Catalyst Partners Updates http://www.catalystdc.com/ Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ 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. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25962 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25962 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT 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." http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25951 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25951 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT The announcement Monday afternoon by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano that Predator B unmanned aerial vehicles will begin patrolling the skies over American's Southwest border, funded in part by the latest $600 million infusion of cash from Congress, ought to raise some very serious questions about the manner in which increasingly limited homeland security funds are being spent. If DHS wants to deploy Predator B UAVs, then at least admit that Predators are far more expensive than almost every other alternative - or make the case why this is a better choice. Thus far, the explanations are lacking, and this should not be allowed to continue. When Congress returns, or whenever GAO gets around to it, Secretary Napolitano should be required publicly to address some of the following questions. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25950 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25950 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT It's hard to say what the real ground zero of Hurricane Katrina was. For most Americans, they think of the City of New Orleans. For as awful as each of those events were, similar catastrophes were experienced by St. Bernard and Jefferson Parishes, as well as Plaquemines and Slidell, LA. While the media certainly covered the earth-shattering events that occurred there, it seems to me that the Gulf Coast of Mississippi seems to have been lost in the coverage. The only word I used to describe what I saw back then was very simply Hiroshima. The destruction was beyond catastrophic. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25947 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25947 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT There are few places that you can drive in America where you can go over 50 miles and not hit a traffic light. Such is the stretch of highway along Louisiana Highway 23, running straight through the center of Plaquemines Parish. Located just south of New Orleans, Plaquemines is literally a peninsula with the mighty Mississippi River going right through the center of it. When Katrina struck, surges of water crossed over the levees, parking shrimp boats in the center of the Highway 23 and farmer's fields while cattle and other farm animals were left dangling in the surrounding trees. It's an open debate by many Plaquemines residents as to what is worse: the impact of Katrina, the BP oil spill or the drilling moratorium. One thing they can all agree on is their concern about their future. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25944 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25944 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Five years ago, my life, like the lives of millions of others, changed. I was one of the thousands of people who went to the Gulf Coast to try to help, to do anything to address what can only be called the summer of ultimate hell. Two monster hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, smashed into the coastlines of Mississippi and Louisiana killing hundreds, costing billions and forever changing our nation. This week I've come back to the Gulf Coast to retrace many of the steps I took five years ago. For as much as the news media will offer their five-year retrospectives on the anniversaries of these two unprecedented and tragic storms, it can't begin to capture how much lives have changed here. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25942 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25942 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Politics and religion have always been lightening rods in life, and the twisting of both issues in the current debate over the proposed mosque two blocks from Ground Zero has proven true the standing axiom that you shouldn't mix the two. In the sweeping rhetoric that has gripped the recent mosque debate, I've sadly not heard much distinction between those who are fighting for the soul of Islam against the extremist elements as those who seek to perpetuate it. The fault for this condition lies in the hands of everyone involved in the current debate. For as much as I believe that there is a right for the organizers and developers to have a mosque in lower Manhattan, I also believe the organizers and developers have failed in appreciating the sensitivities that people have for blood-stained soil. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25932 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25932 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Yesterday's sad news from Alaska about the tragic plane crash that killed former Senator Ted Stevens and four others, and seriously injured former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, his son and two others, brought to mind a chance encounter I had with both men over seven years ago. I've thought about it quite a bit since news of the accident first emerged. It was one of the strongest memories I have from my time at NASA - one I feel fortunate to have witnessed first hand. It reminds me that for all of the power and authorities that any one of us gains, in the end, we are all mortal. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25922 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25922 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Every now and then you come across an article that cuts through the surface layer of superficial, short-term issues and illuminates the long-term challenges. Ted Alden's thinking has always been this way, and he nails it in his recent article "U.S. Losing Ground in Competitive Immigration." Ted lays out a cogent argument for encouraging the world's brightest to study and stay in the United States. Attracting skilled immigrants to maintain our intellectual and entrepreneurial edge may seem like an economic issue, but it is also a key national security issue. Economic and entrepreneurial dominance clearly strengthens our security. We have that dominance today, but, as Ted points out, there are several factors undermining our ability to maintain that dominance. This article is the best I've read on the topic. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25921 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25921 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT First off, let me state for the record that I am not taking a page out of the Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) book of apologies. I may have said some humdingers in the past, but I am not about to apologize to BP for events for which they are ultimately responsible. With this as a backdrop, every business leader in America, large or small, should be scared out of their mind at the actions of the U.S. House of Representatives this past week. With a vote of 209 members for and 193 against, the House passed a bill to eliminate any and all liability caps for actions resulting from an oil spill or related mishap. For as much as we may want to make sure that BP and others like them pay for their messes, imposing post-disaster reactionary measures without looking at the short and long-term consequences is almost as dangerous. http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25917 http://www.catalystdc.com/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=25917 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT