Tarnished Stars

 How much is that doggie in the window
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window
I do hope that doggie's for sale 
--Doggy in the Window, Patti Page 

The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, "Your servant,"
The dog said, "Bow-wow"
 --Old Mother Hubbard 

Say, a doggy is nuttin'
 if he don' have a bone 
All doggy, hold ya' bone, 
all doggy, hold it 
--Who Let the Dogs Out? 
Baha Men
 ________________

The image is from the cover of this week's The Week magazine, "Intelligence Failure: How Could CIA Chief David Petraeus Be So Dumb?", the implication being, Petraeus should have been more circumspect either in his choice of mistress or his execution of the affair.  To ask how he failed (how was he so DUMB) implies the CIA head conducted himself with aplomb in other matters -- that he was not ordinarily such a dim, nitwit doofus.

However, the question should be, "How could David Petraeus be so immature?", and the answer can be found in the cosseted cult of higher echelon military corps.  The elect "have spent much of their professional lives in cloistered military bubbles," and may have a sense of infallibility not the privilege of the average soldier (Petraeus Scandal puts four-star General Lifestyle under scrutiny).  Maturity, not intelligence, is what is found wanting. The same lack was found in General Stanley McChrystal and now General Allen, et. al.

These Generals exhibited the maturity of a green 0-1 rather than an 0-10, a fault built into our immature soldier state of existence.  The selection criteria for admittance to our service academies, like West Point, rewards immature behavior.  Independent or rebellious thinkers are quickly eliminated. The cadet mentality is carried through many a West Point officer's career -- a mindset of entitlement and privilege.

Our selection and reward system need examination and review.  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced an ethics review Thursday, something said to be in the pipeline prior to Petraeus's resignation, due to a number of recent ethical lapses among other General Officers.

Since the military has now re-branded itself as warriors, this sacred cow will be hard to attack.  However, the arrested development which allows for such poor behavior must be tackled lest we continue to be shocked over such predictable disappointments.

Toe to Toe

I'm not interested in self-analysis.
I do know my room was so cold in winter
and so hot in summer I couldn't sleep.
Your house looked like heaven, high up there.
That's how I began to hate you
--High and Low (1963)
___________________

While standing in grocery lines it is easy to eyeball people and look into their lives. Specifically, looking into women's purses is rather easy to do -- one need not be Special Forces-qualified or a Private Manning to unearth a few details of a person's life.

The local Publix supermarket is where Ranger's eyeballs feast on the targets of opportunity. In Florida, the Food Stamp program uses a patriotic emblem of red-white-and-blue on their scan cards. This, he is sure, is because the recipients are patriotic Americans. Ranger has noticed a correlation between ornate manicures and the female users of these cards.

It is hard to ignore the sculptured, extra-fancy fingernails on many of the younger women's hands. Ditto the ornate toenails. The question that arises is: If a person is on foodstamps, where does she get the time and money for frivolous finger and toe nails? Ditto those recipients playing Lotto. If they need assistance paying for food, why are they frittering away their money on frivolous items.

This might sound like the typical Limbaugh screed: People on public assistance don't deserve to spend on discretionary items; if they do, they are scamming the system. But that is not our point. We are in favor of assisting the needy, but the observations have been consistent and long-term.

Imprudent spending is certainly a hallmark of modern life, from the heads of government on down. But frivolous spending on a personal level is less damaging to those who have more of a cushion than for those living closer to the bone. For the latter, living a few days a month without utilities or phone is commonplace, and along with it, exorbitant re-connection fees. Cars don't last because they are not treated to proper maintenance. Ditto teeth and bodies, which become enslaved to the healthcare behemoth.

In Florida, the FCAT is a contentious standardized test administered throughout a student's public school career, ostensibly to ensure certain basic academic goalposts are met. However, the FCATs don't test a student's knowledge of basic living skills, or the ability to prioritize.

Author Robert T. Kiyosaki has made a killing from his book and seminars, Rich Dad Poor Dad, teaching people the "secrets" to personal economic solvency. Why aren't these lessons taught in schools? Why must a person muddle along until middle age and beyond before they stumble upon someone dispensing what should be common knowledge? Values clarification was tossed out of schools in the 1970's as being akin to the antichrist -- at least here in the South -- and yet that sort of self-understanding is just what is needed in order to live a comfortable life.

There is something between the nails and the cards. Our culture of entitlement for both the rich and the poor is bankrupting us.

One wonders who profits from the maintenance of our economic caste system.

--Jim and Lisa