I'm not one to make excuses for Boeing and their handling of the Tanker deal, phase 1. A bit of speculative analysis is in order though as Boeing is again rejected in phase two.

These sorts of abuses are common in current American corporate culture. Boeing, doing business with every culture in the world, competes only with oil in a a knowledge of the business 'culture' of every country on earth. It is worthy of note that the oil 'tanker' aspect raises the specter of this being a symbolic battle for corporate dominance - Boeing v. Big Oil, if you will. I won't analyze that further though.

I for one believe that the problems at Boeing were the exception, not the rule. Though not an excuse I personally believe it more likely that the 'infection' started on the government side, not vice versa. Certainly Boeing did the right thing by correcting this action immediately. This compares with Washington State's other dominant international company, Microsoft, and their 'behavior' in Europe, home also of Boeing's competitor, Airbus.

There are a number of speculations as to what the major 'external' forces were at work here. Perhaps the most positive is that the 777 production line will be changing from a global outsource model back to a domestic one and that the Northrop/Airbus deal may be a new attempt at an international aerospace business model. Perhaps second on the list of the positive theories would be that the Airbus participation is a mea culpa on the part of the Bush Administration for the embarassing behavior of Microsoft (and, in the context of international business, the equivalent of an out of control teenage punk).

However the most negative scenario is something to be very concerned about. In the realm of defense Boeing is by far and away the most 'Democratic' of all competitors. Their civilian jetliner business is a big reason for this, and is perhaps best evidenced by their choice of Chicago, hometown of Barack Obama. The history of that is of course much more rooted in the past - of which I'm not competent to speak of, but most likely going back to the Jackson/Magnuson era.

Would it be fair to accuse John McCain of himself being subject to corruption? No. However it is more than fair to speculate whether his 'organization' is being subjected to the same corrupting influences that affected Boeing in the same place. Being a control freak, strangely enough, is a universal phenomena, in the US, and the world.

And yes, if it isn't clear I am raising the question - did the Air Force 'attack' one of America's very best very large corporations in order to, in their minds, benefit McCain?

I've been a supporter of McCain's, but I'm beginining to wonder if he is succumbing to the dark side in his older years, in order to pass muster with the Republican party faithrul.

There are many lessons in life Mr. McCain, and you have learned many of them, some of them the hard way. But one of the most important is knowing when defeat IS a viable option. In some cases it is better to lose. People who must win every battle end up defeating not only themselves, but everyone around them.

We're waiting for your leadership Mr. McCain. Are you going to take that call from the most credible of defense democrats, Norm Dicks? Are you going to comment on the Boeing deal?

Lastly, a bit of disclosure. My Father was a Northrop engineer for most of his career in Southern California. However given my Paternal Grandfather and Maternal Uncle's employment with Boeing, as well as Northrop's deals with Boeing itself to call this one a wash - not even counting any local biases. FWIW, a personal note, I don't really know what pop's role was - his story was optics, but that's a field that blurs with intelligence, if one considers the various steps necessary to both identify a target and deliver, for example, a smart bomb.

My local paper, the Tacoma News Tribune, has an editorial on Open Government in this Sunday's edition. This is an editorial series of 12 this year celebrating the paper's 125th anniversary. This theme is also an important one within the remainder of the State, including the Seattle Times, which initiated the Coaliton on Open Government.

As the paper notes:

Advancing the cause of open government is a value, not a business model.

On a similar note the paper hosted a great forum last week on the role of newspapers in connecting with their community in the internet age. Panelists included Michael Fancher of the Seattle Times, David Brewster of the Seattle Weekly/Crosscut, Jack Hart of the Oregonian and two academics. This session was not about business either, however anyone who follows the business knows that the emergence of internet agebusiness models is a current major subject.

I don't have an answer to those related business questions, but I do have some thoughts.

An honest and transparent government may not a business make - however a dedication to same should be a goal of every business whatever their level of operation. As it is a paper's responsibility to advance same it should be a businesses 'responsibility' to support same.

But 'business' is not a monolith - it is merely a name assigned to a collection of very independently minded entities, at least in theory. Up north the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce led by the two big public finance firms, Foster Pepper Sheffelman and Preston Gates might disagree. In practice 'business' to them needs to stand together - both those who serve government (including, first, themselves) and those who work in a more traditional 'free market' sense.

