An Issue of Authority

In Wisconsin the Governor ordered the police to remove the protesters from the State house, the police refused to and supported the protesters. In Central America the same thing happened to one of their presidents. In Libya members of the Air Force refused to bomb the people and defected. We are seeing the Police and military in countries throughout the world refusing to follow the orders of their leaders. This is just the beginning.

People are rejoicing that "the people" are taking power; but, then what? I mean what happens next? It is easy to take down authority; but, what do you replace it with? The choices are "leaders" or direct democracy (or a lot more say in what happens). Lets put this in another context, at what point in time, by what measure would you believe people are capable of ruling themselves and you?

Societies without leaders never progress. Leadership is a burden. I manage a large number of people and have managed people for 39 years. My attitude towards supervision is based on my having supervised people since I was 12. I am not a micro-manager, I very much believe in letting people do their work and leaving them alone. My job is to let them know what needs to be done and where we are headed. Most do not care where we are headed and only care to know what they need to do. That is human nature.

How can "the people" make valid decisions on our future if they don't care where their organizations, societies, governments are headed? Now lets look at Wisconsin, what happens when nobody, including the police, do their job? What happens when everyone follows their own rules? If you say it sounds great, do you feel the same way about child molesters? Don't snap answer questions, it means that you did not think about what was being asked, you were giving an opinion that wasn't thought out.

Leadership came about because people did better in groups. Humans are pair bonders and not pack animals, we survived and thrived because we learned to work together; but, it only worked when the smartest of us decided what direction we should be headed in. I am not in favor of totalitarianism, I hate it, I am a major proponent of privacy and I am a big believer in order, fairness and input on decisions. The problem is that most people are selfish and if you put them in charge you get disaster, as we have now.

You cannot legislate to change human nature, some learn and some don't until forced to. That is reality and people only learn, at best, at the speed that they are capable of. We are not all of the same wisdom either. Wisdom takes a lot of time. Young people know things, old people understand what they mean.

I was once asked to teach someone what I know, I was told that I should take a few hours and show this other person how to do what I do. I wondered how I would teach understanding the law in three hours, it took me a lifetime and three years of law school and 20 years of writing contracts. I didn't know how to teach 30 years of supervising or 30 years of accounting or 30 years of Public Works experience in a couple of hours to someone who wasn't as smart as me or someone who was. That is the youth difference. They don't get it because even if they have the education, they don't have the experience.

In my career, I was the best there had ever been at what I did and still, I learned from those who had wisdom and experience. I may have surpassed them; but, I learned from them first. My career is at an end, I will be done in three to eight years, I am not going to be that young leader anymore, I will retire an old sheep dog. I would hate to think that there was not a young aggressive sheep dog to replace me, sheep need sheep dogs and shepherds, I am not a shepherd, maybe someday.

Recognizing how we grow and what we are, I believe we should listen to our elders that have earned being listened to. They earn it by being better, not by promising us more cookies. If someone promises you a cookie, punch them in the nose; but, don't vote for them.

In order for society to progress, leaders must evolve (learn from the past) and. I don't know, I lost my train of thought, too many interruptions. Be well.

Brain Dead

Once again I have little to say. I had a late day at work and young minds to confound. I like meeting very intelligent professionals who have been at the top of their field for a bit, they are so confident and quick. When they team up with insiders, they have the world by a string and then they meet me. LMAO.

No matter how smart you are, how experienced you are, if you are fascinated by the cookies, you cannot see what only others can. They race to the cookie and it never leaves their site until they get it, then it is on to another cookie. The more concept of life, our goal is to have more. LOL. "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids".

"Who is this tapping, tapping at my chamber door?" My only response is that it "Twas many and many a year ago". Oh but I am cryptic tonight. It appears that "money" is now interested in doing something we accomplished long ago; but, where to go, how do you duplicate something you don't understand? You seek those who do and try and learn in a day what took a lifetime. Nice work if you can get it; but, the pieces never fit together the exact same way, it is custom work to change an industry.

