only bring work-related problems, and then only rarely. In the US Navy, I experienced this exact issue more than once, and the officers all thought they were “God’s gift to their people.” Massive egos, compensating for being vile and despicable.

Leaders, take note:

1. What are the preferred names of the members of your teams?
2. When was the last time you shared problems and asked for input from your followers?
3. What are you learning daily, and who is teaching you?
4. Do you know your followers sufficiently to advise?
5. What quirks, talents, skills, or abilities do your people possess that you appreciate?

How you answer these questions determines more than your destiny as a leader and your team’s productivity in achieving business goals. When I begin a new project and select tools, I review what I know about my tools. My hammer has a loose head, but I will not change it out because it has the smoothness of age and is the best hammer for finishing work. This wrench has scratches in the head and a chisel mark in the handle that is exactly 6” and is handy in a pinch. Thus, when used on soft brass, the head will leave marks in the metal on which it is used. All this and more is reviewed, strengths and weaknesses, quirks and peculiarities, all known before engaging in a new project. When you know your tools, their potential is declared, and in communicating their potential, how and where they can be best used becomes common knowledge.

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.” – General Schwarzkopf

“Ninety-Nine present of leadership failures are failures of character.” – General Schwarzkopf

Several of the worst people I have ever worked for had the moral integrity of a used car salesperson. They could not be trusted, except to be trusted to stab you in the back. No honesty, never forthright, always acting for the downfall of anyone they deemed was competition, and constantly engaged in stealing glory while meting out the worst punishments. While the experiences fulfilled another axiom from General Schwarzkopf, the education was brutal to suffer through.

“You learn far more from negative leadership than from positive leadership. Because you learn how not to do it, and, therefore, you learn how to do it.” – General Schwarzkopf

These experiences alone would qualify me to write this article; however, through a multitude of academic classes and degrees, I have gained more fundamental qualifications to justify what I am about to declare. If you think a title makes you a leader, you are the problem in your organization’s leadership! In working with newly minted, freshly commissioned, officers in the US Army and the US Navy, I have learned through sad experience too many consider the rank and titles their “Golden Ticket” to being abusers of people through “leadership.” One particular example stands out more clearly from the others.

While serving in the US Navy, my first Chief Engineer was book smart and common sense inept! This man was more dangerous with tools in his hand, even though he could verbatim quote pages from maintenance manuals. Shortly before I arrived on the ship, the Chief Engineer had started a fire on board the vessel in multiple engine and auxiliary rooms by applying shaft brakes to an operating shaft instead of to the shaft that had been locked out and tagged out. The Chief Engineer then compounded his errors by blaming the engineers who had properly locked out/tagged out the shaft needing maintenance. This was a major issue that proved cream rises and trash sinks, and this leader was absolute trash!

The bitter cherry on this crap sundae, the example of the Chief Engineer, was a symptom of a greater sickness and moral desert in the Engineering Department. Chiefs were force-multiplying the Chief Engineers example, and the senior non-commissioned officers were force-multiplying the chiefs example. Who suffered, the lowest enlisted, and the rest of the ship. Maintenace was rarely done properly, watchstanding was hit or miss, and the example plagued the Engineering Department for years after the Chief Engineer was summarily dismissed.

The only redeeming factor from this experience, I learned the lessons of what negative leadership does well. Leaders take note:

1. If character problems lead to poor performance or behaviors detestable in your teams, look no further than the reflection in the mirror for both an answer and a root cause.
2. Your followers will observe what you do more than what you say. How are you acting?
3. Stop looking up, you are a leader, and your first vision should be to look sideways and make sure your people are on the same level before you look up.
4. Before embracing new strategies, first review character!

The following is critical to building people and promoting potential:

“To be an effective leader, you have to have a manipulative streak – you have to figure out the people working for you and give each tasks that will take advantage of their strengths.” – General Schwarzkopf

Leadership is a balancing act between helping people take advantage of their strengths and training them to overcome individual weaknesses. Yet, leaders often act like managers, never training, and always micro-managing to shave strengths preventing competition with the leader. Which are the actions of neither a leader nor a manager, but a tyrant! Petty authoritarians acting the role of tyrants produce more harm than war, poverty, and disease combined.

What actions are needed? We conclude with the following:

“TRUE courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job.” – General Schwarzkopf

The job of a leader begins with being a good follower; even if to be a good follower, you must be the loyal opposition standing like a rock doing the right thing in the face of adversity. Moral integrity is critical to being a good leader and is foundational to building people. Leaders take special note and act accordingly:

1. What is your moral code?
2. Why do you embrace those morals?
3. Do you understand integrity is doing what is right, especially when you think nobody is watching? Do you have moral integrity?
4. Do you know your identity, and are you comfortable with your identity?
5. What character do you possess, and is that character tied to your morality and integrity?

When you are placed to influence people, build potential by first knowing, and then doing that which is the harder right, than the easier wrong.

Session Title: Able, Not Disabled, Not Differently-Abled

Introduction: The following are my notes delivered at a global conference for disability inclusion held 27 October 2021 regarding how to improve disability inclusion in the workplace.

Description: Increasing abilities by removing boundaries, discussing paths forward in ability inclusion, and building upon the great work Amazon and several other companies have done in pioneering disability inclusion in the workplace.

Welcome to a discussion on abled, not disabled, not differently-abled! I am glad you’re here! I am Dr. Dave Salisbury; I look to complete my Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology by November 2022; if you would like to participate in my dissertation, don’t hesitate to contact me outside this forum for more information. I possess an MBA in global management specializing in human resource management, a master’s in adult education design and training, and have been a business consultant since 2004. I am a dual-service US Army/US Navy disabled veteran.

My intent today is to help break down barriers so we can be comfortable around each other. So comfortable that we can share jokes about my disability, we can look past the twitches, the spasms, and the stutters and find common interests. Disability inclusion is precisely this, the inclusion into a society of those with disabilities to the point that we do not see the disability, we do not recognize the handicaps, and we can then work in an atmosphere of ability.

I have several disabilities, most stemming from injuries sustained in military service; some include my voice, some include neurological issues, and others are physical and mental. Regardless, as these injuries have increased in severity, my professional intent began to be recognized for my abilities, talents, skills, knowledge, and potential, not for my disabilities. Yet, I am often seen only as a disabled person or worse, a “token” disabled person filling a slot that another person could be occupying. I ran into this thinking in the Federal government, New Mexico State, Bernalillo County, and Albuquerque City government hiring practices as recently as 2019.

