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The blog is a view of life, science, politics and education from an engineering perspective. As engineers, we are taught to view the world objectively. We can hope, believe and calculate a particular outcome, but natural laws are inflexible and pay no heed to who we are or what we believe. We must approach the objective dispassionately, while compensating for our own distorted perceptions. Balance is also a key element; balancing between the ideal and the pragmatic, balancing cost and functionality, balancing analysis with action, etc.
Scheduling routine critical self-analysis is the foundation to objectivity. If we do not fully understand and compensate for our own failures, tendencies, habits and skewed thought processes, we will not see the world as it is. Without a regular critical self-analysis we will see the world as we are and then fall prey to self-delusion.
Failure is a great teacher. When failure is coupled with perseverance, it produces the fruit of patience and humility. An engineer, fresh out of engineering school is typically set up for failure early and often. The failure breaks the new engineer of any ideas of self-importance, arrogance and book smarts. Only then can the new engineer be formed and molded into a productive element in the industry.
Thanks,
Bernie
The Benghazi attack
Benghazi attack timeline
- April 6, 2012: Consulate attacked with EIDs
- April 7, 2012: Ambassador Chris Steven asks for DC3 and a security team
- May 3, 2012: State department turns down Stevens’ request for DC3 and security
- May 22, 2012: The Red Cross in Benghazi is attacked. Al-Qaida leaves message of further attacks
- June 6, 2012: Terrorists blow a hole in the consulate wall. Stevens again requests beefed up security.
- June 10, 2012: The British ambassador survives an assassination attempt
- June 15, 2012: State Dept tells the security contractor, Nordstrom, that the security contract will not be renewed.
- June 22, 2012: Ambassador Chris Stevens warns the State Dept that extremist groups are operating openly in Benghazi and Libya as a whole
- July 9, 2012: Ambassador Chris Stevens requests at least 13 more security personnel, citing an unpredictable situation in Libya
- July 21, 2012: Security contractor, Nordstrom, warns State Dept to be on high alert for terrorist activity
- August 2, 2012: Ambassador Chris Stevens sends urgent cable to Secretary Clinton requesting “protective detail bodyguard”
- August 5, 2012: State Dept orders the removal of the security team, Nordstrom
- August 16, 2012: Security team leaves while sending a message directly to Secretary Clinton of the dire security situation
- September 8, 2012: Libyan officials in Benghazi warn both Ambassador Stevens and Secretary Clinton of a pending attack on the consulate
- September 10, 2012: Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahri calls for Libyans to avenge the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi
- September 11, 2012: 19:08: Ambassador Chris Stevens sends urgent cable to State Dept of hostile crowd gathering at the gate of the consulate
- September 11, 2012: 19:30: Ambassador Chris Stevens meets with Turkish diplomats seeking help and refuge
- September 11, 2012: 21:45: Ambassador Chris Stevens calls Tripoli as shots are being fired
- September 11, 2012: 22:05: State dept notifies the White House and Pentagon of the attack at the consulate
- September 11, 2012: 22:45: The CIA office in Benghazi makes the first of four urgent calls to the State Dept and Pentagon. In each case they were told to stand down.
- September 11, 2012: 23:00: Obama, Biden, Clinton, Panetta meet at White House for a debriefing
- September 11, 2012: 1:08: Body of Chris Stevens found and taken to hospital
- September 11, 2012: 2:23: Ansar al-Sharia takes credit for the attack
- September 11, 2012: 3:55: Doherty and Woods killed on roof of annex
- September 11, 2012: 22:00: Secretary Clinton sends out note suggesting the Internet video is responsible for the violence
- September 12, 2012: 10:50: Obama and Clinton meet at the State Department
- September 12, 2012: 18:00: Obama arrived in Las Vegas for a fundraiser
- September 13, 2012: At a press conference, Jay Carney blames YouTube video for the violence
- September 14, 2012: Jay Carney claims that there was no advance warning of attack “no actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent.”
