dispatches from the new world of work

Buck Me Up Here!

I AM SUDDENLY VERY WEARY. WORLD WEARY. REALIZING THAT 38 YEARS AGO I FLEW THE FIRST CH-53 MISSION. AND NOW WE LOST 30 PEOPLE ON ANOTHER CH-53 MISSION IN ANOTHER DISTANT ENVIRON. THE WORLD IS A TESTY PLACE. YE GADS!

Tom Peters posted this on 01/28/05.

Comments

Tom, Tom, Tom,

HOW DO WE KEEP THIS NON-POLITICAL? You of all people don't recognize another 'Nam lesson not learned...

- one of your biggest fans in VT

Posted by Eric Lapp at January 28, 2005 7:53 PM

Tom,

The past is done. The world is about the future. 38 years is the blink of an eye.

Things done right the first time do not need to be done again.

Self pity over war's recurring nightmare is a little ridiculous when divine efforts have not resulted in any lasting success. It may be that not all problems have solutions.

The Pax Romana lasted 500 years based on the Romans' ability to project overwhelming military power in a very short time. (Roman roads were not built just to keep mud off Caesar's toga).

500 years of "peace" was kept by quick, and utterly ruthless intervention whenever a challenge to the keeper of that peace was identified.

The latest strategy of change actually seems to have some long-term merit, but just like any change program, it must be supported in its infancy.

One of the fundamental precepts of this strategy is to get a "rogue" nation's women to the polls to vote for change. Preserving the distaff population's franchise must be supported by external intervention. Ideologically it could never originate internally in Islamic society.

When women can vote out tyrants who are murdering their husbands, fathers and children, repudiating such an election-supported decision legitimizes repeated external military intervention.

Foriegn support until a post-overthrow government can be installed to serve their population rather than exploit them is a kinder alternative to the Roman way of attacking in force and killing everyone who might have had a seditious thought (along with their entire family). This method's only advantage was that it worked.

The Tree of Liberty must be periodically watered with the blood of patriots. Once a legitimate government (rather than a thug regime) is in power, I'll applaud that government's efforts to nourish their tree with the blood of their own patriots.

Posted by Doug Jones at January 30, 2005 4:11 PM

My point was not political. It was simply that the human race sucks a lot of the time. So one deals with it.

Posted by tom peters at February 2, 2005 3:22 AM