DamnWrite Blog

We’re in a world today much different from the world of John Adams time where all bodies of government needed to be located in one city, the Capitol,  for the logistical convenience of communication. In the early 1800’s when construction of  the White House and Capitol Buildings were completed; there were no fax machines, cell phones, satellite systems or internet for the governing bodies to communicate with; thus the need for each body of government to be close to the other; easily reached by foot or horseback. In fact, only 1.6 miles separates the two structures with the Pentagon [military centre], located just across the Potomac River. The construction materials of the Capitol Building and White House were that of Aquia Creek sandstone, quarried at Wigginton Island. Very strong and able to survive damage that may occur from the weapon systems of the day - musket rifles and cannon balls – which may have been lethal to anyone sustaining a direct hit but certainly not the case with a stone constructed building. Washington’s Capital Building and White House were built well for the time and served their purpose, however the construction techniques, materials and design would not serve well from a direct hit from a modern day weapon and certainly not nearly capable of surviving a modern nuclear attack. Unlike the days of the Cold War where nuclear weapons were only in the possession of Superpowers; today’s reality is that of rogue third world nations developing nuclear technologies and weapons. Perhaps much less yielding weapons than those of the Superpowers, but devastating all the same. The Superpowers of the Cold War were protected by the idea of mutual destruction, an idea that is foreign to Islāmic extremists who believe that in dying for the cause, a better afterlife will await. The Superpowers were concerned about high-tech delivery systems, rockets, submarines and such, much different from hostile third world countries who tend toward crude yet efficient means to deliver destruction as was in evidence with the tragedy of 9/11. Nine eleven is the shot across the bow; a shot that must be heard!  Nine Eleven’s intent was to decapitate the head from the body; to take out the financial center in the towers [a complete success], the military center with the Pentagon [a partial success] and the Government, which Pennsylvania Flight 93 was bound but for the grace of God and the actions of those brave passengers, was downed before reaching its target. With the likes of North Korea in possession of nukes, Iran openly developing them and the precarious nature of the nuclear arsenal in Pakistan and the threat of that arsenal falling into the hands of Islāmic extremists; nuclear terrorist attacks are not only a reality but likely! Washington is a target rich environment with all the eggs in one basket begging to be hit. It is for this reason that I feel the day of all Governing bodies being located in one State –let alone one city – should be over. The threat of extinguishing the Government and Military centers of the greatest country on earth with one nuclear bullet, is too great! We learned in 1963 that an assassin’s bullet can take out the most powerful man – President John Kennedy – the action of which depressed multi-millions in a nation and the world. Imagine how demoralizing, how devastating the effect would be to have the same assassination take place to the United States government! It is time to place the Senate, Congress and White House in different locations throughout the country. The idea of a beltway is over; the technologies and advanced communication systems of today more than replace the horse and buggy of old D.C.
With today’s threat, we can’t afford to horse around.
Am I right? I’m Damn Write!

A business woman called into a talk-radio program sometime back, leaving quite an impression on me. She spoke about her and her husband’s upset; not so much with Obama’s winning of the election but more so their employee’s reaction to his winning, that of jubilation and what her employees felt  it meant. She said that many of their employees had openly expressed how Obama’s winning and his call for “change” would now bring fairness to the country; that the rich would finally be getting their’s, be made to pay more.  Of course her and her husband being owners of the business knew that they were included in this “rich” category; she knew that many saw their affluent lifestyle, the cars they drove and the house they lived in and felt perhaps envious of their wealth or upset that it was somehow gotten through improper means or on the back of their labours. What she wanted the host,  his audience and her employees to know however, was how she and her husband had been working their business for 20 plus years, that it was not a instant success. There were many occasions in the first decade of their existence where they weren’t sure there would be an existence. It had looked like they were going to go under several times; twice being forced to sell their home in order to utilize the equity or down size to keep things afloat. That many years of their 20 plus, they made far less than their employees and had struggled through losing periods of being in the red to keep them in their employ. Unlike the employees, her and her husband didn’t have the luxury of going home,  leaving  job  and stress behind. She told of how her  husband to this day,  spends  most evenings working on the business, burning the midnight oil only to retire to a sleepless night due to worry. Today their business is considered by most to be successful; they enjoy an income that most would say is substantial and the lifestyle that comes with it but it didn’t come easy or fall into their lap.  They worked very hard for what they  have, worried many a year off their lives and  know all-to-well that through currency and market fluctuations, high interest rates,  bank failures, changes in law, poor political leadership, ideological tampering or as Obama puts it, “fundamental change,” that their business and its success can all fall away. Her story made it very clear to me that a business person is a very special breed; they are the leaders, the creators, the visionaries, the risk takers and life blood of our country. Maybe just maybe, we should understand that fact and thank those who create the jobs we enjoy instead of making them out to be the villain.

Am I right?  I’m damn write!