Advertising in the ivory tower theories of Adam Smith is a double edged sword complicating what is otherwise so ideologically simple and clear. On the one hand for markets to be truly 'free' everyone must have access to all information. Advertising is the way to do exchange information, however it is very definitely NOT free.

As such advertising can actually be used to monopolize, to use the word loosely, the attention of the consumer.

Contrary to the opinion of the TNT I'm gonna put forth an idea here - that open competition AND open government SHOULD be the foundation for the next communications business model.

The foundation of such should not be traditional advertising, but rather the yellow page business model, a business which should be transferred from the telcos to newspapers. (or to the telcos, if they establish news organizations with integrity and credibility) This would mean that the advertising basis of every paper should be as broad as that of the historical yellow pages.

I'm imagining a situation where every subscriber continues to pay as well - however with greater revenue accruing to the paper through reduced printing costs. Curling up with a paper is not a bad habit, but it does also have big environmental costs as well.

Rates for inclusion by a business should definitely be higher, but for the smallest business perhaps no more than the differential between a private phone line and a business line. Rates should differ, and setting up an industry by industry pricing structure is the tough part of this idea, as well as is the issue of preferred placement. Google offers one example of how this might be dealt with appropriately.

Newspapers should also give high priority treatment to some businesses NOT based on how much they pay. Rather the paper should establish methods of evaluating businesses of integrity and credibility based on the evaluations of their subscribers.

Put simply this is a business model whereby the local paper becomes more of a trusted broker of information rather than solely a producer of it.

I don't know if this translates to the national market or not. FWIW, Google may already 'own' that market, deservedly. I don't think though that the Google model extends automatically to the local level.

The full feature TNT editorial is here.

Starting this blog was a secondary goal when I began a complete remodel of my house 10 months ago. That project is finishing off this week and the money is running out. As such it is time to shift my focus on getting back to work.

The original plan was to sell and do some serious international hiking, continuing to focus on health. The market in Tacoma has softened a touch, and as such, a worthwhile profit for roughly six months of full time work would not be realized.

This is also a good time to go a bit quieter. I've had the opportunity to start a civic network here in Tacoma. My specialty is helping to frame the questions, then stepping aside to let others answer them. Both the State and National election issues are at this point, Hillary's future may in fact be decided today.

I haven't had the opportunity to restart my old connections in Seattle, and FWIW, my job search will be focused on Pierce County, though with a bit of South King where I've worked for the last five years or so.

It is also time to start filing some complaints about some of the personal stories I've touched on in these posts. The biggest question - and perhaps the core of my first claims, would be a denial of recourse for my concerns. Throwing people in jail for 'obstructing' a police officer is one thing - throwing someone in jail for insisting that the public's monies be spent responsibly is quite another.

The folks benefiting from that process, the officers of the the Seattle Superior Court, have done quite the job at building a story totally destroying my personal reputation. It is my belief that not only will a detailed look at these stories will reveal not the story of my personal decay but the decay of the most important center of this industry in Washington State.

In King County the biggest result of my developing a business relationship is to bring these hate mongerers to the door of my employer or contractor. Hopefully I can either prevent that in Pierce County or make the fighting of it my job - perhaps even in King County.

Well, it certainly looks like there are some violent wack jobs hanging on to the Earth Liberation Front movement - as evidenced by some rather spectacular fires in the SE Snohomish County community of Maltby.

The operative phrase in that sentence is 'looks like'. It is quite possible that this is just an arsonist torching unsold multi-million dollar homes (the one sold was the only one untargeted) using the ELF as scapegoat - and scoring a few political points in the process. These houses are big, that's true, but they were also showcases for environmentally friendly building processes.

The current court case regarding the accused look out for the alleged ELF bombing of the Center for Urban Horticulture, in Seattle is worthy of note. Though this particular individual is claiming innocence I do believe they have confessions, and deals, from the alleged other participants.

FWIW though I don't know the particulars of those other individuals - and targeting a bunch of Master Gardeners just seems plain weird.

Odds are definitely pointing to the ELF. Not a long shot, that. News flash to Hillary, Barack and McCain - it looks like we've got our own 'Al Qaeda' movement brewing in America, no need to import it.

