HOUNDS & HUNTING

Notes of Concern…

                               …Jackson Blair

HOUNDS & HUNTING

I have a respected friend who also writes a column. He is of the liberal persuasion and I often find myself at odds with him on things political.

Recently his “take” on the dissatisfaction with President Obama is that the President’s problems can be laid at the feet of the reluctant Republican controlled House of Representatives. In this he fails to acknowledge that Republican control of the House is a recent event and that the President had complete control of Congress for half of his presidency, during which he had similar bad luck selling whatever “it” is he is selling.

So that hound doesn’t hunt.

He joins an ever-smaller group of people who still want to say Obama fails because Bush failed. If we follow that reasoning each successive presidency should be judged on the failings of the previous president rather than on how well the new president improved things.

That hound won’t hunt at all.

More recently Obama’s problems have been assigned to the Tea Party. As I said in a recent column, there are over 500 Senators and Representatives. If you count those who call themselves “Tea Party” you are still left with well over 400 other Republicans and Democrats. Did they just get “excused” from those votes?

That hound won’t hunt. Heck, it won’t even fetch.

Now it is written that people dissing the president is not a new thing. Examples are given as far back as the presidency of George Washington. Certainly, criticism comes with the job. That is true even in small towns and counties.

However, this hound does not hunt either and, in fact, chooses to sleep in the sun.

The proper comparison is with the level of criticism. How many former presidents were faced with the horrible poll numbers President Obama deals with. You can count on one hand the number of White House occupants who have been held in such low esteem and, frankly, at this moment in time he enjoys being with those at the bottom of that list. For recent examples check Richard Nixon, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter against the Obama numbers.

There are a lot of days between now and the next presidential election. Many things will happen that could change the President’s poll numbers. And as I have said in many of my columns, in the end we will have to choose between him and one other person who we may find even more worrisome.

But let’s be realistic.

Barack Obama is receiving some of the worst poll ratings in history. At this point-in-time he has the Black Caucus upset, the Jewish community upset, the business community roiling, even James Carvel is upset(who would have thought that ever could happen), as is a seriously significant portion of previous happy supporters who are revisiting the wisdom of their decision to back him in the first place.

It is against this situation that he must now establish a plan to regain the popularity he enjoyed in the last election and to win again the confidence of a nation. It is not an impossible task for a man who is clearly book smart, has a wonderful smile, and managed to get a huge percentage of American voters to overlook his inexperience in the last election and entrust to him the leadership of the free world.

Bottom line, the reelection of the incumbent president is in play.

And it is no one’s fault but his.

And there we have a hound that will hunt!

APPROACH - AVOIDANCE on "9/11"

Notes of Concern…

                               …Jackson Blair

APPROACH / AVOIDANCE

I wanted to write again this week on the “9/11” commemoration we had in our country last week. I recognize that we have all been exposed to a lot of written and televised material on this event. It has brought back unsettling memories.

It is good for us to be unsettled at times.

As I was watching some of the re-running of actual footage from that horrible morning in downtown New York City, it occurred to me that I was witnessing two very significant human reactions.

On the one hand thousands of people were running away from The World Trade Center.  You could see them in the pictures. Some were walking, some were running, some were covered with ash, some were wounded, but the mass of people was making every effort to put distance between them and the horror of that day.

They avoided the danger.

On the other hand, hundreds of people were moving toward The World Trade Center as it was burning and smoke was billowing up the sides. These people were firemen, police and first responders.

They approached the danger.

The second group, those moving toward and into the towers were people who had chosen careers that required not only courage but a willingness to encounter danger in the hope of saving lives. Of course, they were especially trained. They knew what to do. Certainly, they gambled against the odds but they knew they were trained and experienced and had a good chance to actually help people in trouble.

So some people reacted humanly, normally and predictably. They fled the danger.

Other people reacted as they were trained; with high hopes and dedication they approached and entered the danger zone.

What separates these groups of human beings?

At the end of the day, not a great deal.

All of them sought and accepted jobs. All of them had hopes and expectations of the future. All of them had loved ones. None of them had done any harm to Muslims or to Middle Eastern people as a whole. All of them were trained for the work they did and, as far as we know, they all went to work on September 11, 2001. They didn’t know they had enemies who wanted to kill them.

The group of people we saw avoiding, or running from danger, had been at work, doing their jobs, and followed instructions and instinct to get out of harms way.

The group of people we saw approaching danger were at work, doing their jobs, following instinct and instructions to save lives.

A third group of people was left without choice. They were imprisoned above the point of impact, on floors above the flame and smoke. We know now they had no hope. But when the professionals approached and entered the towers it was with the sure knowledge that the only hope they had rested with those brave firemen, police and first responders. If they had all chosen to avoid danger and to escape the Twin Tower area, they would have left everyone who died with no hope, they would have betrayed their chosen professions and, more importantly, they would have had to turn their backs on everything they previously believed about the importance of their work.