Earlier in my professional life as a disabled person, I was told not to be thinking of myself as disabled but as “differently-abled.” I am not differently abled! Differently abled draws lines and limitations; it separates people and places boxes on potential. Worse, it allows for the continued breeding of an “us against them” mentality, which breeds hostility and counterproductive beliefs. Thus, I refuse to be differently abled. I do not particularly appreciate being classified as disabled either.

Please allow me to digress for a moment. The transitive verb “dis” means to show disrespect, insult, or criticize. As a prefix, “dis” is defined as the opposite of something, depriving someone of something, excluding someone, or expelling someone. Thus, a disabled person is either being disrespected, insulted, criticized, deprived, excluded, expelled, or is the opposite of able. Frankly, I believe that when we are made aware of the etymology of words, we are then more aware of why people choose to adopt or not adopt certain words and labels. I repeat, only for emphasis, I do NOT particularly appreciate being classified as disabled, for I AM able!

Words and labels should not be the focus of our attention and efforts. I prefer handicapped to disabled based on the etymology, even though I don’t particularly appreciate being considered handicapped. A handicap can refer to a disadvantage in task completion, physical or mental disabilities, and can intentionally place a person at a disadvantage; there’s that “dis” again rearing it’s disrespect, insults, criticism, deprivation, exclusion, and expulsion. Please, let’s stop focusing on word games and plastic phrases; instead, let’s invest efforts in finding solutions to existing problems.

How big is the problem of word focus; in the past few weeks, there have been several email chains based solely on a person’s word choice preferences. I would venture to presume that not a single person intended to cause insult or denigrate a community member by using or not using a specific word, phrase, title, verb, adjective, etc. in describing a person or population in the community. Yet, people chose to take offense, and others rushed in to ameliorate the feelings of the one choosing to be offended at a word. Bringing up a fundamental aspect of disability inclusion, individual responsibility, accountability, or self-rule.

I am able! I take a little more time, need a couple of extra breaks, and use additional technology and equipment to complete tasks. I possess skills, talents, experiences, and knowledge valuable to situations, teams, and companies. I bring to the table unique perceptions, insights, and benchmarkable skills worthy of consideration. I bring formal and informal education and experience that is invaluable and immeasurably useful as an asset to the organization. I am all this long before we ever discuss my physical and mental concerns or disabilities.

My first priority is my personal safety and security; my first job is to look out for myself. Monitor what I am carrying, how far I must take it, doors, elevators, paths for egression in emergencies, methods for being warned, and what I can and cannot do. For example, as COVID-19 began, I knew I could not wear a mask and asked about those of us who could not wear a mask. I saw the confusion on faces. I witnessed the policy shifts, the harassment, the legal segregation, and suffered legal abuse and discrimination for not wearing a mask. I realize that eventually, my injuries will require my independence to be curtailed, and I will become more dependent. As such, I have to monitor what I can and cannot do constantly and clearly describe this to those I work with. The same should be true and expected of all people regardless of handicap or level of ability. Individual responsibility for safety, security, and health does not end just because they enter a building and should be stressed as a regular aspect of workplace safety.

Amazon has performed incredible work and is one of the few companies that has done pioneering work leading to real success in disability inclusion on a global scale. The question before us is where and how we build upon this work to improve the culture and potential of all employees, regardless of ability, in all industries and businesses, based upon the pioneering work of Amazon. I believe the following action items can be the building blocks to successfully enhance the inclusion of people of all abilities, talents, skills, and knowledge. I will revisit these questions when we get to the discussion portion; please consider these points.

Conflict is good, beneficial, and a tool that is useful for building people, teams, and businesses. Douglas Malloch wrote a timeless poem, “Good Timber,” which is the quintessential discussion on why and how conflict is good. Let us embrace conflict as the tool it is for improving people. A handout is available for further consideration on these topics, and all bullets discussed, with reference materials for additional research if you desire. Please send me an email if you would like these materials.
Leadership begins with followership; followership begins with being lifelong learners, learning requires opportunities to teach, teaching is a prerequisite to learning, and learning requires the ability to lead and apply. – These are merely starting points to understanding. They are facts.
1. 1. - Do we encourage delegation and learning through experience?
    - Do we embrace failure as a tool for lifelong learning?
    - Leadership is not a title; leadership is first an attitude, then an action, and finally a method of learning and teaching. How do we apply these truths in daily activities?
    - Leadership as an attitude is witnessed in good followership, even when our followers practice loyal opposition; are we embracing the loyal opposition? Do we know how to recognize the loyal opposition?
Flexibility and agility require open minds. Open minds need varieties in opinions, politics, beliefs, religions, and so much more. Open minds begin with lifelong learning! Lifelong learning requires self-reflection. – Again, we find fundamental truths, simply explained and expounded. How are we embracing these truths in daily practice? What actions are we supporting in the workplace to showcase support to and openness to variety in thinking and commitment to lifelong learning?
1. 1. - What book did you just read?
    - Did you share that book, recommending it to whom?
    - Were you excited about the book?
    - When was the last time you self-reflected?
Do you believe?
How will you act tomorrow?

Are there activities I cannot engage in? Yes. To my disappointment and chagrin, there are many activities I can no longer engage in. Stairs are a tremendous activity I have to avoid; yes, this includes sidewalk curbs. Standing and sitting for long periods have to be monitored and curtailed. Walking is another activity I have to be conscious of and monitor closely. I regularly mistake how long I have sat or walked and wind up in trouble breathing, or my legs give out from exhaustion. But, I should not have to get into some vast dramatic affair just because my abilities are curtailed physically or mentally. COVID-19 hit, I cannot wear a mask due to breathing issues; the mask mandates have been so embarrassing and challenging while also being segregationist, separatist, and legally expensive. Why are disabled people still challenged on their disabilities when we are already disrespected, insulted, criticized, deprived, excluded, and expelled for merely being less physically and mentally able?

Ask yourself this question, “When I see a maskless person, do I condemn them first or think maybe they have a reason?” That single decision is the key to the choice between building people and building disability thinking! I do not need your answer voiced; please consider your response now and think about when you will witness a maskless person the next time.

