What I Think About What Other People Say (WITAWOPS)

Many people think that in following well-established rules and policies, government officials don't have to make difficult business decisions. That is not true. Sometimes they do because of competing interests. Here is one example of a decision that FEMA has to make.  Disclaimer: the views expressed in this post are solely my own, published under my first amendment rights, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government or any of its current or former federal agencies. The material used below is all in the public domain, as published by FEMA in August 2025.  Because of the interaction between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in Oregon and the Endangered Species Act, FEMA will select from one of three alternatives they have analyzed in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  Here is FEMA's own summary of the impacts of those three alternatives (Source:  https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_r10_oregon-nfip-eis-br...

The 40-day mourning period for USAID has passed (see my earlier obituary ). This post articulates one of USAID’s many little-known accomplishments.  “I want to emphasize the unwavering determination of the United States to push for and support implementation of the reform agenda. President Obama and Secretary Clinton believe strongly that Kenya must seize this historic opportunity to bring about fundamental change. . . . The constitution is, in many respects, the sine qua non of the reform process. Without a new constitution, implementation of other reforms will not prove sufficient to steer the country in the right direction. If a new constitution is put in place, then implementation of other reforms, along with the new constitution, will help ensure future democratic stability and prosperity.” —Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, “Reform, Partnership, and the Future of Kenya,” speech, American Chamber of Commerce, Nairobi, January 26, 2010.  What Do I Think: A constitution is a ...

I don’t think Michela Wrong was comparing me to the devil (or at least I hope not). But I was responsible for helping an accomplished author distribute a book, helping her to let go, and as a bonus, having her eat crow!  What Other People Said "[Galeeb] was already hard at work, pulling together a multi-pronged distribution operation to bypass a gagged retail industry… As a devout atheist and hardened aid sceptic, I’m aware of the acute irony of being thus beholden both to the churches of Kenya and a US development agency. But I’m happy to eat crow. My critics will no doubt mutter darkly about CIA plots, but I wouldn’t mind if the Devil himself wanted to distribute It’s Our Turn to Eat. I am rather more concerned about the agenda of those who were determined to ensure no Kenyan ever got to read a book on sale across the globe. But knowing that 5,200 copies of my book—for that is what it will be—have reached the wananchi will allow me to let go." Source: Michela Wrong, “Advent...

 How Many Coups Can One Person Witness in a Lifetime? First, what really is a coup d’état? The Term "Coup d’État" The phrase is French—literally translated, it means "blow of state" or "stroke of state." Basic French vocabulary, perhaps, but its implications are anything but simple. The term originated in 17th-century France, where it described sudden, decisive actions taken by those in power—actions that often sidestepped legal or constitutional limits. Over time, its meaning evolved to describe the abrupt and frequently violent overthrow of a government, typically carried out by a small group seeking to seize control. These groups often come from within the state itself—military officers, political elites, or insiders with enough leverage to challenge the existing leadership. An attempted coup is a failed seizure of power. The perpetrators don’t succeed in taking control—or can’t hold onto it if they do. What usually follows is a swift crackdown, a wave ...

During my first visit to the USA in 1988, I had to stop for a hot dog in Manhattan. While the street vendor assembled our dogs, we got to chatting. Looking at the color of my skin, he asked if I was from India. “No,” I replied, “I’m from Kenya.” He paused, puzzled. “Kenya is in India, isn’t it?” “No. Kenya is in Africa.” And then came the line I’ll never forget: “Africa, India—same thing.” I wish I could tell you this was an isolated incident from a long-gone era, B.I. (Before Internet). But really, not much has changed. Still Not a Continent? People, companies, even the U.S. Government—many still lump “Africa” into a singular, vague idea. Want proof? Search for the phrase “He served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa” and you’ll find, scattered all over, a non-parallel construction mixing nations and a continent.  Let me be clear: Africa is not a country. Image ChatGTP, 2025 I’m big on word choices and the need for parallel constructions. If a soldier served at military bases in Afg...

On December 9, 2024, I published this post that was really focused on whether or not America would do the right thing and allow Syria to reboot. This week, I am excited and proud to acknowledge that America set off in the direction I was hoping for. We have begun the complex process of lifting four decades of sanctions and gulf states have offered to pay off some of Syria's debt. Image designed by freepik.com What I said in December: Title: Mistakes: Can we correct, repent, offer reparations, and remember? Today I explore whether we can and do forgive past leaders for their mistakes. “ The American administration made many mistakes against other peoples. Will every American citizen, every American soldier be asked: “Why were you with them? Why were you with them?” He will respond, saying that there was an administration, and there were inherent circumstances unique to this time and place that imposed on me to be here. Administrations are making bad decisions. The American people ca...

This post presents verbatim excerpts of a Department of State Office of Inspector General Inspection Report on Kenya in 2012. I did not make them up. Please visit the page https://www.stateoig.gov/reports , enter Kenya in the first field (Keyword of Phrase), select “inspection” in the Category drop down, and open the August 2012 ISP-I-12-38A report (not the 2018 report). Enjoy. The Ambassador has lost the respect and confidence of the staff to lead the mission. Of more than 80 chiefs of mission inspected in recent cycles, the Ambassador ranked last for interpersonal relations, next to last on both managerial skill and attention to morale, and third from last in his overall scores from surveys of mission members. The inspectors found no reason to question these assessments; the Ambassador’s leadership to date has been divisive and ineffective. The Ambassador has damaged the cohesion of Embassy Nairobi’s country team by underscoring differences between offices working directly with Kenya...

The world feels like it's in crisis. We live in an age marked by deep anxiety and disorientation, where it often seems that everyone is out for themselves. The moral lessons we were taught in childhood—that kindness matters, that community is sacred, that we are all connected—now feel hopelessly idealistic, even quaint. At worst, they seem like relics of a fairy tale no one believes in anymore. As adults, we find ourselves in a society that doesn't seem especially caring or communal. We are measured and judged as isolated individuals—through exams we sit alone, performance reviews that magnify our personal wins and failures, and a culture where the most self-interested often rise the highest. It's as if we know, deep down, what an ideal society could look like—but it remains just out of reach, elusive in practice. A Philosopher’s Answer: Nasir Khusraw and the Universal Soul At this juncture, I’ve found unexpected solace in the writings of the 11th-century philosopher-poet N...

Everyone, even me, makes three recycling and composting mistakes. First, toss an item into the wrong container. Second, throw away money (literally) by spending more because we believe the item is “greener”. Third, misalign intent and action.  Wrong Container “Dad, where do I toss this?” I looked at the trash can, recycling bin, and compost bin under our kitchen sink. Then I looked at the empty take out clamshell takeout container with its confusing and faint labels. I had no idea and I have two environmental degrees. ChatGPT. (2025). Cartoon of a person deciding where to dispose of a clamshell food container at an airport. [AI-generated image]. OpenAI. Oscar couldn’t help me either. I had stumped him recently. [ Oscar is Seattle airport’s AI-waste sorting technology that is supposed to help me figure out where to put my waste.] Let’s break down my kitchen dilemma. The clamshell container was white, looked and felt like plastic. On the bottom was the product name that included the...