Those civilians who died had no choice.

Those civilians who fled the Twin Towers had a choice.

Those professionals who entered the towers in the hope of saving others also had a choice.

We all must commend them for the choice they made that day. And we must never forget any of them, or the families and loved ones they left behind.

It was a dramatic example of giving one’s life so that others might live.

FATEFUL DAY

Notes of Concern…

                               …Jackson Blair

FATEFUL DAY

For many years I worked in the Wall Street area of New York City. Like thousands of others I walked past the twin towers of The World Trade Center every day.

When I first saw those buildings I looked at them with awe. The enormity of the shadow they cast across New York City. The statement they made, their great steel façade shining brightly and reflecting the sun. They were not only outstanding architectural creations they stood as symbols of America’s economic excellence, world leadership in international trade, and the home to hundreds of companies that provided thousands of jobs to people just like me.

On occasion, my schedule included a breakfast or lunch meeting at the top of the tower restaurant. Those were especially exciting days. Approaching the towers, entering the busy lobby with people moving in and out with such purpose evident in their faces. It was the usual, exciting hustle bustle one finds in New York City.

Then I would enter one of the seemingly endless number of elevators for the long ride to the top. When I exited the elevator I would be presented with views to be found nowhere else. I felt as if you were on top of the world, and essentially I was.

These are the memories that returned to me this week as I watched the memorial services on television. It is scary to realize only the “fickle finger of fate” determined who would arrive at work on time September 11, 2001, who would have a scheduled meeting in one of the offices or a breakfast at the restaurant on top of the tower. Which worker decided to take a personal day, and which workers had a vacation week. How many “temporary workers” had been assigned to help out at the World Trade Center offices that day. How many young hopefuls had arrived that day to interview for a position?

All the innocents.

All the victims.

All the justifiable outrage.

We remember them all.

All the brave.

All the heroic.

All the selfless.

We remember them all.

For further information:  jacksonblair@gmail.com

Notes of Concern…
…Jackson Blair


Pursue Excellence



I have been thinking about how many products are manufactured abroad, how popular foreign built automobiles seem to be with Americans and how observers tell us so many Americans just don’t want to take the time to do something right, to make something the best it can be, and that many of us do not take pride in our work.

My father worked for U.S. Steel. He wouldn’t be caught buying a foreign made automobile in those days. As he aged and I matured he talked to me about how proud he was of the steel product. By the time he passed away at age 87 I had owned a number of foreign made products. He never commented. I recall a conversation we had toward the end of his career when he said to me he hoped I did not want to work for U.S. Steel. What happened to his pride? What happened to his dream?

Is it possible that his generation witnessed the decline in American pride, American accomplishment, and American hard work?

With this in mind I looked around this summer to see how many instances of pride in work, doing a first rate job, or simply wanting to be the best, I could find. I wanted to feature just one example in my column. I am happy to admit I found some wonderful examples. I am sad to tell you I did not find many.


The Inn at St. Peters
A 4 Star Inn with a 4 Diamond Gourmet Restaurant

I choose to write about one example of quality and hard work that I have witnessed over many summers. On Prince Edward Island there is an Inn that, arguably, is the best Inn on the island with the best Inn restaurant on the island. It is The Inn at St Peters, a four star rated establishment enjoying a four diamond rated restaurant, sitting on a beautiful piece of pristine property with an incredible view of St Peters Bay as it leads out to the ocean.

This establishment is open about six months each year. Not too many people choose to spend winters on this island off the coast of Canada during the snow season! So these folks have to make their impression in six months each year.

The Innkeepers are Karen Davey and Garth Keeping. They did not come from hotel management careers. In fact, the establishment of this Inn and its continuing operation is a labor of love started by Ms. Davey and later joined by Mr. Keeping.

When any business commences they typically are limited by budget. The Inn built only 16 rooms/suites. Every one of them was sighted on the property to provide a front porch with a view of the water. Each porch has Adirondeck chairs and flower boxes in full bloom. In each room is a king or queen size bed, a fireplace, wireless capability, a rocking chair, a small refrigerator and all the amenities anyone might want.


The Bay, the Gardens, the Gazebo (and the helicopter-at-rest)


In planning for this establishment it was determined that only a truly gourmet restaurant would be appropriate to the quality of rooms and grounds. So chefs and sous chefs were recruited from the finest culinary schools.

For most, this would be a pretty good start to a business adventure. But again, a level of quality was of foremost importance so a garden of fresh vegetables was planned and planted and much of the items accompanying the entrees come straight from the Inn garden. With a fantastic view of St Peters Bay, from each cottage deck, why would anyone spend more money to make a great impression?