Has anyone taken a look at the processes for obtaining work accommodations? A work adjustment for a disability? A mask exemption? With all the differences in abilities, one would think the process would be straightforward to understand. Yet, the opposite is often the truth because we refuse to embrace that we are all able and are programmed to first separate into able and dis-(disrespected, insulted, criticized, deprived, excluded, expelled)- abled.

The last two questions are not included for any reason other than to spark a conversation inside you. Do you believe in a difference existing between disabled people and non-disabled people? What will you do differently today and tomorrow to reflect your belief structure?

I learned a long time ago everyone has a disability, a blind spot, or an issue they keep hidden from the world. Sometimes it is a missing eye, an arm, a leg, an embarrassing laugh, depression, anxiety, trauma, childhood abuse, adult abuse, the list is endless. Yet, some of those “blind spots” are more severe and become listed as “disabilities.” The government stepped in to classify people, and draw lines of segregation and separation, which did a lot of harm to people of all abilities. I met a man recently who lost several fingers and partially lost several other fingers. His lost and partial fingers never came up in conversation. His abilities as a typist were terrific, and his talents on several musical instruments were extraordinary, but his missing and partial fingers were non-topics! As a point of fact, I did not notice the fingers until I shook his hand in congratulations for his accomplishments.

Drawing lines, classifications, separations, and segregation, it never works. Until we can look past, work past, and choose to live past the disability, we will never be equally able, and everyone suffers. What keeps disabled people from being able; our choices. What keeps able people from working together; our choices. See the connection; how we choose is the single greatest determining factor in moving forward as an individual, a team, a group, and a company. We choose to either be abled or disabled. We choose to allow our comfort zone to define us or not to define us. We choose to work together first or separate each other first.

Often a person lacking an ability due to misfortune of some kind will develop and magnify other abilities, an often-overlooked advantage to their value because seeing past their loss has become a lost art of possibility and consideration. In other words, our humanity needs restoration. Those who do not have a fulness of ability know the realities of unreasonable and unfair judgment rather than the realities of potential and are thus prevented from entering the world of abilities and possibilities by the much too often impenetrable establishment of discrimination. We can lift people from where we are and change the paradigm of ability and advancement to a higher level of accomplishment and respect. We can do this! Do you believe?

How will we act tomorrow? A similar question was posed by Brian “The Brain” Johnson in the movie “The Breakfast Club,” and new attitudes, new thinking, and new potential were born. Are we willing to see past the outside wrapping, shun society’s labels, and choose a different path forward through action, learning, leadership, and healthy conflict?

Let’s discuss!

- Conflict is good, beneficial, and a tool that is useful for building people, teams, and businesses. Douglas Malloch wrote a timeless poem, “Good Timber,” which is the quintessential discussion on why and how conflict is good. Let us embrace conflict as the tool it is for improving people. A handout is available for further consideration on this topic and all bullets discussed, with reference materials for additional research on these topics if you desire.
- Leadership begins with followership; followership begins with being lifelong learners, learning requires opportunities to teach, teaching is a prerequisite to learning, and learning requires the ability to lead and apply. – These are merely starting points to understanding. They are facts.
  - 1. 1. Do we encourage delegation and learning through experience?
        
        Do we embrace failure as a tool for lifelong learning?
        
        Leadership is not a title; leadership is first an attitude, then an action, and finally a method of learning and teaching. How do we apply these truths in daily activities?
        
        Leadership as an attitude is witnessed in good followership, even when our followers practice loyal opposition; are we embracing the loyal opposition? Do we know how to recognize the loyal opposition?
  - Flexibility and agility require open minds. Open minds need varieties in opinions, politics, beliefs, religions, and so much more. Open minds begin with lifelong learning! Lifelong learning requires self-reflection. – Again, we find fundamental truths, simply explained and expounded. How are we embracing these truths in daily practice? What actions are we supporting in the workplace to showcase support to and openness to variety in thinking and commitment to lifelong learning?
    1. 1. What book did you just read?
        
        Did you share that book, recommending it to whom?
        
        Were you excited about the book?
        
        When was the last time you self-reflected?
  - Do you believe?
  - How will you act tomorrow?

Additional Questions, Comments, or Concerns, feel free to reach out to me via email or IM through LinkedIn. Thank you!

© Copyright 2021 – M. Dave Salisbury
The author holds no claims for the art used herein, the pictures were obtained in the public domain, and the intellectual property belongs to those who created the images.

Working Man’s Ph.D.

In 1993 one of the biggest hits was a song called “Working Man’s Ph.D.” sung by Aaron Tippin. Aaron Tippin has the most colorful biography of all the country-western singers I know, including a commercial airline pilot, pipefitter, truck driver, welder, farmhand, and songwriter and singer. The lyrics for the song “Working Man’s Ph.D.” form the backbone to the point of this article and as a means of honoring those who have well-earned their working man’s Ph.D.

You get up every morning ‘fore the sun comes up
Toss a lunchbox into a pickup truck
A long, hard day, sure ain’t much fun
But you’ve gotta get it started if you wanna get it done
You set your mind and roll up your sleeves
You’re workin’ on a working man’s Ph.D

Consider the following line especially, “you’ve gotta get it started if you wanna get it done; You set your mind and roll up your sleeves.” How many times has grit been the only determining factor between starting and finishing a project? Starters are many, but enders are few. Those are the two elements for success, and every working man knows the recipe. Get your mindset and start by rolling up your sleeves. Preparation is key to finishing strong. 20th Maine

Now, cast your mind to those who have never learned how to be a working man. They have no grit, no ability to make up their minds, and cannot stand up to adversity and spit in adversity’s eyes. Yet, they talk a good line. They want you to think they know. But the lines on their brow and the lack of callouses on their hands tell another story entirely.

Take a moment and consider your first blister. Do you remember how you earned it? Do you remember what you were doing the first time you felt that sting? I do. My first blister turned into my first and most lasting callous. I was hoeing a row of peas in a garden; I was six. I was told that a blister from working is the mark of a man learning how to work. I earned that blister on a hoe handled that had been wrapped in duct tape to prevent splinters. After that row of peas, there was a row of corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and lawns to mow. By the end of the day, I was exhausted and sore, the blister was bloody, and I learned how to treat blisters so you could go to work the next day. Rocks

Let me tell you a secret; I love that blister and callous! I have burned that callous on many a stove and pan. I have cut that callous on several knives and received no injury. I have softened that callous while wrestling sheep in a shearing pen. I have milked cows and goats to the cows and goats’ misfortune with that callous. That callous has taught me many a lesson, including how to get a blister under a callous. In the middle of a cold winter, while splitting wood, that callous kept my hands sticking to the steel of the handle on the splitting maul. That maul handle had been replaced so many times that my father had taken the splitting maul to work and replaced the wood with ½” steel tubing. It heaviest splitting maul I ever used, but I never broke that handle off!

