Sit Down and Shut Up!

That's quite a message for an elected official to give a constituent but it's Chris Christie's message to a former Councilman upset about the slow flow of money to homeowners relative to Sandy aid. The two of them, Christie and the former Councilman, got into a shouting match the other day. Christie's bravado and tough guy attitude was somewhat bizarre for a guy who had the microphone. He really did come across like someone who needs anger management counseling. What's somewhat surprising is that he seems quite proud of his behavior. No walking back - that would be a sign of weakness.

We should probably be more concerned about the fact that there are a lot of people cheering the Governor on, hoping to see him do it again - the more the better, the louder and meaner the better. All that's missing is that the person he's yelling at is some hippy bum with long hair listening to Grateful Dead music.

People should really step back and think about Christie's defense about his problems with the George Washington Bridge. In a very quiet, almost contrite voice, he explained that he knew nothing. Remember, he couldn't fathom where his staff would have gotten any idea that he wanted people punished. Review the video of him arguing with the former Councilman and think about where and how people working for him could have gotten an idea that people should feel his wrath. Not much of a leap in my opinion.

So I think we should get him an orange T-Shirt (orange is the color used during anti bullying campaigns) and have him sit through a class on anti bullying and then lead a march of middle and high school students through the streets of New Jersey opposing bullying and making positive statements about mediation and negotiation.

Understanding Fear vs Acting On Fear

The Ebola virus has certainly created fear. The fear is all over the place. It exists in every geographic area and across economic classes. People are scared because it's a really deadly disease. Everyone has some level of fear about Ebola and that in itself is not a bad thing. Actually it's pretty smart. It helps us all take it seriously and to show some very healthy respect. It should also help to focus us on education and communicating good information about the disease, its spread and its prevention. I think we all understand the fear that's out there and there's nothing wrong with that in itself.

But acting on fear is completely different and some people are acting badly and irresponsibly. Examples include the kids who beat up two young boys from West Africa while calling them 'Ebola'. Then there are the folks in Maine refusing to go to their local hospital because the partner of the nurse who had been quarantined, works at that hospital. These are fear based actions that aren't based on any real facts. Sadly, these actions are fed by elected officials who seem to think it's their job to spread fear. That is not what leadership is about. There are ways to protect public safety without spreading fear. As a matter of fact, spreading fear itself is not in the best interest of public safety.

The tough guy image that some politicians want to present doesn't help either. If you think about it, it implies that we or someone need the protection of these bullying types. Their tactics are rough and tumble. Anyone who disagrees is an idiot. Negotiation or even just listening is not in their playbook. Obviously there are lots of people who like or want this type of behavior. Perhaps it's entertainment, or in some cases there are people who want and expect this type of 'protection' by their elected leaders. But worse yet, some learn from it and model it in their own behavior. It becomes ok to segregate, harass or beat up people identified as the problem.

We've seen this over the years when people fear other people's looks, freedom, lifestyle, illness, religion or nationality. People have stigmatized people with HIV/AIDS, developmental disabilities, and a host of other health or physical differences. Most of these things have proven to be wrong and bad public policy. Most have required science and facts as well as people to speak up about what is right or wrong.

I am impressed with Kaci Hickox, the Nurse from Maine, who is challenging the quarantine policies that seem to be based totally on fear versus good medical and scientific information. She is raising important issues relative to individual rights vs state rights. Although sometimes put forward as irresponsible, selfish, etc., she seems to be presenting a pretty reasonable approach. She is agreeing not to take public transit and to help track her contacts. She is following all protocols relative to monitoring. Her main point is that she is not symptomatic at this time and therefore not contagious. Scientific facts seem to back up her position.

Currently, however, 80%+ of the general public believe quarantines should be put in place. We are in a very sad state if public health policies are going to be established based on polls rather than science and medical facts. There is no question, our leaders, all of them, have failed us. There is no clear message. They are all basing their responses and reactions on the fear of their constituents and in the process, they are feeding that fear. They should all take a deep breath, step back and get their act together - understand the fear everyone is feeling and then take actions based on science and educate in the process.