Because they wanted to be the best.

They planned and executed huge gardens of beautiful flowers, both perennial and annual. Throughout the complex, wherever one walks, color and fantastic aromas surround you. Many additional expenses relate to this effort, not to mention added personnel. This is money not needed to be spent, unless you really want to do something wonderful and not just profitable.

Then to top it all off a Gazebo was constructed down close to the Bay, ideal for weddings or celebrations, and surrounded by long green lawns and flower gardens leading up to the main Inn. Again, more costs not necessary unless you have a dream to create something really wonderful, or you are driven by a passion for excellence in what you undertake.

While no one was planning on the lawn being ideal for helicopter landings, in fact guests have arrived by helicopter and found a wide verdant expanse appropriate to their “parking” needs.

Want to know why guests return year after year?

Because these folks understand how to do a job the right way.

They are invested in a quality experience for their guests. And selfishly, they just enjoy doing something well.



Four of the sixteen cottages with decks overlooking flowers and Bay

I challenge my readers to spend some time in the coming week looking for an example, one or many, of someone who truly cares about their work, is committed to excellence, wants to give value for the money spent, and receives a warm psychic reward from making something good, something that makes people happy. When you find it, share the news!

It seems if each of us could identify one such person or operation each week, our optimism about the future would soar. We could move from the malaise of disappointing earnings results, lack of employment, outrageous political battles and realize that there are still people out there, working hard, dreaming dreams, and making the world we live in a little bit better each day.

In the end it comes down to one person doing one job right!















For further information: jacksonblair@gmail.com

The Circus is Coming to Town

Notes of Concern…

                               …Jackson Blair

The Circus is Coming to Town

We are clearly launched on the every four-year cycle of presidential politics and elections. It is a time for gathering information (and disinformation), getting acquainted with new faces (and reacquainted with tired old ones), getting excited about a candidate’s prospect (and moaning over the prospects of other candidates), getting a chance to actually argue with friends over matters we rarely discuss when together (and the chance to lose friends and eat “humble pie”), but most importantly it is a reminder that in our nation we do actually get to choose our leaders.

At this early stage there are so many people trying to convince us they can do a better job than the fellow we have now that it is tough to keep track. Then we have the “fellow we have now” who has poll numbers that suggest his best hope is that the other party will nominate someone totally unacceptable to voters.

It is too bad that these elections cannot really be about issues.

 Back when Jack Kennedy was president and he anticipated his friend, the conservative U.S. Senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater, would be his opponent, the two of them talked about the great opportunity to debate liberalism vs. conservatism as it applies to policies and programs and to do so in a civilized, meaningful way.

Of course fate intervened and that planned for civilized campaign of ideas never materialized.

As television and the internet played an even greater role in every subsequent election, things like ideas often got lost with candidates who were “easy on the eyes,” and candidates who could tote big ideas knowing that the likelihood of any of them every getting passed by Congress (think Clinton and health care) never seemed to cause the voter to look beyond the campaign promise.

We also have not done a very good job of holding successful candidates to their pledges/promises. Every now and then someone publishes a list of promises versus a list of actual performance on the promises, and most presidents don’t do very well in such comparisons.

After the primary dust-ups are over we will be presented with two people who want to lead us the next four years. It really doesn’t matter if we liked others who fell by the wayside during the primaries. At the end of the day we have to decide which one of the two presented is preferable to our thinking.

We can be pretty sure that one of the two, if history is a reliable predictor, will be the incumbent president. So there will be a referendum on the presidency of Barak Obama. The nation will decide if four more years of President Obama is more enticing than four years with someone new.

A great deal can happen between now and the presidential election. Undoubtedly, we will enjoy mixed moments of excitement and dread. But it is an important process and equally necessary for us to play our part. Everyone who writes on the subject will have a bias. If they tell you they do not, stop reading their columns. The best a columnist can do is tell you his bias and then try to be as even handed as possible in presenting the facts. The reader assumes the responsibility of weighing the balance in determining how convincing the column might be.

There is a difference between reporting and writing an opinion column.

As we start the political/presidential season, I can honestly tell you I have no idea which candidate I will find the most convincing. It would be impossible to reach such a determination without knowing whom the two people will be from which I will make a choice.

What I can tell you is that I do not like the direction of our country at this moment and I seem, according to the polls, to enjoy the company of a great majority of Americans. Does that mean I would vote for “anyone but Obama?”  That would be an indefensible position.

It is entirely possible for the Republicans to find a candidate who could do no better than Obama. You can bet this possibility is very popular in The White House. Alternatively, it is equally possible the Republicans will find a candidate who will convince us they can do a better job than the incumbent.

That discussion is what the political circus season is all about.

Welcome to the Midway.

Enjoy the Side Shows.

Get ready for the Center Ring.