With your heart in your hands and the sweat on your brow
You build the things that really make the world go around
If it works, if it runs, if it lasts, for years
You bet your bottom dollar; it was made right here
With pride, honor, and dignity
From a man with a working man’s Ph.D

Consider something with me, think about your hardest task completed; what did you learn about “pride, honor, and dignity” about accomplishing that task? Hard work taught you a lesson that ease and prosperity could never teach. Lessons that you cannot pass along to another person except by teaching them the joys and pleasures of task accomplishment and hard work. Yet, in the world today, so many want to look down on hard work, and this is a thought process that needs reversing. Good Timber

I screwed up. I admit this freely. I took some money for raking my neighbor’s lawn and did a poor job. My neighbor fired me; she was right to do so. I felt so disgusted with myself for taking money and not delivering a good job, I went over and finished that job over my neighbors’ objections. I shoveled her snow for free that year. I did everything I could to discharge the debt I owed to this woman for teaching me that there is no honor, dignity, and pride in a job not done well.

My wife the other day asked me why I don’t quit jobs I have undertaken. She doesn’t understand the lessons I have learned; I cannot do a poor job. I cannot commit to doing a job and give less than my full potential and all of my talents, skills, and abilities. Even when it means I am surrounded by enemies in a hostile environment where my life is constantly threatened. I have to give it everything I have; I owe this debt to my neighbor that must be serviced. I have earned a working man’s Ph.D. as well as a couple of master’s degrees from the school of hard knocks; I owe too much to those who have taught me to forget these lessons.

Now there ain’t no shame in a job well done
From driving a nail to driving a truck
As a matter of fact, I’d like to set things straight
A few more people should be pullin’ their weight
If you wanna cram course in reality
You get yourself a working man’s Ph.D

There is a truth in these simple words, I wish to convey in the soberest words possible, “there ain’t no shame in a job well done.” There is no end of shame to a job poorly done. Consider the current president; why does the common person, those of us carrying working man Ph.D.’s, scorn the president? Why did the common person, those carrying working man Ph.D.’s, heap praise on President Trump? The simple truth and reality in the sentiment, “there ain’t no shame in a job well done,” but there is no end of shame in a job poorly done. Use any other person you care to name, John Wayne and Kim Kardashian, who gets the stain and who gets the praise of a job well and poorly done? President Reagan and Nancy Pelosi? Michael Jackson and Mother Teresa? Leadership Cartoon

The job doesn’t matter, driving nails, driving trucks, nursing babies, keeping a house, accountant, pipefitting, welder, buyer, etc., what matters is how well the job is completed. Do you take the job and do it well or poorly? For if you do it poorly, there is nothing but eternal shame, the work itself will always testify of your performance, and people will speak of your incompetence. Do it well, to the best of your abilities; even if a scoreboard might proclaim you are a loser, you have won victory and honor, pride, and dignity that can never be taken from you. How you perform the task is the deciding factor, not the job, not the task, not the scores and the statistics, your performance of the task’s duties.

When the quittin’ whistle blows and the dust settles down
There ain’t no trophies or cheering crowds
You’ll face yourself at the end of the day
And be damn proud of whatever you’ve made
Can’t hang it on the wall for the world to see
But you’ve got yourself a working man’s Ph.D

The hardest lesson I learned in the US Army was how to shave without looking at myself in the mirror. Then I had to learn how to live with my mistakes to shave and look myself in the eye. Right there and then, I learned the lesson contained in the following lines, “You’ll face yourself at the end of the day; And be damn proud of whatever you’ve made.” In junior high school, I read Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary,” and the following quote stuck in my mental craw. It comes out often to teach me more lessons.

“The soil of a man’s heart is stony ground. A man grows what he can, and he tends it. ’Cause what you buy, is what you own. And what you own… always comes home.”

Thank you! Hard work teaches hard lessons, but the lessons learned are worth more than gold and diamonds, and I wouldn’t trade a single lesson learned for all the money in the world and all the fame in Hollywood. Of all the degrees and titles I have acquired in this world, or will acquire, the only one I ever want is that of “Hard worker,” for that single title says it all. When the chips and markers are counted at the end of life, I want to be found pulling my weight. I might be disabled, I might be stubborn as a Missouri Mule with a mean streak a mile wide, but I want to be found pulling my weight.

Bobblehead Doll My deepest thanks to Aaron Tippin for his example and his incredible talent as a singer and person. I have met many military people who sing Aaron Tippin’s praises, and I am very grateful for the talent shared. May I encourage you to consider how well your studies are progressing on your “Working Man’s Ph.D.”

© 2021 M. Dave Salisbury
All Rights Reserved
The images used herein were obtained in the public domain; this author holds no copyright to the images displayed.

Teaching the President Responsibility – I Never Thought I Would See the Day!

Angry Wet Chicken President Biden, you, and your administration disgust me! I did not vote for you, but I was willing to support you as president back in January and show you respect. Even though I continue to have reservations regarding the veracity of the 2020 Elections, the transparency of the election counts, and the skullduggery witnessed, I was willing to give you a chance. Your actions in Afghanistan have sundered my cherub-like demeanor and turned the extended olive branch into a torch for your pyre!

Let me be perfectly clear, the blood of every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, who has served, is serving, or will serve in Afghanistan is on your hands for your ineffective and wholly useless policy in that country! Worse, the tears and blood of children being abused, murdered, raped, and assaulted are also on your hands. You allowed a mostly peaceful situation to become an open and festering warzone, again, and it is all your fault! You cannot blame Congress, you cannot hide behind the media, you cannot shirk accountability behind generals and pentagon officials, you are the Commander in Chief, and it is your sole responsibility to lead the armed forces of these United States.