To debrief, perchance to dream. While writing I was in a phone conversation dissecting every word and action of a meeting I had. I do the same for poker, analyze what happened, how did I get here, what did they have, what play will they make and how do I get them off their game. There is only one answer, do the right thing for the right reasons and trust nobody. I like that as a business plan, its one I can live with. Be well and be odd.

Please Read This

Just about everything I post is original, I include links but the comments and thoughts are my own. I like a band called "Heart" and was on their website looking for tour information, I came across their blog. Ann and Nancy Wilson are just amazing to me, both very special, Ann's words I thought were profound. For the first and possibly only time I am going to recommend you read her words rather than mine, I think she did just fine.

Ann Wilson to the Class of 2010.

Google, Smart Grids and LADWP

I spoke about Google taking over the LADWP over a year ago and some people thought it was too way out of a concept. Read this article and think about it.

Two New Movies

The first one is called "Hall Pass", the story is that two married men keep looking at other women so their wives give them a week to do whatever they want even sleep around. Now, I am guessing the film, a comedy, has the men come to realize that they are better off with their wives; but, really what a disgusting premise.

My wife may have slept with another; but, the idea of me giving her permission to is impossible in my head. I have to add a caveat, I don't care what others do, I am not here to judge others; but, I am entitled to discuss the message we are sending people. Oh, in the movie, I believe the guys have kids.

The second movie is being made by Matt Damon and Ben Afflick, I don't know the name yet. It is the true story of two baseball players who traded their whole families to each other. Can you imagine such a thing, turning over your children and your wife to another and then taking his? That is insanity. The question is, "What does this tell the children and doesn't that matter". Cheating, like rape, is not about sex, it is about dishonesty, it is abuse of covenant. It is a lie.

What are we saying is acceptable? I am not asking what is acceptable, I am asking what we are making look as a valid alternative to having a family. What are we promoting in the media. We are promoting homosexuality, we are promoting not getting married, we are promoting not being parents, we are promoting selfishness. How many shows (and yes, I still don't watch television except for 12 hours a year or the very occasional movie) show a functional, happy, traditional family? Are there any?

Lets look even deeper, how many young actresses act like ladies and how many young actors act like gentlemen? The last few days we have been bombarded with stories about Charlie Sheen, firstly, who cares, secondly, no one cared before. He is a junkie and has a history of hiring prostitutes. The show he is on about a guy that drinks and sleeps around in front of his nephew and brother and his brother is made out to be the fool. The producer was apparently shocked that Mr Sheen lived that way in real life; but, he wasn't too superior to create and produce a show about someone who did the exact same thing.

I would prefer to write about the news tonight and may yet; but, I found these two films offensive and wanted to talk about that. That is not quite right, I didn't find the films offensive and could laugh at "Hall Pass"; but, I surely would not take young children to see it. My problem is not with an aberrant film, it is with the lack of any family positive films. Be well.

Sexy Talk

I am completely confused, that happens. A news article came out that says that oral sex is the leading cause of throat cancer or something equally stupid, I didn't even bother reading it. I remember reading something not long ago that said that people three thousand years ago didn't get cancer, does this mean that they didn't have oral sex back then or what changed?

I went and read the article. It says that oral sex causes more cancer than smoking in the United States. Here is the article. I am smoker, if I can't have sex I guess I am supposed to smoke more, just to be safe.

The article also says that in other countries smoking is still the leading cause of these cancers, does that mean those countries engage in less oral sex? Maybe they smoke more? This is garbage reporting and science. What if the connection had to do with promiscuity? What if the more you were promiscuous, the more likely you were to get cancer from oral sex, nobody would like that answer.

I wonder how many people will stop having oral sex because of this garbage article? I knew a woman who believed that oral sex on women could kill them, I really did. How do we pass this garbage on to each other? Why do we tell people such things?

The world seems so confused by sex, it is a pretty simple. Sex is a physical act where two people share the joy that they can give each other. The rules are simple. Firstly, don't do anything that you believe to be WRONG, not silly, not annoying, not something you don't prefer, WRONG. If your partner wants you to suck their toes, suck em, it isn't a crime, it is not immoral. Second rule, make sure that your partner is satisfied FIRST. Third rule, don't ask your partner to do anything that they find unpleasant and no, you don't know till you ask. Final rule, tell the truth. Let your partner know what you enjoy and what you don't.

