Morning Coffee (27)

My apologies for not having a steaming cup of Morning Coffee in your inbox yesterday morning. I was not feeling quite myself; haven't for a while now, and despite the passage of time, it doesn't seem to get much better. But, today's another day, as they say, and I will give it my best effort.

I fear for my country. Why, you ask? Because the incoming head of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep S. Reyes (D-TX), is, well, not quite up to snuff on some very basic things. He was recently interviewed by Jeff Stein of Congressional Quarterly, who asked some very simple, basic questions such as: al-Qaida, Sunni or Shia? Reyes not only didn't know, but he guessed. Poorly. "Al-Qaida, they have both. You're talking about predominately? Predominately - probably Shiite." Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. First of all, one of the most basic concepts I learned in intel school is that if you don't know the answer you DO NOT GUESS! Next question; Hezbollah, what are they? Reyes, who is paid $165,000 a year to be on the House Intelligence Committee, laughed and shifted in his seat. He replied, "Why do you ask me these questions at five o'clock? Can I answer in Spanish?" Will speaking in Spanish suddenly make Reyes an expert on terrorism? I doubt it. This makes me sick.

I'm not asking these people to become leading experts on terrorism, or even intelligence practices. But come on. This is pure ineptitude. There is no excuse for this sort of laziness. Why did Pelosi select this guy when he hasn't even a basic, A BASIC knowledge of terrorist ideology? Did she even know that he doesn't know anything? Heck, does she? Look, I'm sure many of you don't have that knowledge, and that's alright. You're not being paid $165,000 to know it. There does not appear to be any sort of vetting process when these people are selected. They're picked mostly for their loyalty to whomever picks them, and no one questions it. This is merely cronyism. The congressional aides are the ones that do most of the work. I once wrote a weekly intelligence update for an Erie congressman, and as far as I know, he never read it. His aide, however, called me constantly with follow-up questions; we had a good working relationship.

This is sad. We are going to be defeated because these people don't care. They have no cares in the world beyond getting re-elected or having their party "take power." Once they take power, the leaders place their lackeys in whatever positions they want. Some of these positions are coveted because they are used as a springboard for future leadership positions. Frankly, I would say that 5% of these hacks are qualified for any job they hold in government. Most of them would be better off if they stayed on the boards of major Fortune 500 companies. I have something to say to them: Stay out of government, you serve only to muck it up.

Word of the Day: Argus-eyed (adjective): Extremely observant; watchful; sharp-eyed.
On This Day in History: Massacre of Ma'arrat al-Numan (First Crusade): Crusaders breach the town's defenses and massacre ~20,000 people. They then resort to cannibalism when they run out of food (1098). Another peaceful religion spreading the word of the "lord."

No quote today, I haven't anything sufficiently negative or vitriolic, and do not have the ambition to search for something good. Tomorrow I will make amends.