Sure, we in the service swear an oath to the U.S. Constitution and the officers appointed over us, but the first officer we pledge obedience to is the U.S. President. You, sir, need to learn responsibility for the men and women you lead. I plan to teach you and every American who is privileged to read this article the power of the office and the responsibility of the office you hold. How will I instruct you; through the U.S. Presidents who came before you! Angry Grizzly Bear

The power of Commander in Chief is derived from the U.S. Constitution:

“Article II Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the Commander in Chief clause, states that “[t]he President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States when called into the actual Service of the United States.”

Mr. President, you need to take two lessons from President General George Washington.

1. 1. “But lest some unlucky event should happen unfavorable to my reputation, I beg every gentleman may remember it in the room that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with.”
  2. “In politics as in philosophy, my tenets are few and simple. The leading one of which, and indeed that which embraces most others, is, to be honest, and just ourselves and to exact it from others, meddling as little as possible in their affairs where our own are not involved. If this maxim were generally adopted, wars would cease, and our swords would soon be converted into reap hooks, and our harvests be more peaceful, abundant, and happy.”

Do you understand these two fundamental principles of being the Commander in Chief? Humility is not a weakness but an inner strength to know and do what is right in exercising your command. You were given the greatest honor possible, to lead men, and women, into battle, and you have pissed that honor away for trinkets not worth a mess of pottage! Plato 2

The second principle of being the Commander in Chief is demanding honesty, first from yourself, then from others. Is the job too big for you? It’s no shame to admit you are in over your head. It is no shame to realize you need help. It is a crime to act like you have the brains and talent, lying to yourself, while the world burns like Rome and Nero fiddles! Your counselors, administration, and vice president are all crooks, scoundrels, and fools, but you have the responsibility! This is why honesty is so desperately needed and fundamentally critical.

President Jefferson provides the following principle for the Commander in Chief, and while President General George Washington embodied this principle, President Jefferson said it best:

“If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.”

Knowledge Check! Are you informed about the consequences of your decisions? If so, why are you continuing to adhere to wrongheaded decisions that are destroying America, ruining Afghanistan, and allowing China to threaten her neighbors, bully her neighbors, and be the aggressor party in a prelude to war? Do you not understand that your responsibility for the consequences of your decisions is eternal, and you owe the God of this land, even Jesus Christ, accounting for how you have led during your time in office? The blood of innocent people is on your hands because you and your advisors have refused to listen, refused to act, and chosen the worst possible action when working to the detriment of everyone on this planet. You are actively failing as a president; does this not matter to you?

Inherent in the law is the following axiom:

“Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking the law.”

You need to understand this principle, for failure to be learned is not an excuse, ignorance of the law is not an excuse, and ignorance of the consequences is not an excuse. You cannot blame your staff when standing before a judge and jury, nor can you evade responsibility and accountability. Honestly, the responsibility ultimately stops at your desk, the music ends, and you are left holding the bag full of whatever crap landed on your desk. The Duty of Americans

President Jefferson also provides the following axiom for a Commander in Chief, one which you have avoided your entire life, and it is time you were made to should this burden as an adult!

“A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.”

What does this mean; allow me to explain using your example. Your first, Second, and Third attempts at running for president were fraught with verbal gaffes where outright lies, bald-faced untruths, and plagiarized speech were put forth for the public as your ideas and ideals. Thus making you a liar, a thief, and the worst sort of scoundrel possible, yet, through gerrymandering and a lot of money and your Jello-like spine, you have managed to stay in office long past your maximum level of incompetence. What sort of moral society have you been promoting and living in? Do you realize you are responsible for that moral decay you have been broadcasting from your senate office? Do you know that your morals are now being stamped upon the military, and the military is going to find that your morals do not fit the honor, courage, and commitment needed to fulfill the mission? The Uniform Code of Military Justice, which you now fall under as Commander in Chief, would find you guilty and in need of severe punishment. How can a soldier, airmen, Marine, sailor, etc., go before the mast for UCMJ punishment with you as Commander in Chief and be found guilty of morals you exemplify daily? By the way, this is the same problem your buddy Obama suffered from for eight damnable years when he occupied your chair! Patriotism

Speaking of eternal consequences, and being the Commander in Chief, President Lincoln has some choice words for you to learn.

1. 1. “In times like the present, men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity.”
  2. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
  3. “With this honor devolves upon you also a corresponding responsibility. As the country herein trusts you, so under GOD, it will sustain you, [or utterly reject you].”

Knowledge Check! As you have been weighed, measured, and found wanting, I will take a moment and explain to you what these three quotes mean for the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. Firstly, watch your language. You have not done very well with this in the past. Your lies, half-truths, falsehoods, and plagiarized speech is beyond contempt, but the useless speeches you keep giving threatening to put legal and law-abiding citizens in prison for the sole crime of making a living is beyond detestable and shows a definitive lack of character.

Secondly, your words last for eternity. I remember watching you as a child and thinking, “Putz!” Then cheering when the news broke that you had chucked your campaign for president. How wonderful the Internet is for bringing back your words for your shame and discomfort, and how I enjoy watching your comments fall from your lips and condemn you for the liar and cheat you are.

Thirdly, those crimes are coming back in spades by trying to evade responsibility yesterday for being a liar and cheat, a thief, and a robber. But, you have been placed into a position of honor for which you are not comfortable, for which you have not the strength, stamina, and mental fortitude to perform the necessary duties the role commands. Who is making the decisions in the White House? Why?

Dont Tread On Me Finally, we come to the absolute crux of the matter. As Commander in Chief, the honor of commanding men and women in the military comes with a corresponding responsibility. The country loves her military and trusts you to treat them appropriately. You did not do so in January and got a minor backlash. You are not doing so in Afghanistan and will catch a much higher backlash as the media watches a repeat of Saigon in Kabul as the Embassy is evacuated. Your buddy Obama has a dead Ambassador he has never answered for, which (historically) has always been a declaration of war. What do you have? An entire country laid to waste, the waste of millions of dollars in materials, millions of lives destroyed, and the wasted efforts of millions of people and multiple presidents. You have betrayed the American people’s trust, and you will be held accountable, just like your good friend Mayor Lightfoot (with stickyfingers) is being held accountable in Chicago, only many, many magnitudes worse!

Everyone Knows Someone – I need Some Help

Bobblehead Doll If you are a regular reader, you know, I am a disabled veteran. I served in the US Army and the US Navy. I hate asking for help, but I am in a pickle and need some guidance on resources, so please consider who you know as you read this. If you prefer to contact me directly, feel free to email me using msalis1@msn.com.