Now lets put this to the test. If your partner said that they liked to dress up like a clown, toss pies at each other and then have sex, would you do it some of the time even if you found it messy and not wonderful? Sex is a pleasant cherry on top of the ice cream that can be a relationship. It is not the relationship or there is a problem, by the way, that is why cheaters rarely marry the people they cheat with.

Now lets return to the issue of oral sex. Oral sex is pleasant and can be done by people who don't take Viagra. If your partner likes oral sex, why would you deny them? You might be thinking I am coming from left field tonight, you know, discussing sex on a blog that does not allow cussing, from a guy who cusses non-stop. Well, I think sex should be discussed, not a forced discussion (you know, taking your kid aside and explaining sex). Sex is very personal and should be discussed in private with children, reading this will not hurt them.

We don't tell kids about sex or death, they are real things and both serve a purpose. Sex is great because it gives us a reason to have a shared joy, death is important because it gives us a chance to have a shared pain. Those are the things we can share at the deepest level if we are honest. There are some people we do not wish to share at on a deep level.

Someone lied to me today, I have been lied to by everyone including the best in the world, another lie is meaningless. It was not about sex, it was about appreciating me. This person had done me wrong, knew it and wanted to convince me that they appreciated me, a coward to be sure. I am not ever accused of being a coward, an idiot or a crook, these badges cannot be effectively put on me. I have placed them on others that earned them.

To not tell your partner how they can improve in bed is to lie to them, this does not mean you act like an instructor, it means that you tell them what you do like. That has been lost by people sleeping around indiscriminately. If you are only going to sleep with someone once, why bother telling them how they are in bed. If you are married, you probably should tell them on occasion.

This post isn't really about sex, it is about pleasing a partner. Look beyond sex and ask the same questions. What is the proper way to please a partner in business, in life, in government? Start with the same things start with not doing anything that is wrong, make sure your partner gets what they need also, don't ask your partner to do anything that they are against and finally, tell your partner what you want out of the relationship. Now apply this to business or the citizens relationship with their government and vice versa.

Being a member of the National Honor Society of Political Scientists and a lot of other junk, I know something about government philosophy. Use what I said to evaluate any government and you got a start in determining how it should work. Have a great night, I already gave you sex and government. LOL.

Pension Fraud, Redevelopment Agencies and the Useless Mainstream Media

Anyone who has been reading this blog from the beginning knows that I spent a lot of time putting the dots together regarding Community Redevelopment Agencies and their illegal interaction with public pension funds on shady investments. I also talked about the extreme corruption and bribery. I couldn't understand why the media in
California did not follow the trails.

Now Ron Kaye and Zuma Dogg are pulling up the same dots. They are both bloggers in the Los Angeles area with large followings, still the newspapers aren't posting this stuff or following up. According to Zuma Dogg subpoenas are being issued (finally) and yet I do not read about this in the LA Times or Daily News or even in the LA Weekly, I wonder why?

A number of years back when downtown was being converted to lofts I contacted the LA Weekly and gave them leads that would have taken this all public. I pointed out that the conversions were being done illegally, that asbestos removals were not being done properly (as anyone could see). In fact to remove asbestos one is supposed to seal the building and provide breathing equipment. In Los Angeles illegal aliens were used to remove the asbestos and they were given paper masks, the buildings were left completely open. The LA Weekly never investigated it, too much at stake.

At the heart of all of this is the corrupt redevelopment agencies that tax with the promise to help the poor, Staples is not poor, AEG is not poor and a new football stadium will not help the poor, how bout some housing or basic services. We are in a frigging recession and LA wants to build a football field with redevelopment money at the same time that it is closing all of it's libraries and laying people off. Would you rather have police, fire, libraries and roads or a new football stadium?

Anyways, here is a nice article from the Ventura County Star on why Redevelopment Agencies need to be abolished. Enjoy. As for me, I hope they put them all in jail. I will repeat what I have said before, I believe small cities will be folded into bigger ones to stop the special favors that they bestow on friends and themselves and redevelopment agencies will be exposed for the crooks they are.