Is leadership extinct in America?
Let me bring to mind several recent critical events:
911
Hurricane Katrina
Virginia Tech
What these have in common is the absence of leadership
when leadership was the primary quality called for.
The US government including President George W. Bush and
military and intelligence agencies were ineffective and
useless for an excruciatingly long period of time when
our country faced a critical event. There is no
question about that fact regardless of what you believe
to be the underlying cause of 911.
Hurricane Katrina was a second example of lack
of leadership. This scenario is inexcusable since
hurricanes are predicable and anticipated in that region
and it had long been known that the levies were subject
to failure.
Virginia Tech. What can be said?
This discussion is not a blame game, it's
merely a look at the inexcusable lack of
leadership at a critical time.
Virginia Tech is a large institution that is not too far
from CIA headquarters and Washington DC, by today's
standards. One would assume a greater awareness of potential
terrorism at such a location. The leadership being referred
to is both Virginia Tech Administration as well as
the law enforcement agencies responding to the wholesale
killing and wounding of students by an armed gunman who was
not in custody or accounted for. It is incomprehensible that
someone who committed such a public act would be free to
return within hours and continue to commit the same acts of
violence and murder.
Further, this repeated act of domestic terrorism by one
person took place post 911. Post 911 law enforcement and
civilian leaders have been infused with federal funds and
uncountable training projects for such a time as that.
Most civilians wake up and go about their day assuming
that someone is in charge of all things. We have a degree
of belief that the persons in charge of whatever they are
in charge of will be responsive and competent should their
leadership be needed.
The greater reality that we see is that when a critical
need arises for leadership in the US, we continue to see
the absence of leadership.
Some people do not actually know what leadership is
because they have not seen actually seen it in their
lifetimes. That is one of a number of great American
Tragedies.
In the wake of these many incidences, we see backlash that
is equally ineffective.
Example: reactionary proposals for legislation and the
creation of ineffective government programs.
In the absence of leadership and the craving for it by
those relying on it, leadership becomes confused with
authoritarian control.The evidence of this scenario
is actually hidden in plain site in the US.It can
be seen in the NSA's covert investigation of civilians
without probable cause, and in the kidnapping of world
citizens for transport to non-US locations where they
are subjected to treatment that violates our own laws
and moral standards, and in other actions taken by our
nation post 911, including the erosion of our civil
rights through the enactment of the Patriot Act.
It is time for the American civilian to insure that
qualified leaders hold leadership positions and to
hold them accountable for their performance.
Further, the American public needs to begin developing
and demonstrating leadership in our own lives. The
standard needs to come from a grassroots movement
that hopefully will swell vertically. No one at the
top is concerned about their failures, apparently,
and little, if any, meaningful consequences result
from the devastating failures in leadership for the
responsible parties.
Leadership is on the endangers qualities list.
Let's strengthen our nation with an infusion
of personal leadership while we seek qualified
leaders for the upper levels of industries,
government, and sectors.
