Having the Courage to Look in the Mirror

I found this over at Battlefield USA.

Then, I thought of the recently announced President's summit with Law Enforcement "leaders".

Heh.  "Leaders."  A "leader" does many of the things I am about to outline.

So, as usual, I thought I might add in a few of my thoughts.  These are primarily directed to my “friends”, “representatives”, "Leaders", Oathbreakers, and “public servants” in government.  Yeah, you.  All of you.

Let me give you all a short synopsis of “Cause Mapping”, a method of root cause analysis that is used by people who really want to solve problems in the business world.  (Producers take note...this is an excellent, caveman simple, free system that absolutely smokes TapRoot and other methods.  Trust me on this.).  Imagine that, me, sitting in a room of mid-level managers, training, pretending to be a "normal" American... funny, huh?

Here's an example of a cause map of the recent cruise ship accident as an example.

Barack, given your complete lack of experience in aforesaid business world (where people actually produce as oppose to leech and “organize"…), you might want to scoot your chair a little closer…

Some businesses spend thousands of dollars on proprietary software and near-hopelessly complicated systems to conduct “root cause failure analyses”  ( That’s “What went wrong” for you non-producing .gov types).

Cause mapping is by far the simplest and most effective means of doing this, and it’s free.  You use excel in a slightly different than usual manner, and ask a single question, over and over, that most three year olds are excellent at asking.  I know it’s asking a lot from our Executive and Legislative branches, but stick with me on this.  The question is this:  “Why”?  Over and over.  “Why?”

The cause mapping method is not meant to point fingers.  In my training, mentioning names during the process was specifically forbidden.  Why?  Because finding the root cause and addressing it is infinitely more important than punishing an employee.  For more on the system, go to Think Reliability.

(For you producers out there, bear with me, we’re almost done with preliminaries.)

So, onto the subject of domestic extremism, radicalization, and the bogeyman of “domestic terrorism”.

And enough with the intelligent, calm talk, for the most part.  You “public servants” could use less-than-respectful modes of address.  Teaches humility.  You do know what that is, don’t you?

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE???

The president flies a roomful of LEO leaders to DC for a secret-squirrel meeting on domestic extremism.  They detail many cases.

“In the 62 cases reviewed, the subjects increasingly spoke out against the government, blamed the government for perceived problems and did so in a way that caught the attention of other people in their communities, according to the senior counterterrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private White House event. Subjects became active on the Internet to espouse extremist views. In some cases, the subjects purchased weapons, ammunition or explosive materials.”

Have any of you ever done anything remotely similar to cause mapping on this subject? Root cause analysis? If not, tell you what.  I’ll fly to DC and conduct a block of instruction you all can understand.  Gratis.  I’ll even bring my family so they can see for themselves the corpulent pestilence infesting our capital.  That way you know I’m not going to blow everyone up with the pocket nuke I keep hidden in my sinus cavity.  I promise not to bring any Chore Boy scrubbers either ( Some of you might get that jab.  Search the blog if you don’t).

See, the first thing you have to do is identify the “problem”.  You could say (and I am speaking in your terms, FedGov oathbreakers...) that the problem is that “domestic extremism is on the rise in America”.  Fine.  First though, you’d have to define “domestic extremism” in terms that are substantive, identifiable, and objective.  “Not liking Obama” doesn’t cut it…  Assuming you can do that in a timely manner...

Having produced a problem statement, the first question is…

Wait for it…

“Why?”

Here’s the thing.

You lazy, corpulent, brain-dead “elites” haven’t exercised the due diligence towards running the most powerful nation on earth that a two year old does when he tinkles in the potty. 

“Why mommy?  Why do we tinkle?”

Why is domestic “extremism” on the rise?  Why are Americans pissed?  Could...gasp...we -the government- be doing something wrong???

Here’s a simple exercise you might try to get the freaking dumbfoundingly simple answer.

Pull up MS Excel.  Create a chart (If you don’t know how, fearless leaders, I’ll throw in basic and intermediate Excel training, gratis, also. I’m a skilled domestic extremist.  Well, maybe I’ll need a Coke or something in return.)

Now, let’s do something basic here.  Chart the rise in domestic extremism, either on a percentage basis, or whatever.  Now, on the same chart, plot the expansion in the size, scope, and spending of the Federal Government in the same timeframe.

I bet you find –and this is a guess, as I am not privy to all the MIAC-type fusion center reports- that since 9-11, the rise in the “threat” of domestic extremism corresponds pretty damn closely to the expansion of the federal (national) government.  If anything, “extremists” are lagging.

There’s your first “why”.  It goes further, but I’ll need to get to your plush DC conference rooms to lay it out in more detail for you.

Let's examine the earlier quote though...

"In the 62 cases reviewed, the subjects increasingly spoke out against the government, blamed the government for perceived problems and did so in a way that caught the attention of other people in their communities, according to the senior counterterrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private White House event."

I fail to see anything at all wrong with the activities described here.  That’s American tradition, you pukes!  Americans have always resented and opposed government expansion.  It is only in recent years that they do not oppose it violently, en masse.

Readers should take note:  This is a de facto admission that it is natural US citizens, not Jihadis, who are the targets of federal “counter-terrorism” efforts…

 Subjects became active on the Internet to espouse extremist views. In some cases, the subjects purchased weapons, ammunition or explosive materials.

I know damned well my views are considered “extremist”.  I have purchased weapons and ammunition in bulk in the past several years.  (Yes, this extends out to prior to Obama.  My awakening started with GW Bush.)   I have not purchased explosives, as a jail term for stupid crap doesn’t appeal to me much.  (Besides, I learned lots of neat things about that as a platoon demolitions NCO / demolitions instructor in the Army.)

KNOW THIS THOUGH, you who are intent on focusing on addressing the “problem” by crushing dissent…

I became “active on the internet” to “espouse” (why are bad people always “espousing”?) because I reached a point of disgust that made further silence impossible.  Some of us are wired that way.  Some of us are not.

For every one of me, there are a hundred, or a thousand, more who are silent, but share my disgust with where you are steering our nation. 

For every comment on these blogs, there are many more emails, and many more people who burn without ever “stepping foot” online.  Some of us may pay a heavy price someday for running our mouths.  I cannot say.  For every one speaking out, there are at least a hundred who feel the same way, without vocalizing it.

You know this though, don't you. 

This is a fire you cannot stomp out without first removing the fuel.

With fuel, the more you stomp on it, the more it spreads.

To remove the fuel, you have to first identify it.

"Why?"

Look in the mirror.

It’s staring back pretty hard at you.

It is supremely, eternally arrogant of a company, or a government, to look only to punish offenders, and not for a second to consider its own culpability.

Cause mapping.  Root cause analysis.  "Why?"  Solutions, not conflict.  Problem solving, not blame.  It is not difficult.  Due diligence.

The mirror stares back hard, if one is brave enough to look.  

Resist.