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Lighting the Fires of Hate in Gainesville
September 8, 2010
It never ceases to amaze me the people who proclaim to be representatives of God but are so willing to unleash hate. Such is the ministry of Rev. Terry Jones and his Gainesville, FL church. In what can only be accurately described as an incendiary act, on Saturday evening, September 11, Jones and his church will burn copies of the Quran, the holy book of Islam.
Five Years Later, Gulf Coast Reflections - Part Four
September 1, 2010
In a state as disaster prone as Louisiana has been over the past few years, it's hard to remember that when something bad does occur, it doesn't impact everyone. I was reminded of this when I sat down for lunch with two friends in Lake Charles, LA. Southwest Louisiana is truly a world away from the rest of Louisiana. Whether it is the fact that they have a higher elevation from the southeastern part of the state or they are just closer to Texas, this section of the state has always impressed me as having more of its act together than other portions of Louisiana. Back in 2005, I met Lakes Charles Mayor Randy Roach who introduced me to a saying that has stuck with me ever since. He said, "Just hand me a piece of plywood, and we'll take it from there."
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A new TSA Administrator nominated - Will his fate be different from the last one?


David Olive

Washington , Mar 9  - Yesterday afternoon, President Obama announced that he will nominate Retired Army General Robert Harding to be the TSA Administrator. Harding is a well-known and highly respected military and intelligence officer, and under normal circumstances, his nomination should sail through the Senate. But these are not normal times in the Senate.
 
Unless the White House is willing to address, up front, the unionization issue that overtook the substantive merits of Erroll Southers’ nomination, General Harding’s nomination will likely be in limbo for quite some time – and that will be a sad state of affairs for an agency that is in need of new leadership.
 
It is a fact of political life in Washington, DC, these days that a person’s qualifications are only one factor in having the Senate confirm them for a politically appointed position. Senator Jim DeMint obviously did not care whether Erroll Southers was qualified, so long as Southers did not respond in the exact way DeMint demanded on the TSA collective bargaining issue – even through DeMint knew this was a decision made by either the DHS Secretary or the White House. It was not a decision Southers could make.
 
The same fate may await General Harding’s nomination, assuming he can get past any other Senate Commerce Committee questions – questions such as his ability to oversee outside contractors’ activities, given (according to the Harding Security Associates Web site) his own successful creation, operation and eventual sale of a government contracting business. I expect the government contracting community will be watching his nomination process with great interest.
 
So, congratulations to General Robert Harding, the new TSA Administrator nominee. Is anyone willing to place a bet on when the word “nominee” will be dropped from the previous sentence?

This piece was originally posted on Security Debrief.

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