A Gem of a Monday

On Monday, the Presidential Lecture Series was held at the Carnegie Institution and it was one of those events you walk into, stop, and feel as if you’ve been hit by the lightning bolt in Super Mario Cart when you see the company you're in (I apologize to my readers from another generation, but just to make sure you understand--getting struck makes you shrink!).

Yes, I knew that I would have access to a panel of former members of Congress and that the topic of discussion would be the prevalent issue of Homeland Security but as I entered the room to see a 6'9'' former Congressman shaking hands with his colleagues and taking his seat as the moderator explained CSPAN's broadcast of the proceedings, I wondered if I was prepared.

The discussion opened with 4 short speeches. The first grabbed my attention; Honorable Martin Frost (a former Chair of the Democratic Caucus who served in congress from 1979-2005) opened by describing the hesitations and resistance of many representatives in Congress to include FEMA as a part of the Department of Homeland Security at the time when the latter was created. In the following hour and half we all got an inside look at FEMA’s failings. Mr. Frost and his colleges provided some excruciatingly honest insights about the lack of organization within FEMA during Hurricane Katrina as well as the current lack of satisfaction of employees within the organization itself.

We've all heard Kanye. We’ve all read articles. And most of us were appalled by the government's lacking response in New Orleans, which made hearing about what happened from the inside--straight from the “horse's mouth” if you will--that much more worthwhile.

The other central messages I took home with me came from the Honorable Thomas McMillan, who has served as Homeland Security Capital Corp’s Chairman, CEO and President since August 2005 and also served three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1987-1993.

Mr. McMillan provided the figure that we are spending approximately 11 billion dollars a month on the war in Iraq which, in a four-month period, exceeds the entire budget of the Department of Homeland Security. He questioned such spending if our goal is really to protect our homeland. His objections to such disproportionate spending are difficult to deny.

His second and equally compelling message was about the citizenry of the United States giving themselves to the cause of Homeland Security rather than expecting the goal of national security to be reached solely from the top down.

I left the Carnegie Institute in a pensive mood, as I often do after a great speaker encourages me to do my part. I continue to wonder where my wandering will lead me. What part will I turn out to play?

Once again, I can find comfort in the knowledge that I'm in the right city to figure things out.

IW