Topic: Dailies

Lay It Down

by

Leo Crocker Rogers

Until I was five, I thought my name was "Shut the door" and my dog’s "Stop that." My girl friend never grew out of her name. "You’re a tease."

This morning, I stood in line with a soldier heading for Seattle to report to boot camp. This strapping 6 foot five individual was ready to serve the U.S.A. – to be a formidable force.

It is peculiar how individuals are expected to be treated. Sometimes, women feel they are treated as less than men, sometimes. The thought is that women can do what men can do and often better than can men. I agree with that assessment. An individual should be assessed on their merits not their gender.

So why is it that the soldier mentioned above took offense at the thought that she would likely shed some pounds during boot camp? All soldiers do. Boot camp is an exercise of discipline, an exercise which leads all who participate to lose weight. But she took it personally that she would lose weight as if she needed to.

Each home in some area, not identified by the AP, requires 30 pounds of coal a day to generate its electricity. Thus for a city the size of Phoenix, AZ of some 1.6 million homes, 48 million pounds of coal is required every day. That means transport by rail. In the USA, that transport is weak. Think natural gas is expensive now, wait until new power plants switch from coal to easily deliverable and clean burning natural gas.

This is really neat. In the Marines, a DI will shout to his herd (platoon), "I am only going to say this once. I am going to lay it down, and you had better pick it up." Today, at Alaska Airlines among some 150 people waiting in line, bright and early in the morning, a ticket agent stood on top of a luggage scale and shouted as loudly as she could. "I want your attention. It will only take one minute, but listen to me. I am going to say this only once. We have over booked our flight to Seattle, so some of you are going to stay here an extra day. When you finally get to me, and I tell you that you have a ticket and that you are here on time, but you still are not going to get a seat, don’t yell at me. There is noting I can do." All for now, and she went back to her duties. She laid it down, and everyone picked it up. My son went through security, and I said good bye. When my son was at the gate, he called me on his cell phone. I asked him to call me again when he was strapped into his seat, firmly strapped. He did. He was on his way and was not bumped. Of course, he was going to Portland not Seattle, but when someone lays it down, it is best to pick it up even if you are only close to the action.