Vanishing Point

Starring Barry Newman and Cleavon Little, aka the DJ SuperSoul

Directed by Richard Sarafian

1971

This classic flick is a pass along from the recent Tarentino film, 'Grindhouse' which paid major homage to the movie.

Newman plays James Kowalski, an early Vietnam Vet and busted former, honest, cop working as a car delivery person. The car, a white 1970 supercharged Dodge Challenger is as much the star of this movie as Newman.

Newman is engaged to drive this muscle car from Denver to San Francisco. For some reason, left to us to speculate upon, he decides to do so in record time. This, of course, garners police, and a multi-state, escalating, chase develops from Western Colorado to Eastern California.

The locations for this two lane chase are all superb - scenic highlights of the route. In contrast the soul DJ played by Cleavon Little gives us running social commentary on the events as he tracks them on the station's police scanner.

Jews of the American West

Edited by Moses Rischin

From a 1986 Conference at the University of Denver

1991

I'm 50% percent german, ethnically, on mom's side. Growing up in California I was raised to be totally clueless about german/jewish tensions. One of mom's closest friends was jewish and her son was very good friends with both my brother and I. His older sister was one of my first major crushes in puberty, probably for the best though that I didn't act on it.

One of my strongest memories from going to school back east was attempting to flirt with a Jewish girl during my Freshmen year and getting totally shot down. Nothing particulary dramatic, save for the realization on my part as to what was going on.

Based on my experiences in Seattle I dug up this book. It makes virtually no reference to Seattle and only a few passing one's to Portland. The book did provide a scholarly confirmation to my own experience - California Jews are the most integrated in their communities.

Descriptions of some of the in-fighting among competing organizations is a bit mundane, but it sets the stage for a much more interesting debate. Prior to WW2 there was a major Jewish 'anti-zionist' movement in America, based in San Francisco. The basic philosophy was that jews here should see themselves as americans first and drop all the old european divisiveness. In it's day it was perhaps dominant, however given Hitler and the formation of Israel it's arguments lost sway almost completely.

Also interesting are the discussions about intermarriage.

I won't go into my Jewish experience in Seattle, save to say it was not positive. It would be interesting to discuss same with some of the contributors to this volume, if I had the time for such things. I do have Jewish friends from LA that I met back east whom I think were as clueless, or nearly clueless, as I. That's a conversation I do hope to have.

FWIW my mother's family was part of the same german immigration wave that brought the first german jews to America - many of whom also ended up in California. Go figure.

The Tacoma Tribune has an editorial today regarding light rail, noting the faster than projected ridership on the Sounder Commuter train. They imply, but do not articulate, support for Sound Transit. I've submitted a letter to the editor, which I've enclosed below. (I've thought some about delaying the publishing of items I've submitted to others - this case though seems like one okay to put out immediately - it is not like my readership competes with theirs!)

The editorial is here.

Although I was, and am, opposed to Sound Transit I do agree with the editorial board's numbers regarding demand for high capacity transit.

The crucial number to understand at this point in reaching a plan of action is 20-30 years from now - the likely completion date of South Sound Light Rail. I think the case for arguing for a delay in that decision until it actually needs to be made is compelling.

Technology changes. It may well turn out that the best solution for the region's needs in 20-30 years is actually a replacement of the successful and easy to expand commuter rail - perhaps a bullet train or some sort of maglev technology?

Providing guaranteed funding to a single source agency with no real accountability for that time frame is simply idiotic. The power network behind Sound Transit is extensive and quite capable - but are they accountable to the individuals that make up this region? Or are they perhaps responsible for creating a 'hostile' working environment for everyone who choses not to be a corporate lackey(or political party hack)?

It is essential that Pierce County works together to get our fair share of transportation funding - what WE need now, not what appears to be simplest to obtain from a menu put together by a deadbeat agency with no real planning expertise or realistic local connections.

Those items include expanding Light Rail TCC and the Sounder to Lakewood. Personally I'd also like to see the Sounder go all the way to Olympia and a spur line built to Eatonville.

And this is a planning 'philosophy' that works not only in Pierce County but also for the rest of the region - perhaps nowhere more so with our close neighbors in South King County.