1. 1. I am trying to put in an Endless Pool. I can pay for the pool; I have the contractor, what I need is a financing solution. I can refinance and roll the complete project into my home mortgage. The VA has demanded I lose 7% of my body mass before considering even discussing my spinal and neurological problems with me.
    - - The pool project also includes a two-car garage for my house, which improves the home value.
        
        The pool project includes lawn and curb appeal upgrades, things that my home has not witnessed in several owners, and handicap accessibility upgrades.
        
        Several physical therapists have recommended pool therapy, which the VA has previously sent me, but the VA will no longer send me.
  2. Does anyone know a hungry lawyer? The Phoenix VA Police injured me. Yesterday, the first X-rays of my spine were taken since the 07 and 10 December incidents at the VAMC in Phoenix; my L-Spine now has two curves, one front to back, which is normal, and one to the decidedly abnormal, left!
    - - While in Phoenix, I tried to find a lawyer, but the lawyers who could handle the Federal VA were astronomical and wanted their funds upfront.
        
        I am not averse to paying for services rendered, but I cannot afford almost $20 grand in legal fees upfront.
        
        If not a lawyer, does anyone know how to file a tort claim against the VA?

Broken Robot I have tried multiple times, now in multiple states, to get the elected officials to take up my case, all to no avail. Regular readers will have seen the articles explaining my efforts. Frankly, I am at a loss about what to do next or where to turn, so options, ideas, and possibilities are greatly appreciated. I have contacted the veteran service organizations, both the ones I am a member of and those I am not a member of, and they are only interested in getting me signed up for care at the VA. Well, not all of them.

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) continues to advocate and does a lot of good in the community, and I am especially grateful for their help and support. As a special shout out, if the Wounded Warriors come around asking for help raising funds, please consider giving, this group is doing a lot to help veterans, and I am proud to be affiliated with them! As the new kids on the block, the WWP is making a definite name for themselves as a resource for jobs, increasing job skills, activities, family support, and a LOT more! Like I said, a special shout out, for they have gone out of their way to try and help, and I appreciate their time and assistance.

Working Dollar For the entrepreneurs out there, I know a solid investment opportunity. Veterans need special equipment, like pools, exercise equipment, etc., for weight loss, weight management, and health improvement. Generally, smaller communities cannot support gym memberships, exercise pools, and so forth, but the veterans can pay for the tools with suitable financing options. Here is the business idea, set up a way to finance these things and make yourself some good money in the process.

Anyway, if you know someone and would not mind dropping me a referral, please lend a hand. I need two solutions as soon as possible. All assistance is greatly appreciated; even if all you can do is read this post and send good vibes my way, it is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!

Father John Patrick Mulcahy – MAS*H 4077 Chronicles

Father Mulcahy 2 Of all the unforgettable characters from M*A*S*H 4077, one of the most important characters is Reverend Francis John Patrick Mulcahy, Chaplain, United States Army. A most courageous and kind person, a character full of intestinal fortitude, with a deep desire to help the living, and a solid right hook when needed. Father Mulcahy has always been a hero of mine, and I wanted to explain why, as a tribute to both the character and the actor William Christopher.

Father Mulcahy:
“This isn’t one of my sermons. I expect you to listen.”

Humility is not a weakness!

Of all the attributes of Father Mulcahy, his humility always shines through. From his unfailing kindness to seeing the best potential anyone can have, to representing the best of what the Chaplains Corps means, William Christopher, as Father Mulcahy, produces flawlessly the sentiment that humility is a strength, a desirable, needed strength. Consider the episode where Father Mulcahy belts the unruly and demanding lieutenant in the jaw, the episode where Father Mulcahy rides in a helicopter as a counterweight or the episode where Klinger and Major Burns get into it over a scarf, and Father Mulcahy talks Klinger into giving him a grenade. Never do you see Father Mulcahy backing down, giving up, or losing sight of the potential goodness of a person. Father Mulcahy 4

Father Mulcahy struggles with the US Army’s ineptitude to promote him to Captain in a couple of episodes. Even as he struggles, you see Father Mulcahy learn invaluable lessons, teach kindness, forthrightness, and compassion, and diligence, and reliance upon the strength that only comes through commitment to something greater than oneself. Father Mulcahy’s strength is one of the glues that held M*A*S*H as a TV show together for as long as it ran. Why; because Father Mulcahy was genuinely genuine!

Consider the episode where Father Mulcahy sits down with Colonel Potter shortly after Klinger takes over for Radar as company clerk. Who else could have talked Colonel Potter down without talking down to Colonel Potter and allowed Colonel Potter the opportunity to act without disrespecting his rank and position? Who else could counsel Major Houlihan, chastise Captains Pierce, Honeycutt, and Trapper John, hold Major Burns’ feet to the fires of accountability, and seamlessly interface between the enlisted and officers? Nobody! Better still, Father Mulcahy did all this while epitomizing the Rudyard Kipling poem, “If.”

If—
By Rudyard Kipling
(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except for the Will, which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

From an interview with William Christopher, we find that Father Mulcahy was not just a character played but a person in reality.

How did you and Barbara survive the many disappointments caused by failed interventions when Ned was young? For example, the assessment of one doctor that he was “retarded,” and nothing could be done other than to “take him home and love him.”

We regarded this particular guy as a young psychologist who may not even have finished his studies. Maybe he was still in his early practice, a student who hadn’t earned his doctorate yet. In any case, we felt he was in the wrong field. We thought he couldn’t possibly know us and advise us to just accept a limited life for our son…. But we both believed that people make mistakes.

Humor is a Prerequisite Quality

Father Mulcahy always used humor to express himself.

“Major Winchester was a blessing. May the good LORD never bless me with him again!”

Some of the funniest lines in M*A*S*H belong to Father Mulcahy, and unless you are listening closely, they are often missed for the banter between the central characters. Consider the episode where the company sings the M*A*S*H version of “Gee Ma; I wanna go home.”

“A chaplain in the Army
Has a collar on his neck,
If you don’t listen to him
You’ll all wind up in heck.”

Humor plays an incredible role in facing traumatic situations and coming through, not unscathed but mentally capable, confident, and more able to achieve. Father Mulcahy teaches us this lesson in spades, with dignity, class, and a ripping sense of humor.