Quarantine Policy by Cuomo/Christie Raises More Questions

Things seemed to be going fairly well a few nights ago when it was announced that a doctor, Craig Spencer, had been diagnozed with Ebola in New York City. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NYS Commissioner of the Department of Health sat next to Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene, Dr. Mary Travis Basset. Everyone seemed on board with both the response and the message. Hospitals and health care workers were prepared. Communication was going to be key in preventing panic in NYC and by osmosis the entire country.

Everyone was in agreement. Few were in danger, appropriate actions were being taken, no one should panic. It seemed like a dose of good medicine that we all needed in the wake of questionable management of previous incidents and communications.

Then something strange happened. Something that again would raise antennas and questions. Less then 24 hours after this initial show of unity and confidence, Andrew Cuomo held a joint news conference with Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. There they both announced a new policy of quarantining travelers from countries in West Africa if they had worked with or come into contact with people with Ebola. In the news conference, Cuomo also seemed to question the actions of Dr. Spencer for being out and about when he was not showing any signs of the disease.

An interesting turn of events and a continuation of the mixed messages that politicians seem to give when discussing or acting on policies relative to the control of Ebola. It's important by the way to remember that these are politicians and not doctors or scientists. As a matter of fact it was only a few short days ago when Gov. Cuomo in a debate with his opponent for elected office indicated that he was not a scientist and couldn't really make a judgement on the safety of Hydrofracturing or Fracking. At that time he said it was important to follow the science. Now, it seems, he wants Gov. Christie and himself to call the shots on medical issues related to Ebola.

In that news conference both Governors began talking about state boarders being under their control and responsibility. Who knew two northeast Governors would be making states rights arguments about protecting their boarders. This is being presented as an example of strong and needed leadership in the face of a crises. All indications are that this new policy will have a devastating impact on medical personnel wanting to volunteer in Ebola ravished countries. Most people may not be aware that doctors and nurses are volunteering 3-4 weeks of their time, service and expertise. If they return to the potential of a required 21 day quarantine symptoms or not, many will opt out from this volunteer activity. In addition, this new policy just seems to continue the fear mongering.

But this is text book Andrew Cuomo. He is reacting to his own fear of the public and voters. He is positioning himself again as a national figure. He has changed his position in 24 hours with his finger in the air testing which way the wind is blowing. In announcing his new policy, he left out Mayor de Blasio and Dr. Mary Travis Basset. He left them out, and after the fact stated bluntly that the Port Authority of NY&NJ are separate entities acting independently. Dr. Basset was not very happy and I'm sure the mayor is scratching his head on this one.

All of this just continues to raise more questions in the public's mind. Is the threat real or imagined? Can they/we trust elected officials to tell the truth? Do they know the truth? Are people working together? The questions are real. I fear the politicians are not. My money is still on the doctors and nurses.

Saints and Heroes

I struggle with the concept of saints. Their existence implies all sorts of things. First and foremost is that they're gone, looking over us having led a good life among us at some point. Heroes on the other hand are a bit easier for me to get my head around. There they are. You see them. This little piece is about saints and heroes. I'm seeing a lot of them around today and it makes me think they've been around forever. When I say being around I mean just that - walking among us, interacting with us on a daily basis, not floating above.

The Ebola virus has helped me see these folks a little more clearly. Beyond the fear, the fear mongering, the confusion and the missteps, the saints and heroes are out there doing what they do. They're in West Africa caring for people sick and dying from the virus. These saints and heroes come from Cuba, the US, New Jersey, other African nations. They're doctors, nurses, educators and soldiers. They try to heal but also watch parents and children die terrible deaths. They care for children whose siblings and parents die. They care for and support each other. Few of them worry about if and when they can get a flight back to their homeland through travel bans created with some sort of false hope or worse. We should all be forced to watch these saints and heroes more. Watch them care for the sick and try to keep others healthy. Watch them and try to understand their strength and motivation.