Instead of building that long expensive link between Sea-Tac and Tacoma how about connecting light rail to the Sounder Station in Kent? How about doing it in less than ten years instead of 30?

Instead of building light rail across I-90 with questionable engineering compatibility why not delay the building of that crossing until 520 is built, and built right for light rail? Why not, as proposed, extend commuter rail from Renton to at least Bellevue. (and perhaps using the segment north from Bellevue for the first track/technology upgrade).

Building Sounder service to the Eastside would create nearly as much demand as that service to Seattle - and Bellevue should also follow our lead by building their own starter light rail service to provide circulator service among the different areas of that medium density employment center.

The role of the Tribune in the leadership team of the South Sound is crucial. Jumping to easy to reach conclusions motivated more by a desire to grab for the easy pork rather than doing the right thing is a sure bet to create more problems than are solved. But then in 20-30 years, will you care?

I'm not a fan of Conan O'Brien, but I'm awake tonight - not a good sign, but that is a totally seperate story.

For what it is worth, Conan strikes me as the sort of smart ass rich boy that would have been holding court in Rome during its fall. FWIW2 - in a parallel universe I could've become a very similar character, if I'd continued my east coast college age pranks and politics.

Leno had Cosby, so grandfatherly as to be invoking god himself. Conan has Snoop Dog - and frankly their comedy bit was shere genius:

Snooper Delegate Snoop Dog offered to solve all of the Country's problems, including Ms. Elliott Spitzers, if you get my drift....

On the subject of college pranks - I did use my East Coast Evergreen school's civiliian security service as a foil in a prank - by calling them in (in hindsight, probably on tape) to a situation where I knew they were coming to. I forget if it was that party or another one soon after, but there was a 'keying' of a patrol car - a la the recent West Coast Evergreen rioters - and for the record, I had nothing to do with it.

Also, for the record, the drug dealer was, and hopefully is, a good friend, And although I did do drugs in college (I was actually mostly past it by the time I started) I don't believe I ever purchased them from that individual.

As to being awake, well that's a stress sign, for me, that says walk away.

I guess I'll go turn off Conan and watch the rest of Jean Luc Godard's 'Contempt'.

A Thomas Jefferson quote making the rounds of the web now, I believe the original 'reviver' was Sen. Tom Coburn.

The same prudence, which, in private life, would forbid our paying our money for unexplained projects, forbids it in the disposition of public moneys.

Does any more really need to be said?

The Tacoma News Tribune makes it possible for any reader to attend both an editorial board and a news meeting. After four years in the City I'm now making my first civic rounds, and made stops at both of these meetings in the last day.

Definitely two thumbs up for both sides of that storied operation. As Pierce County's only major news operation(save perhaps the Fort Lewis Ranger), they are more stable than most dailies in this Country. They also have great staff - including the Security Guard in the Chihuly decorated lobby.

I haven't thought about Journalism as a career seriously, save perhaps for some freelancing, but I do think I'`ll add their listings to my online reading list...

If my calendar is correct the UW Regents will be in Tacoma tomorrow.

FYI, as the evidence and their own law indicates, these folks are legally and morally bankrupt, though, unfortunately, not financially so.

No details today, but, FWIW, all I have to is show up tomorrow and and not say a word and your entire credibility will be destroyed as well as that of your associates. That includes your son, Mr. Gates.

Of course it had already happened 15 years ago - even before I attended a meeting of yours quietly, hanging out with David Brewster.

Again, per your law and your actions, just how do you pay back for 15 years of good living when everything should have been taken from you then and you have nothing now, nor will you ever again?

How about you show some responsibility for once and dedicate your genetically defective bodies to science? That would do it for me.

I do realize that you have supporters, and certainly I'll listen to any of them with credibility, but do be aware that anyone who identifies support for you also runs the risk of being accused of conspiracy.

You are, not by my actions but your own, Scum. Scum multiple orders of magnitude worse than a recently released sexual predator. I'll give you one notch over Hitler, at least to date.

If you wish, you can probably kill me to defend yourself. As Clint Eastwood might say to a younger, less dangerous, punk, MAKE MY DAY.