Father Francis Mulcahy:
“Try to be compassionate. Remember, even one of our saints received a Dear John letter.”

Don’t be passive – Be Active – Work Hard

Father Mulcahy 5 There is a story about how William Christopher got sick with Hepatitis, and the show’s producers wanted to remove Father Mulcahy’s role entirely. Instead, Alan Alda went to bat for William Christopher, changed the scripts, and wrote Father Mulcahy’s sickness into the show to keep Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H. Why would Alan Alda do something like this for a co-star? There are several reasons; Alan Alda was a good person. William Christopher was a good person. But William Christopher was always working hard; he was not supposed to carry litters and all the other stuff he was always doing in the background. William Christopher set a standard of behavior that modeled what a chaplain was supposed to do, and military chaplains copied his behaviors, mannerisms, behaviors, attitudes, and work philosophies.

Consider this for a moment; military chaplains learned how to be chaplains by watching a fictional character, imitating a US Army unit on a Hollywood set. Reality has been changed to emulate fiction because fiction better reflects how people should act in reality. I was not the only chaplains assistant who measured his chaplain by Father Mulcahy. It is gratifying to know that many chaplains in the military have measured themselves against Father Mulcahy, found themselves wanting, and then worked to improve how they responded. Father Mulcahy 3

Name an episode where Father Mulcahy is not working, and I will show you an episode of M*A*S*H that was never made. Father Mulcahy was always available, always cheerful, and constantly engaged in a good cause, as he himself said, “to be helpful to the living.” Carrying towels, standing in for a nurse, providing an extra set of hands in surgery, comforting a patient, nurse, soldier, patient, always there, always caring. One of the most poignant episodes is when the Bishop of the Catholic church is coming for a visit, but a soldier wants to give blood for his buddy, and he finds out he has leukemia, and Father Mulcahy spends all night, not on his sermon, but talking to this young wounded soldier. Take a page from Father Mulcahy; working hard is not going to kill you. Engage!

Father Francis Mulcahy:
[Wearing a dress] While I was showering, someone stole my robe and left me this… this… house frock!

Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger:
Better not take it off, Father, or you’ll be a defrocked priest!

Father Mulcahy:
How would you like to get last rites, [raises his fists] and a few lefts?

Standing for your Convictions is Mandatory

Father Mulcahy:
“How dare you! You seek refuge in this house of the Lord when it serves your purpose. Then when it’s no longer convenient, you desecrate it by pointing a deadly weapon at another human being. Private, a faith of convenience is a hollow faith.”

The episode this quote comes from is where the mess tent is being used for services, fresh eggs had been donated, and a soldier comes in seeking ecclesiastical refuge and is AWOL from his unit. This episode has always been a favorite of mine; it has come back in times of stress and trial when the harder right and the easier wrong conflict, and I have the choice to make about which to follow. Father Mulcahy always chooses the moral high ground, the harder right, instead of the easier wrong, and the lessons he taught through living are not easily forgotten or pushed aside. I might not be as practiced in the execution of living the harder right, but I cannot choose the easier wrong, and that makes all the difference.

Father Mulcahy:
“Klinger, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, but you take the cake.”

Do You Feel Represented? – Your Government In Action!

Detective 4 I have received feedback that I write about the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) too much. Please allow me to explain why. As a veteran, I am duty-bound to help my fellow brothers and sisters in arms. As the son of veterans, mother (USN), and father (USN, USARNG), I know the hardships of being dependents of active duty, reserve, and National Guard members of the military. The enlistment contract doesn’t end when the contract says so for the military member; the families and spouses contract is forever.

The final two reasons I write about the VA are most critical; NO body should be treated like the VA treats the veterans; the actions of the bureaucrats in the VA are not representing me and what I stand for in a representative government. As I can easily have the Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General Reports (VA-OIG) delivered to my inbox, it makes writing about the VA much easier, benchmarking how the government has insulated themselves and forgotten who holds the reigns of power in a representative government. While not a reason to write about the VA, this final explanation should help you judge whether your representative government appropriately represents you and what you stand for. Why

The VA-OIG reports today begin with behavior that is intolerable and worthy of public shaming. While the defendant remains innocent until proven guilty, the criminal complaint represents behavior inexcusable! “Daniel Devaty of Elyria, Ohio, was charged with influencing a federal official by threatening a family member. Devaty allegedly sent a text message to the cell phone of a VA social worker threatening to kill his daughters.”

Angry Grizzly Bear Anytime anyone threatens the family members, their behavior is beyond the pale and deserves public shaming and the harshest of criminal penalties. I do not care if the perpetrator is a politician, a judge, the media, or a private citizen. Leave the families out of any business dealings! Hollywood, take note, I am sick to death of you threatening family members in movies, TV shows, or simply as private citizens/influencers. For too long, you have shirked your public responsibility, and families are OFF LIMITS! Learn this lesson well!

On the topic of conduct reprehensible, the following VA-OIG report leaves me running out of adjectives to describe the behavior of this VA Employee. “Robert Sampson of Gulf Breeze, Florida, pleaded guilty to charges of video voyeurism and disorderly conduct. Sampson secretly recorded eight fellow VA employees using a hidden camera, disguised to look like a cell phone charger power adapter, that he placed in a restroom at the VA Joint Ambulatory Care Center in Pensacola on multiple occasions from August 2019 to June 2020.” May the judge throw the book at him and his punishment be creative and sentence well earned!

VA 3 In another VA-OIG report, we have more leadership missing problems, where a fraud scheme existed for 11 years without discovery. “Erik Santos of Georgia was sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for defrauding Tricare of approximately $12 million through a compounding pharmacy fraud scheme. In January 2021, Santos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud.” While the US Attorney beats his chest and proclaims they will catch everyone involved in the fraud, how many managers and supervisors inside Federal Government employ will lose their jobs, pensions, and freedom over allowing this fraud to occur? What processes and procedures will be changed to protect against another fraud scheme? Who is personally accountable for contracting that permitted this scheme to bloom for more than a decade?