They also exist in Texas and Maryland and Nebraska. And when Ebola leaves the front pages, more saints and heroes will be all over, supporting people with cancer and dementia. We'll see them in the streets of Syria and Iraq dragging bodies into hospitals. Saints and heroes trying to bring peace in streets of war - Muslims, Christians and Jews.

The saints and heroes are among us and they should make us feel so foolish about the things we do to create their work. There are others who paint and write and dance and play. Yes, they're here among us but sometimes we just don't see. They're not statues in a church or someone with medals on their chest or people written about in books. If we open our eyes we can see, touch and feel the saints and heroes walking with us. If you're lucky, you'll recognize one and you'll have the opportunity to shake their hand or better yet hug them. What a gift they are to all of us.

Epidemics and Fear

The recent news and developments related to Ebola have raised lots of issues and fears. Some legitimate and quite a few unfounded. The worst of it all is the continued politicalization of the disease and communications about it. The best advice I've heard is to follow science and not the politics. It's disgraceful how some politicians on both sides are dealing with this issue.

Obviously Ebola is a scary and dangerous disease. That's clear from the death and devastation it's causing for thousands in West Africa. Scare tactics and fear are the worst way to deal with it. Health professionals understand the virus better than all of the politicians. But we do have to understand that fear is a historical method for people to get their way. Fear has been used for centuries to accomplish all kinds of goals - the justification of wars, the treatment of groups of people and so forth.

I've had some expierience with fear - leadership by fear and just plain life expierience with fear. It comes in all shapes and sizes. I've seen people try to lead by fear in both the non-profit and for-profit world and of course in government. It's effective because it helps bring people around to a point of view. The downside is that the people being led many times find out that their being used or misled in terms of facts and truth. Eventually that makes some or all angry and the leader can be defeated or removed. All of that can be and often is a painful process.

But I've had other experiences with fear. I'll share one that is related to some of what we're seeing today. My family lived in Spring Lake, NJ in the late 40's/early 50's. Spring Lake was one of many communities on the Jersey shore that was hit very hard by the polio epidemic of that period. Children all over the country were stricken with flu like symptoms that led to muscle paralysis.  In the worst cases individuals ended up in iron lungs, large tubular canister units that helped that paralyzed person breathe.

My family was hit hard by polio. Out of four children, three ended up with polio. My older brother, my older sister and I all had it. My younger sister didn't contract the disease. No one then or now knows why. I can't really imagine the fear and confusion that my mother and father must have gone through. I was about five years old at the time. What I write about this expierience is a mix of early childhood memories and family storytelling.

The impact of the polio hit us chronologically - my brother, my sister and me. All of us ended up in the hospital separated from each other in various states of paralysis. In my own case my entire left side was paralyzed. Neither my left arm or leg would work properly although there was always some level of control. There were no known cures at the time. We were right on the cusp of the Salk vaccine. There were various treatments, however. One was to place heavy cast type material on the affected body areas. My guess would be to help build resistance and therefore strength to the muscles. The other was exercise developed by a nun, Sister Kenny. I believe the later is the approach that I received. I remember a hand and leg bar set up on pulleys with weights that I would utilize throughout the day to move my affected limbs. There were also continuous doses of penicillin given at various times during the day and night, all in my rear end.

My brother honed his social skills organizing wheelchair races down the hall. My sister was on a different floor. There were iron lungs, wheelchairs, braces, crutches and everything you can imagine for the many children in various states of paralysis. I was fitted for a brace and used it for a bit. It could have been days or weeks. Miraculously all three of us recovered over time with no remnants of the paralysis. I have had some weakness on my left side but that's about it.

The town in effect was under quarantine. The beaches were closed. Municipal pools were closed. Public congregation was discouraged. No one knew where this awful disease was coming from but it was targeting the children of many communities. There was certainly fear. I was too young to understand or even remember the conversations and political discussions that must have taken place. Along the boardwalk there were two or three municipal pools where we had always swam as kids. I never understood why there were pools built right on the ocean but there they were. I remember some talk of the virus being transmitted at the pools. My mother had her own theory. She was convinced we got the virus from flies that had been very prevalent that summer. I'm sure the CDC would appreciate her input and insights today.

