Tales From The Drop Box - Better Than Radio

I didn’t think I’d get a chance to get out another podcast in this month. My trial schedule, unfortunately, has substantially interfered with this diversion that is a immense source of joy to me. I hope that joy is evident in the content of this week’s episode. I think the wait will, upon reflection, be worth the minor irritation of not having some new tunes last week to put that wiggle in your waddle! I am also going to try to pump out another episode quickly so you and I will both be back on schedule.

This week’s newsworthy issue is email. Thank goodness I do not utilize personal emails for my top secret stuff as Secretary Clinton chose to so do. I learned, by reading the Office of the Secretary: Evaluation of Email Records Management and Cybersecurity Requirements report, that “[a]t a minimum, Secretary Clinton should have surrendered all emails dealing with department business before leaving government service and, because she did not do so, she did not comply with the Department’s policies that were implemented in accordance with the Federal Records Act …” What???? This is government speak for “Hillary did not follow the rules.” The real news story however, is that Hillary continued to screw up and not follow the email security rules as did her State Department predecessors. Why the big deal? Well, there are a large number of people who do not like the U.S. and access to top secret information could have cost the lives of Americans in those places where the U.S. is not well liked and American citizens have a high propensity to be killed.

As noted in the report the problem in the State Department is systemic: “[a]s is the case throughout the Federal Government, management weaknesses at the Department have contributed to the loss or removal of email records, particularly records created by the Office of the Secretary…. These weaknesses include a limited ability to retrieve email records, inaccessibility of electronic files, failure to comply with requirements for departing employees, and a general lack of oversight.” I feel better about Hillary now because apparently everyone in the State Department also does not care to follow the email security rules.

While some [insert name of offended Republican] will certainly blow this news out of proportion to the harm actually caused by Hillary, the report clarifies what most of us know about our government: the challenge for our elected officials is to strive to become competent and not be arrogantly stupid. Clearly, those working for the State Department were not only negligent but were also unwieldy “beasts” slow to change and respond to the serious concerns raised by failing to recognize the potential threat of top secret information contained in those emails being obtained by our enemies. And getting this information is easy. See ‘Guccifer’ Says He Hacked Hillary Clinton’s Email and ‘It Was Easy’. So, what we have is a presidential candidate not smart enough to recognize the serious threat utilizing personal emails to transmit top secret information. Defenders will claim that it is all innocent. That is not the point. We want to elect the smartest person to the position of President and it is difficult to argue that Hillary is the smartest choice when the average citizen can figure out that her actions were not only stupid, but dangerous.

The message, as H.G. Wells in the Country of the Blind so aptly put: “[t]hose queer things that are called the eyes, and which exist to make an agreeable depression in the face, are diseased, in the case of Nunez, in such a way as to affect his brain. They are greatly distended, he has eyelashes, and his eyelids move, and consequently his brain is in a state of constant irritation and distraction.” The myth of course being that in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

How is that for an oblique way of describing the choices we are going to have to make in November? Whatever the choice made, the next President will never be a perfect fit for a nation so divided but good God, how the F$%^%^ are we going to tell who is smart enough for the job?

Here is what you’ll find in Episode #24:

1. Skating Polly – “Picker of His Words” (The Big Fit)
2. United Fruit – “Nightmare, Recovery” (Eternal Return)
3. Tuft – “Sheep” (Look Look)
4. Stone Roses – “All for One” (Single)
5. So So Glos – “Devils Doing Handstands” (Kamikaze)
6. Modern Baseball – “Mass” (Holy Ghost)
7. Car Seat Headrest – “Just What I Needed / Not Just What I Needed” (Teens of Denial)
8. Matchless – “Thirteen” (Pills & Blades)
9. Plastic Flowers – “Lucy” (Heavenly)
10. Wakey Wakey – “Heartbroke” (Overreactivity)
11. Head Wound City – “Scraper” (A New Wave of Violence)
12. Farewell Dear Ghost – “We Were Wild Once” (Skin)
13. Motel Raphaël – “Tinder” (System)
14. The Black Room – “The Viper Room” (In This Town Lies a City)
15. Rachael Yamagata – “Worn Me Down” (Acoustic Happenstance)

I have nothing but questions, I want answers …those will fill me up… I want a great love story but I only love you when I’m drunk.

KFR