So much...
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: Shower the people (you love with love)...James Taylor and the Dixie Chicks...
Topic: Anything and everything..
I had so many ideas to blog on today:):)...

My high school forensics coach and drama teacher, Conrad Jestmore...who had this really amazing impact on my life that I wonder if he'll ever know how much I appreciate his guidance...

And my good friend and forensics colleague, Brian White, who I was imagining as a new generation of teacher similar to and hopefully improving on the example of Conrad Jestmore:)...

I need to elaborate on the problem that gun and drug laws -- and other laws, as well -- pose to law enforcement on more serious violent crime...how -- very much like prohibition laws -- they inadvertantly support the "no snitch" environment that supports violent crime...since good, decent, and generally law-abiding citizens -- who, totally justifiably, in my humble opinion, do not want harm come to loved ones around more minor criminal offenses -- also end up rationalizing protecting folks who commit more serious and violent criminal offenses...a situation that has contributed enormously to the problem around unresolved murders and violent crimes in Kansas City...and that could be resolved, better, with less fear from folks that their cooperation with law enforcement would result in arrests of their loved ones for more minor issues...

And the article in the USA Today I picked up after work that caught my attention was about the CIA's planned efforts to improve the reliability of intelligence:):):)...which included their decision to stop trying to boss the Pentagon and FBI around when it comes to intelligence issues (doesn't the forethought on that one just make you want to cry, it's so touching:):):)...which is so laughable I spent the entire car ride back making fun of what macho dumbasses the CIA is that they can't just learn to trust one another and other law enforcement agencies, better, collaborate better...to flatten their organizations...to shorten the length of time that it takes for reports of intelligence to reach higher ups...to open up the various intelligence gathering arms of various military, law enforcement, and intelligence organizations to increase the number of intelligence reports, and thus increasing the chances of independent verification, which is the substantive way to increase reliability of intelligence...for those not primarily concerned with window-dressing and dealing with what controlling, cynical, macho dumbasses they are...as this pathetic little reform reflects:):):)...

Memo to Porter Goss...thanks for the reform:):)...and you need to start reading some of Paul Light's brilliant work to figure out how to improve intelligence gathering...you're a political appointee, Porter...not an intelligence or government expert...Paul is both...and he's brilliant...and his reforms -- many of which I just outlined in the above paragraph -- are ones you need to start seriously thinking about if your genuine concern is improving the reliability of intelligence...and not just the pathetically small goal of not pissing off the FBI and the Pentagon any more:):):)...

So many things I thought about blogging about, today:):)...

I've got a shower to take after a long day of lawn-mowing:):)...and some applications to work on:):)...but if I have a chance:):)...I might come back to some of these:):)...

I hope everyone is having a great day:):)...mine has been outstanding:):)...thanks for asking:):):)...

Have a great day, everyone:):):)...

Love,
Ben