- Joined
- Jul 25, 2009
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Here is a note from Admiral Helis:
Let me just say the first responders and utility company workers from around the region who are now working hard to restore order, sanity and some normalcy to the lives of the many affected residents in the area the Hurricane Sandy devastated have my full support and admiration. That said, there are now two things I do not understand or support publicly that are related: 1) running the NYC Marathon as scheduled through the same area; and 2) compelling ~700 young men and women to return to a campus that the most optimistic thing you can say in a public announcement is "Hoping for power soon." In the words of many a solid and admired leader, hope is never a reasonable substitute for either a plan or adequate resources.
One cannot help but wonder what MARAD would say about these sorts of ill considered actions and pronouncements if they were being put out by Superintendents they didn't like or who had publicly disagreed with them on important issues instead of being hand-picked by them and openly supportive of their Washington based agendas... Just as one can't help but wonder why no one ever suggested a West Point graduate and 0-6 was the ideal candidate to be the Superintendent of the USNA...
Of course maybe I've got it all wrong and this policy and decision really isn't coming from Wiley Hall at all and it's originating from Washington. However if that was the case wouldn't Administrator Matsuda once again at least grace the barracks with a cameo and "sleep" there for all of 5 hours to prove it was safe for the Regiment just like he did last spring after the CO poisoning incident, because that was so dramatically reassuring the last time?
"Plan is for all midshipmen to return on Sunday. That will put us in the best position to start second trimester. Delano ready to feed full complement starting Sunday. We have adequate lighting and hot water in the barracks. Hoping for power soon. Thanks for your understanding and support."
Let me just say the first responders and utility company workers from around the region who are now working hard to restore order, sanity and some normalcy to the lives of the many affected residents in the area the Hurricane Sandy devastated have my full support and admiration. That said, there are now two things I do not understand or support publicly that are related: 1) running the NYC Marathon as scheduled through the same area; and 2) compelling ~700 young men and women to return to a campus that the most optimistic thing you can say in a public announcement is "Hoping for power soon." In the words of many a solid and admired leader, hope is never a reasonable substitute for either a plan or adequate resources.
One cannot help but wonder what MARAD would say about these sorts of ill considered actions and pronouncements if they were being put out by Superintendents they didn't like or who had publicly disagreed with them on important issues instead of being hand-picked by them and openly supportive of their Washington based agendas... Just as one can't help but wonder why no one ever suggested a West Point graduate and 0-6 was the ideal candidate to be the Superintendent of the USNA...
Of course maybe I've got it all wrong and this policy and decision really isn't coming from Wiley Hall at all and it's originating from Washington. However if that was the case wouldn't Administrator Matsuda once again at least grace the barracks with a cameo and "sleep" there for all of 5 hours to prove it was safe for the Regiment just like he did last spring after the CO poisoning incident, because that was so dramatically reassuring the last time?
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