The point is, it was a mess and people were fearful. They depended on their doctors and nurses to help them and to provide them with the best information available. But people were scared. Kids were segregated and separated. Families stayed in homes looking for the smallest indication of the illness appearing. I wasn't a part of those conversations but I know they took place in addition to the rumor mills and news stories.

In the end science did win out. People received treatments of various kinds and Salk's vaccine came online. Many people though weren't as lucky as me and their paralysis remained.  Others died. Families struggled. We should learn.

Buffer Zones For Fracking But Not for Storage!

This is really just an additional thought on my earlier piece about the storage of LP an/or Methane Gas in salt caverns under Seneca Lake. The main point of that piece was to try to wrap my head around the logic or lack of it in believing or thinking that it makes sense to store gas in caverns that are part of an evolving environment under a beautiful body of fresh water. As I continued to think about it, I came up with some other somewhat confusing pieces of information.

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) has been a separate but also controversial issue throughout the Finger Lakes region. Again, there are arguments on both sides, that sight the dangers or benefits of the process. Academics, engineers and health professionals have all weighed in and continue to do so. The debate has forced politicians and elected officials to take positions of some sort. Everyone seems to agree that the protection of large water sources like the Finger Lakes themselves need some level of protection. Most politicians have taken the position that a buffer zone of some sort should exist around the Finger Lakes. People argue over what the distance should be. I've heard some say a half mile and others a mile and so forth. Don't these discussions point out the illogical concept of storage in natural caverns under Seneca Lake? Why would you create a buffer zone around a lake of let's say a half mile to protect that water from Fracking and then support the storage of gas under that same body of water? Some things just don't make sense.

Storing Gas Under Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake is a jewel. She's a beautiful body of spring fed water in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Seneca is the source of fresh drinking water for 70,000 plus people. Seneca is also a recreational hub for its residents and tourists from all over the world. Her hillsides are home to some of the best wine grapes and wineries.

Those are the positives. It would seem that's what should drive any discussion about this gem of a lake. It should also be obvious that protecting the lake and its water is imperative. Our fresh water is one of the greatest assets we have in upstate NY.

For a number of years, an energy company, Crestwood Midland, has been planning and requesting authority to store Liquid Propane Gas and Methane Gas in salt caverns that exist under Seneca Lake. There have been arguments for and against their proposal and I've tried to follow both sides as they go back and forth with facts, purported facts and dueling engineering studies. In the end I just have to depend on my own gut and what logic tells me. It seems absolutely absurd to store gas in natural evolving caverns under a huge lake. It just doesn't make what I would call logical sense. The earth moves and shifts. We know that. Gas will move to fill new space and on and on.

But my logic doesn't seem to work in this case. Recently the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Crestwood's proposal. The next phase of the approval process is a decision by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Perhaps they will think about my simple logic. Perhaps they will weigh the value of fresh drinking water and recreational uses of this beautiful lake against the monetary savings for a large corporation. Traditionally, LPG and/or Methane would be stored in large tanks but of course those cost money. So it looks like what we have here is a corporation looking for a less expensive way to do business, potentially at the expense of many others as well as the environment. Anyone who objects or opposes their plan is viewed as some kind of job killing, energy cost inflating weirdo and perhaps a communist to boot. Well I'm all of the above I guess, because this proposal just doesn't make any kind of logical sense to me.

I try to be a Lake Keeper. Someone who sees and understands the importance of this body of water to so many people. Someone who tries to protect Seneca for years to come for drinking and fishing and just plain enjoyment. There is so much pressure on our lakes and streams. All of us have to try to do more to protect them. It shouldn't be viewed as radical. It's just common sense and a recognition of the importance of our natural resources. If you want to read more about this project click on this article FERC Approves Methane Storage Project.

