They are wrong for that

I picked up the New York times yesterday, Monday, August 29th. There was a story in the international section with a bi-line that read "PROCUREMENT." The story was about Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, a black female who was a career civil servant, working for the Army Corps of Engineers. Ms. Greenhouse was demoted in her position for doing what the taxpayers pay her to do, making sure that the government was getting what it paid for. She raised objections to a 7 BILLION dollar no bid contract that was awarded to Haliburton subsidiary Kellog, Brown and Root. Her argument was that, if the contract was being awarded without competition because of the urgency of the war, then it made sense for the contract to be of shorter duration as well. This sounds logical, but it cost her her rank in the federal service. Ms. Greenhouse, who is a true patriot in my eyes, called a $165 million dollar contract awarded to KB&R for logistical support in the balkans without competition "the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed in the course of my professional career." She also said that the defense secretary's office had improperly interfered in the awarding of the contract. If you don't know what's going on here, I'll break it down to you. When I was a procurement specialist with Job Corps, I signed a conflict of interest statement every time I sat on a panel. Since Job Corps contracts are competitively bid, I would be fired on the spot (and I should have been) if I had made my decisions based upon interests I had in a company that was bidding on the project. For instance, if I had a friend who ran a company that runs Job Corps centers (and I have several) it would be completely unethical for me to use my influence to help that person secure the contract, or to be swayed in my decision making because I had a relationship with that person, or worse, something to gain financially by helping him/her out. When we were attacked on September 11th, 2001, the Bush administration started exploiting opportunities to help their friends and financial supporters get rich. A big chunk of the BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars that is being spent in Iraq and Afghanistan is being done on a no-bid, non-competitive basis. We've seen the effect of these contracts over there, with Haliburton getting caught overcharging for fuel, food, etc. So the companies are given these huge contracts to provide a service, then they rip the country off in the process of providing that service. If you are not mad, you are really not paying attention. WAKE UP!

It's been a while

since I posted here. I've had my "issues" with this blog. I tend to get fairly personal, and from time to time I question whether that is worth the trouble that it can cause. Then a part of me says, if I am trying to be truthful and talk about what is going on with me, what harm could come from that? I'll continue to sort it out and post any "aha!" experiences right here.
My life is very full now. I have some say in that, there are activities that are optional, meaning, pretty much all of them. I choose to go to work because I don't know how I would pay my bills if I didn't, but that in itself is not a very good reason. I'm active in a couple of fellowships that help me stay sane and balanced, therefore, these activtities seem like necessities rather than luxuories. I'm involved with a young woman that I love to spend time with, and, if it is a luxory, it's one I am grateful to have. I spend several hours a week working out to be able to keep my body in decent shape. Do I need to do that? The answer is no, but I am pretty miserable when I'm not getting my endorphins from working out, and, I am concerned with how I look, so I feel better when I am in shape. I've been putting a lot of time into practicing the bass guitar and recording new songs with my Experience Songwriting Project partners. This too may seem frivilous, but I get so much enjoyment out of it, I can't imagine life without it. So, my dilema is, I've gotten myself involved in more things than I can really do, but I am hesitant to unload any of them, because they are all, with the exception of work, dear to me. I don't feel terminally unique in wrestling with these problems, and I can think of about 1000 problems that would be more of a drag than having too many things I love to do and too little time to do them. I feel better having stated the situation. If I keep breathing, take whatever actions seems appropriate and stay on the path, the outcome will be revealed, and it could be better than anything my little mind could dream up.

So little to do, so much time

No, strike that, reverse it. (If you saw the original Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder, you'll remember that line). Nan and I watched "Two Cow Garage," "Grand Champeen" and "The Radio Nationals" last night at the Sunset. Two Cow Garage ruled, as they did last time I saw them. This trio from Columbus Ohio plays country music like it should be played, loud and dirty. The Radio Nationals are calling it quits, and that is going to leave a gap in this town's alt-country scene. I so want to put a band together, but can't imagine finding the time. No worries. I have really been blessed the last several years. If I keep trying to be a decent person, working hard, staying clean, I believe better things will happen to me than I can probably imagine. That's been my experience so far. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying playing acoustic gigs, getting more and more confident on the bass, collaborating with the ESP group on a new recording, etc. It's all good.