- September 14, 2012: Arwa Damon of CNN finds the diary of Chris Stevens
- September 20, 2012: Clinton and Obama go on Pakistani TV to apologize for the internet video
- September 25, 2012: Obama addresses the UN blaming the video for the attack
- September 27, 2012: Innocence of Muslims filmmaker Mark Basseley Youseff (aka Nakoula Basseley Nakoula) is arrested and denied bail
- October 11, 2012: In VP debates, Biden claims that he was not aware of requests for security in Benghazi
- October 23, 2012: In the final presidential debate Obama said the event would be investigated to determine the cause of the attack; “So far, we don’t have any details…”
- October 26, 2012: Obama claims that he was not aware of requests for additional security in Benghazi
- October 26, 2012: At funeral of Navy Seal Ty Woods, Biden asks grieving father, “Did your son always have balls the size of cue balls?”
Information taken from released portions of Chris Stevens’ diary, congressional hearings, statements provided by General Ham and UKs Dailymail
In my September 21st blog, I was appalled at the attempts by the administration to use the YouTube video as cover for the attack. I didn’t believe a word from Clinton or Obama; my BS detector was pegged. Unfortunately, we have many people (mostly journalists and media types) in this country who pretty much believe everything this administration spews out.
Many on the right want to impeach Obama for criminal negligence; however I believe that this is gross incompetence rather than criminal behavior. In either case, this event indicates that Obama does not deserve four more years.
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43 Comments
Bernie Ziebart - Nov 07, 2012 1:12 PM
I completely disagree with your sentiments on my world view. Hard work does not equal success. Hard work, persistence and keen market principles equals success. I have started several ventures. And although I have learned much in the process, none of those ventures were not financially profitable. With the freedom to fail comes failure. But I try to learn and move on.
You had used the term 'parasites'. I wouldn't use that term. I would use the term 'people who were denied the freedom to fail by an intrusive government'. I blame government for their condition of giving them everything success would have provided to them while doing everything to insure failure.
MGarber,
I was merely helping Pierre clarify his position and then driving it to its natural outcome. He might not agree with the sentiments per se, but in effect, the principles he supports do indeed agree with those sentiments.
Pierre Del Norte - Nov 07, 2012 1:56 PM
Perhaps you could help clarify one of your own statements -
"I blame government for their condition of giving them everything success would have provided to them while doing everything to insure failure."
Maybe you could start by being more specific?
RE: Wealth of Nations" - it is a classic but it certainly is not timeless.
For example - The invisible hand is a completely fabricated construct that has been completely rejected by all but those on the very fringe of economic thought.
Another example - His three main threats to his capitalistic model - government intervention, combinations of labor, and combinations of capital. Your crowd rails about the first two, but rarely ever mention the third.
But then, whenever you can use some ancient scribbler to rationalize your radical political/economic ideology - I guess it is worth a try.
Fact is - If Adam Smith were around today, he wouldn't even agree with you Bernie.
Bernie Ziebart - Nov 07, 2012 3:44 PM
In the 'Invisible Hand' Smith wanders off of the material into more of a emotional/spiritual realm.
In the 'Wealth of Nations' Smith said that without any intervention of law the private interests and passions of men naturally lead them to divide all the different employments as nearly as possible in the proportion which is most agreeable to the interests of the whole society.
Smith also defined the free market as a society of strangers in which people co-exist in a mutually beneficial society of dispassionate people.
Smith said that private property ownership is the backbone of a free market. Ownership is "most sacred and inviolable".
Some of the things that Smith states about the division of labor I find to be off-color. In his example of the pin maker, he mocks the productivity and talents that the pin maker is able to provide to the market, outside of time and remedial effort. Any simpleton can provide that productivity. Some in the work force are incapable of "forming any just judgment concerning many even of the ordinary duties of private life".
I believe, conversely, that not everyone is going to be the company president. But there is a place for every mental/physical capacity within a company. Just like a football team; not everyone can be a quarterback. You need blocking, tackling and a punter. People rise to the level of their competence (in a perfect world without politics).