Buffalo Gal

During 12 hours in the car yesterday I heard approximately 11 hours more political news than I could handle. Somehow I thought it would be more tolerable with Air America now on XM, but while the slant is better the news is without improvement.
The rain was coming down so hard it was several miles before I realized I'd crossed the last two state lines, so my jaw was already set and shoulders tense. But everytime they got to Bush suggesting that another national agency might be needed. I wanted to scream at the speakers.
My husband served the old INS 27 years and did his damndest to make a difference in the bureaucracy. He'll tell you he lost more than he won, but he was fighting until his retirement.
He was mowing the lawn on 9/11 when I pulled in the driveway from work to tell him the news. We watched the towers go down together and held each other. Even though his area of expertise was Alien Anti_Smuggling in Texas, he already knew more than the television commentators about what we were seeing. His comments about the sources of terrorism, weak borders , visas, etc. that morning were eventually reported as fact. He was as sad for the failure of a system that could work as he was for the loss of life. Very sad doesn't begin to describe it.
He went back to work to teach agents, first for the INS and then for... well it was within the Homeland Security umbrella.. but no one was quite sure.
More functions were privatized, more bureaucrats were hired, more students came through and hours were expanded... without a clear picture of who was in charge or what exactly was happening.
As the new sub-agencies shook out it became clear that the biggest change would be new uniforms and signage. Thousands, then millions were spent on repackaging. YOu don't realize how many embroidered insignias there are in this line of work until they all have to be changed.
Bush might have made the initial projections for job growth this year if they'd have given the embroidery contract to US workers.
The new uniforms and gear are pretty much in place now and the President seems to understand at some level that the American people want action.
Starting another agency is the obvious repsonse.

Copyright 2004 Judi Griggs

Buffalo Gal Judi Griggs I'm a communications professional, writer, cynic, mother, wife and royal pain. The order depends on the day. I returned to my hometown in November 2004 after a couple of decades of heat and hurricanes. I can polish pristine copy, but not here. This is my morning exercise -- 20-minute takes without a net or spellcheck. It's easier than sit ups for me. No guarantee what it will be for you. Clicking on the subscribe link will send you an email notice when each new entry is posted.
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Previous Entry :: Next Entry Read/Post Comments (0) Share on Facebook		2004-04-14 7:46 AM Embroidering the truth During 12 hours in the car yesterday I heard approximately 11 hours more political news than I could handle. Somehow I thought it would be more tolerable with Air America now on XM, but while the slant is better the news is without improvement. The rain was coming down so hard it was several miles before I realized I'd crossed the last two state lines, so my jaw was already set and shoulders tense. But everytime they got to Bush suggesting that another national agency might be needed. I wanted to scream at the speakers. My husband served the old INS 27 years and did his damndest to make a difference in the bureaucracy. He'll tell you he lost more than he won, but he was fighting until his retirement. He was mowing the lawn on 9/11 when I pulled in the driveway from work to tell him the news. We watched the towers go down together and held each other. Even though his area of expertise was Alien Anti_Smuggling in Texas, he already knew more than the television commentators about what we were seeing. His comments about the sources of terrorism, weak borders , visas, etc. that morning were eventually reported as fact. He was as sad for the failure of a system that could work as he was for the loss of life. Very sad doesn't begin to describe it. He went back to work to teach agents, first for the INS and then for... well it was within the Homeland Security umbrella.. but no one was quite sure. More functions were privatized, more bureaucrats were hired, more students came through and hours were expanded... without a clear picture of who was in charge or what exactly was happening. As the new sub-agencies shook out it became clear that the biggest change would be new uniforms and signage. Thousands, then millions were spent on repackaging. YOu don't realize how many embroidered insignias there are in this line of work until they all have to be changed. Bush might have made the initial projections for job growth this year if they'd have given the embroidery contract to US workers. The new uniforms and gear are pretty much in place now and the President seems to understand at some level that the American people want action. Starting another agency is the obvious repsonse. Copyright 2004 Judi Griggs Read/Post Comments (0) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top