The Scar

Directed by Krystof Kiezlowski

1976

Call this a movie about comparative office politics in the Polish Soviet sattellite. Kiezlowski is a contempary of Roman Polanski, another Polish film school product who emmigrated to the U.S.(Rosemary's Baby, etc.)

The plot of this movie might appear boring - it concerns the actions of a group of state appointed managers building a large new factory in an underdeveloped rural area. There is some conflict - between the managers as well as some of the local residents. But the most fascinating part of this is comparing this portrayal of the Soviet State to corporate America - public or private. The similarities are downright horrifying!

Kiezlowski's other works include 'A Short Film about Killing', 'Double Life of Veronique', and my personal sub-title favorite, 'Blue', part of a 3 part series, in French. The success of that movie is largely the result of the score, composed by long term collaborator Preisner. Juliette Binoche is perhaps at her most empathetic as well. Roman Polanski's Polish production, 'Knife in the Water' is also recommended.

The story of the OK Boys Ranch, in Thurston County is an old one. It is a story that we, as a State, never fully dealt with. Given Christine Gregoire's support of a contempary in her profession, a Thurston County Judge who validated some of these disgusting practices it is again timely. I also believe a second look is merited as the complexities, and dangers, of accusations of sexual abuse have become more apparent to everyone.

Thurston County resident Larry Bloom is the archivist on this issue and he has much of the material here:

http://lbloom.net/okbr.html

There is also an expert consultant on these sorts of issues who comments on the accuracy of Mr. Bloom's history.

You've got to dig a bit to find the worst of these stories - my understanding of the situation is that the OK Boy's ranch, a home for juvenile problem males, was used as storehouse of sexual victims for the benefit of well connected donors and staff- most notably including, allegedly, the Olympia Kiwanis Club. Though the club was eventually shut down a Thurston County Judge 'okayed' the practice and Gregoire supported her actions, in the interim.

I guess it's not okay to kill prostitutes, but raping young white males is fine, right Christine - just so long as you call them 'problems'?

Maybe, Christine, just maybe it's you, and your legal contemparies who are the 'problem'? Maybe, Christine, maybe it was one of your contemparies abuses that actually drove law student Ted Bundy, born in Tacoma, crazy?

The Tacoma News Tribune has, rightly, taken up the cause of advocating for Pierce County's share of regional transportation funds - including noting the rising need for same due escalating gas costs.

Today's paper has an editorial on this objective, but one that is, perhaps, miscalculated.

I've only lived in Pierce County for four years, and am really only begining to get involved, so it is definitely not for me to have a final say on this. However I have been a regular user of the routes in question, both for work here prior to my move and work north afterwards. I was also quite active during the early days of Sound Transit during my extended college years.

Though, personally, I think Sea-Tac airport should be transferred from the Port of Seattle to the Port of Tacoma it is a fact that connecting Sea-Tac to downtown and Pierce County is among the lowest priorities in Sound Transit's list.

Rather than giving a blank check to an agency, it is most important that we start on the highest priority projects now. Planning for a single source technology more than 20 years in the future is bad engineering and bad business. The TNT's editorial does call for the purchase of right of way for this corridor, and that is a wise position. Taking small steps of prudent planning and business is a good thing. Selecting mass transit corridors is not a reversible decision, nor fiscally imprudent, action.

Though the editorial rightly raises the need for better transit in Puyallup and Lakewood it is a simple fact that light rail works best in dense areas. Sounder service is scheduled for Lakewood already. Planning for a Sounder spur to Eatonville would do much to reduce traffic pressures on Puyallup's Meridian. In addition planning for extended light rail service - perhaps a loop via the EQC and Lakewood would also be wise. Who knows, by the time TCC students can afford to buy a Puyallup home the rest of us can afford to pay for Light rail service to that City as well.

Certainly I doubt, newbie that I am, that Puyallup residents are clamoring for light rail any sooner.

The most pressing issue is dealing with the complex network of business management problems associated with Sound Transit - perhaps best evidenced recently through the closely associated Port of Seattle scandal.

As to the local politics, perhaps we should hear again from the Dome Business District folks about what THEY think about Sound Transit's current management and legal team? And on the subject of roads - how about we get our own road district for Pierce County - or perhaps a reformed DOT service district organized around the Port of Tacoma and extending as far north as Kent?