Democracy Chatter

 I sat this morning and tried to watch a VP Harris interview done with Margaret Brennan.  My suspicion is that someone on Harris's staff felt she needed to show/demonstrate national policy chatter.

So the question of national security threats come up.  

VP Harris then starts some odd comment: "​Frankly, one of them is our democracy. There is,​ I think, no question in the minds of people who are foreign policy experts that the year 2021 is not the year 2000​.” 

It was an odd way to start this comment, and for a couple of minutes.....you get some chatter that reminds you of a first-year college student and nothing much makes sense.

Instead of re-assuring you of her skills....you just sit there amused.  It's like some PhD guy sat down with her during the week prior....to educate Harris on X, Y and Z in the foreign policy world, and she got overnight 'smart' but still lacking in a severe way.  

So I will offer this opinion.  In the future, for qualifications for VP....you might as well include a retired Atlanta Braves pitcher, a Las Vegas entertainer, or some Montana rancher....because their skill sets for the job don't matter.  You can even consider some city prosecutor who is known for oral sex routines with the mayor.  

Gut-Feeling Over Airline/Airport Violent Encounters

 For a number of years, I've followed these stories of violent encounters at airports or onboard airlines.

In my entire life....I've only seen one incident....at a ticket-desk in Atlanta where a lady was losing your sanity and behaving like a 9-year old kid.  What the lady wanted to occur....to make up for her trip interruption....was impossible to accomplish. So the agent offered only one solution....at the mid-way point of this planned 9-hour 'trip'.....return the lady to her starting point.  This set off a huge cussing situation, and it hit me about five minutes later that the customer-gal was on some type of mood-enhancement drug.  The agent?  She probably realized the mess going on and just figured getting this gal back home was the only solution possible.

My thoughts....since the 1980s....a lot of people have gone to air travel even though they have anxiety or panic attacks.  To reduce stress and tension....they go to some form of tranquillizer.  Whatever the dose was on the bottle?  They probably doubled or tripled up on what they took at the airport itself.  So an hour into the flight....they just aren't capable of acting in a mature way or taking guidance from the airline crew.

Resolving this?  I don't see anyway.  You just have to move on....reflect upon the incidents that do occur, and then put these people on a 'do-not-fly' listing.  Maybe at some point in the future.....a quarter of the population by age forty will be on a 'do-not-fly' list and things start to calm down a bit.