VA 3 The following VA-OIG report details how clowns and asylum patients run the IT program for the VA and not professionals! The VA was tasked explicitly by legislation to meet several IT deadlines on a program for family caregivers as part of the VA MISSION Act of 2018. Unfortunately, not only did the VA fail to get the IT program up and running on time, missed mandatory reporting deadlines, and delivered a software solution 2-years past due, but the “VA did not establish the appropriate security risk category and fully assessed the system’s privacy vulnerabilities.” Amazing, with all the IT problems the VA suffers from, with all the IS problems the VA suffers from, one would think that, where new technology was concerned, the VA would be practicing better security and using the lessons learned previously.

VA 3 Would someone please tell me why private industries would be sued to the Nth degree criminally and civilly for these IT failures, but the government can evade accountability and responsibility; why? In a representative government, the citizens can, and should, hold the elected representatives and their minions accountable for failing to uphold basic security protocols. So how did the government vote themselves a “Get out of Jail Free” card?

While writing this article, three additional VA-OIG reports have been delivered to my inbox. The newest VA-OIG report discusses a topic that the VA continues to struggle with, namely transparency. Apparently, the goblins in Goblin Town still cannot stomach sunlight and prefer to keep their nefarious deeds hidden. Unfortunately, the lack of transparency in hiring practices leads to more VA-OIG investigations into employee wrongdoing, cost the taxpayers phenomenal fees to rid the government of poor hiring decisions, and all this before the union becomes involved. From the report, we find the following:

“… VHA delegated much of its data reconciliation to its local facilities, which introduced variability in the process and did not allow for consistent creation, maintenance, and verification of information. VHA also had inadequate business processes to ensure quality data were available to support effective medical facility staffing oversight. Without consistent methods and reliable source documents for managing information, VHA cannot be sure HR Smart data accurately reflect VA’s budget and workload requirements.” VA 3

Did you catch that local facilities were given authority, which increased risks in hiring, all while management cannot perform their functions properly? I remain convinced that the VA built designed incompetence into every action to protect themselves from ever being forced to take action. But, unfortunately, like always, the news only gets worse! Plato 2

A little background is needed to appreciate the problem in the following VA-OIG report fully. Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act required the VA to report to the OMB how they spent money appropriated for America’s Veterans and the VA during the pandemic. The following is what the VA-OIG found:

“VA met monthly reporting requirements to OMB and Congress on supplemental fund obligations and expenditures. VA also submitted required weekly obligations and expenditures from supplemental funding to OMB by program activity. Of approximately $17.3 billion in medical care supplemental funds, VA reported it had obligated about $7.11 billion and had spent about $5.67 billion by December 29, 2020. The VA-OIG team noted three concerns where VA’s reporting was not complete and accurate: • Obligations were at risk of not being included in VA’s reports. • VA initially delayed the reporting of reimbursable obligated amounts for two months. • VA’s reports contained negative dollar amounts in data fields that should have only positive amounts, which misstated VA’s overall reported obligations. Those concerns indicate weaknesses in how VA and VHA internal controls are structured to meet reporting requirements. Despite the risks identified, VA performed only a limited review at the summary fund level of its COVID-19 obligations and expenditures before reporting. A review of summary funds is not detailed enough to identify potential anomalies and ensure the reliability of externally reported information” [emphasis mine]. VA 3

I did not find this in the VA-OIG report. Did anyone ask why the VA failed to meet the reporting for the first two months? After the FISMA Congressional hearings, everyone knows the VA sucks at information technology and information security (IT/IS). So why was the VA given more money and told to budget it using existing failed software, processes, and procedures? My work in the finance field is limited; however, when a company cannot handle its finances properly and meet legal obligations, a third-party accounting firm can be hired to handle this for the organization. OMB, why are we not using this solution at the VA? OMB, why is a third-party auditing company not conducting in-depth analysis and audits of the VA? With all the missing taxpayer dollars at the VA and Department of Defense, it seems that you are just as negligent as the agencies you are supposed to monitor.

Theres more As they say on the Home Shopping Network, “But wait! There’s more!” Unfortunately, the same holds of the VA, just without the enthusiasm! Each VA Medical Center in the Department of Veterans Affairs – Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is expected to have supplies, also referred to as caches, on hand at all times to handle local emergencies and national health care incidents. For example, a pandemic! The VA-OIG investigated these prepared caches and found that only 9 of 144 supply stockpiles were ever mobilized. The excuses, oh these excuses, are like butt holes, everyone has one, and they stink!

1. 1. “Medical facility directors reporting supplies were not needed or caches lacked sufficient quantity for meeting pandemic demands.”
  2. “The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) changed the process for mobilizing caches during the pandemic, but without clearly communicating it to medical facility directors” [emphasis mine]. – We have the blind leading the blind, in a darkened room, in a London fog!
  3. The VA-OIG, not the VHA, not the local VAMC, but the inspectors “identified problems with cache maintenance and monitoring.” – Never forget, this is a job of several people, overseen by a director, who reports to facility leaders, and inspectors had to find the maintenance and monitoring problems. Just let that sink in for a minute!
  4. “Most caches contained some expired or missing personal protective equipment, diminishing their ability to support pandemic preparedness.” – This is an example of how the VHA is “Defining Excellence in Healthcare!”
  5. The “VHA had incomplete documentation on cache activations, making it difficult to know which caches would need to be restocked.” – See item number 3 above.
  6. “Medical facility leaders were not always able to accurately report if their facility’s cache was activated during the pandemic.” – Is the proof sufficient that the VA leadership IS the problem with the VA; yet?

In the US Navy, a significant part of my job was to maintain and monitor emergency supplies. Additionally, to use and cycle through reserves during drills and replenish those supplies quickly and efficiently not to impair the ship’s ability to protect itself 24/7. I did my job well enough to earn three people Navy Accommodation Medals. I took over the emergency stores, and all consumable supplies were expired or consumed. Within 3-months, I was winning accolades and awards. Yet, 144 caches of emergency supplies for the VHA need more procedures, more documentation, and more oversight to fulfill the mission correctly.

Knowledge Check! I beg to differ!!! We need leadership, active, engaged, enthused, leadership! We need the medical facility leader to stop designing incompetence and do the job they have been hired to perform. We, the taxpayers, need the oversight instruments of the Federal Government to become a lot more effective at demanding results. We desperately need the elected officials we have hired to scrutinize the government! Just imagine if you hired someone to perform a mission-critical job, and in the middle of needing emergency support, the person hired reveals, “Oops, I might not have done my job properly.” How fast would that person be fired? Now, why can we not do the same to the government employees?

So, ask yourself, do you feel represented by your government?

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