Misplaced Outrage

The past couple of weeks have been filled with bad news and it seems President Obama just can't get a break on anything. Everything is his fault. That's been a chant of some for a long time but now it seems to be taking hold. It's that old principal of "if you say something often enough, over and over, eventually it will be proven correct". In addition, Obama, his family, his administration and supporters are tired. He can't get anything done. He and Congress are on two different wave lengths and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon. It's easy to point fingers but as is often the case, both sides share the blame.

As I look at all of the major issues that are out there I have to wonder how much of this is a reckoning  of sorts, chickens coming home to roost as it were? How much of everything that we're seeing is truly the result of a dysfunctional Congress, an ineffective President and an apathetic public? In the end, will these issues have enough of an impact to wake everyone up? How much of what we're seeing is driven by the inability of the President and Congress to come together on a budget? Do they realize it?

Misplaced outrage is what we see everyday. Congress can rant and rave about Syria and ISIS but where are they in terms of financing the military and the war some of them are frothing for? Where are they in terms of even voting on military interventions?

Then there's Ebola. We seem to be pretty close to a panic response with coordination and communication being pretty poor. Turns out the President has nominated a candidate for the open Surgeon General's position but Congress refuses to confirm the nominee along with many other appointments. "We'll show him. We won't approve appointments." A competent Surgeon General by the way could provide some leadership and a calming and educational voice during a potential health crisis as opposed to a seemingly confused group of people at a podium in Dallas.

Next we have what seems to be a crises at the Secret Service. As you dig into the issues there you find that sequestration has had an impact on the hiring and recruitment of agents. The list goes on and on. Problems related to inaction on a budget, continued threats of a government shutdown and people wagging fingers at each other. Immigration has become not only a political football but an opportunity for some to spew hatred for particular groups of people.

Well we're learning that actions (in this case inactions) have consequences. It's clear that a majority of people in charge in Washington don't care much about the Food Stamps that have disappeared or the supports and services for vulnerable people with disabilities that have gone by the wayside, or the single mothers trying to survive on minimum wage, or the homeless who still struggle in our communities. Those issues aren't close enough to them. Maybe, just maybe, these other issues will make a few of these folks see how badly they are screwing up governing and how their lives as well as others are being impacted.

But first of course we have to get through an election. That's why they're all on recess after all, to get out there and talk about what a great job they're not able to do because of the other person, party or that President. I just hope they and the voters begin to connect the dots and realize that actions and yes, inactions have consequences.

Off The Sidelines - A Good Read & Good Advice

Senator Kirstin Gillibrand's book, Off The Sidelines - Raise Your Voice, Change The World, is a good read for anyone. Senator Gillibrand makes it clear that she wrote it with a very specific audience in mind, specifically young women. It's interesting that her audience is much broader then that. I think that's for a number of reasons. The publicity around the book has certainly helped. In addition, Senator Gillibrand is a strong voice right now on a number of issues that are important to people. She has been an outspoken leader about sexual assault in the military and on college campuses.

Her book is a good read for a number of reasons. Her writing style is easy and conversational. Her personal history around her family, growing up in Albany and her work and political experiences are interesting as well as instructional. Instructional is key. She clearly wants to share useful information with anyone who is interested in their own personal and professional growth and share she does.

Gillibrand helps her readers understand feelings, pressures and expectations placed on women in the workplace. She doesn't pull any punches either. She tells it like it is but doesn't whine or make excuses like so many of us do when confronted with obstacles. She is clearly a leader, a mover and shaker. She covers issues like self esteem, weight gain and loss, the impact and pressure on all of us, but women especially, relative to personal appearance. Her discussions about how we view ourselves vs how other people view us are important especially when referencing hard working women in male oriented arenas.

Gillibrand is a Feminist and a good one. She speaks meaningfully about being an advocate in general and a voice for the voiceless. There are many who need her encouragement today as voices do tend to get drowned out if not muffled by others. Kirstin Gillibrand is someone you'd want on your side and on your team no matter what you were doing but in my opinion she's best suited for fights for justice and equality.

Young professional women especially may like her book and what she has to say. But others will too - girls, women, boys and men. There's something for all of us. So if you get the chance, grab the book and give it a read.