If terrorists hijacked an airliner and demanded the release of a select few convicted criminals, I would elect not to comply with their demands. The nation's stance is that we do not negotiate with terrorists. This comes from several beliefs, the first of which being that they will simply demand more once their first demand is met. Another common belief is that once we give in to one terroristic incident, many terrorists will flock here, sensing a weakness that they may take advantage of. After all, if we fold once, why wouldn't we give in every other time? There is also the fear that once the demands are met, the hostages will be killed anyway and the plane flown into a building. These are the main factors many people take into consideration when they contemplate dealing with terrorism.
If I were in charge and this sort of situation occurred, I would call in the best hostage negotiation team the country has to offer. I would attempt to talk the terrorists into some sort of reasonable agreement, which I have absolutely no intentions of honoring. My goal would be to get them to land the plane and release all of the hostages. Part of the hostages would be a plus, but all of them is the overall goal. I would then proceed to apprehend all of them for interrogation and imprisonment. Odds are that the negotiations would not work. I would then have the airliner tailed by fighter jets. If deception would absolutely not work, I would be forced to take more drastic measures. The terrorists would most likely be willing to give their lives for this, so threats would not work, though I would attempt anyway. This would be a second to last option, due to the fact that a threatened terrorist would probably get trigger-happy. As a last option, I would debilitate the plane over a clear and flat tract of land. This would force the pilot to either crash or land. This would be the last option because the entire point would be to save the hostages. This would put them in a severe risk. In the event of the plane actually landing, I would have the best SWAT and sniper teams at my disposal to resolve this situation. I would attempt to reason with them once more, then appear to buckle and give in. This should buy some amount of time. I would then have the SWAT and sniper teams take over from there.
The main problem with any strategy in this situation is that the terrorists are willing to die to get what they want. When faced with that sort of a situation and knowing the consequences of giving them what they want, the only concrete option would be to blow them out of the sky. This is a grim concept, but it is the only way to minimize the number of innocent lives ended. A man that is willing to die for what he believes is right is a dangerous person. Unfortunately, the only foreseeable outcome of a terrorist hijacking is the airliner being shot down in order to minimize casualties.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Relatively absolute
I believe that I possess a mixture of relativism and moral absolutism in my pattern of logic. I believe that everyone has a reason to think what they wish and that by understanding that reason, we can more easily gauge and temper our own thoughts and ideas. I don't tend to judge any standpoint as absolutely incorrect or correct. There are a few exceptions, bigotry and jingoism for example. I see bigotry as wrong because no one deserves to be judged merely by the color of their skin, their religious background, their cultural heritage or anything about their physical appearance. I judge people on their own merit. As for my other example, jingoism, it relates to a person holding their own ideas above all others. It is a chauvinistic practice that forces other ideas and concepts away.
Let's take a hypothetical situation into consideration. A man named Rob was once working at K-Mart in Warner robins. He enjoyed his job immensely and worked there for many years. It wasn't terribly good money, but it was the only thing that he could get having been forced to drop out of high school at a young age to take care of his dying mother. Let's say one day that the legislation finally passes and good old Robins finally closes down. Our friend Rob shrugs this off, seeing himself as one of the lucky ones in the area that isn't employed on base. A few weeks go by and Rob's boss tells him that the store is closing. K-mart had barely been able to stay open since Wal-Mart moved a second store into town, and now with the base gone there is no money coming in and the store must shut down. Rob is crushed. He clocks out for the last time and hangs up his red vest on the copper hook in the locker that once had his name on it. He leaves the store for the final time as the "Closed" sign is taped into the window.
Rob rides his bike home to the apartment he lives in with his sick mother. He enters the house to find his mother has taken a terrible turn for the worse. Rob takes his mother to the doctor who tells him that she needs a certain type of expensive medication, but she has no health insurance. Rob takes his mother home and stays up late into the night, sitting at the kitchen table staring down into a glass of bourbon. He never had the money for anything beyond rent and food. There was no way he could get a loan, having had terrible credit problems in the past. There were absolutely no jobs within an hour's drive, the base's closing having forced away most businesses and all open positions having been filled by people desperate for income having lost their civil servant positions. Someone with retail experience and no high school diploma couldn't possibly hope to compete in a job market that competitive. Rob decided to ask for help.
Rob went by the local churches, looking for help. Apparently everyone else in the local area beat him there. Canned goods had been given away, the local food drives had run dry. Rob had no family to help him, having been on of the last surviving in his line. His friends were nearly as bad off as him. Rob had no where to turn and his mother was approaching death. He decided to steal the medication. He went to the store with an old Halloween mask and a fake gun. He drove into Walgreen's and held up the cashier. He stole the medication that would save his mother's life. That was the only thing that he took. He immediately left. Rob had been lucky that day. The cashier tripped a silent alarm but the police were far too busy with a riot that had started at the Centreville mall. Rob saved his mother's life.
My views on this are that stealing is wrong. The absolutism side tells me that all stealing in wrong, but my predominant relativism side tells me that there was a just reason for this. Rob tried everything he could think of in this terrible situation and came up empty. He resorted to stealing in order to save his mother's life. One could argue that he may have traumatized the cashier. One may also argue that stealing from such a large company does not really hurt anyone. These are points of minor consideration when faced with the bigger picture. He saved his mother's life by committing a regularly heinous act. I judge actions by their cause, effect and intent. I judge by popular standards and my own. I attempt to look at things from several perspectives.
Let's take a hypothetical situation into consideration. A man named Rob was once working at K-Mart in Warner robins. He enjoyed his job immensely and worked there for many years. It wasn't terribly good money, but it was the only thing that he could get having been forced to drop out of high school at a young age to take care of his dying mother. Let's say one day that the legislation finally passes and good old Robins finally closes down. Our friend Rob shrugs this off, seeing himself as one of the lucky ones in the area that isn't employed on base. A few weeks go by and Rob's boss tells him that the store is closing. K-mart had barely been able to stay open since Wal-Mart moved a second store into town, and now with the base gone there is no money coming in and the store must shut down. Rob is crushed. He clocks out for the last time and hangs up his red vest on the copper hook in the locker that once had his name on it. He leaves the store for the final time as the "Closed" sign is taped into the window.
Rob rides his bike home to the apartment he lives in with his sick mother. He enters the house to find his mother has taken a terrible turn for the worse. Rob takes his mother to the doctor who tells him that she needs a certain type of expensive medication, but she has no health insurance. Rob takes his mother home and stays up late into the night, sitting at the kitchen table staring down into a glass of bourbon. He never had the money for anything beyond rent and food. There was no way he could get a loan, having had terrible credit problems in the past. There were absolutely no jobs within an hour's drive, the base's closing having forced away most businesses and all open positions having been filled by people desperate for income having lost their civil servant positions. Someone with retail experience and no high school diploma couldn't possibly hope to compete in a job market that competitive. Rob decided to ask for help.
Rob went by the local churches, looking for help. Apparently everyone else in the local area beat him there. Canned goods had been given away, the local food drives had run dry. Rob had no family to help him, having been on of the last surviving in his line. His friends were nearly as bad off as him. Rob had no where to turn and his mother was approaching death. He decided to steal the medication. He went to the store with an old Halloween mask and a fake gun. He drove into Walgreen's and held up the cashier. He stole the medication that would save his mother's life. That was the only thing that he took. He immediately left. Rob had been lucky that day. The cashier tripped a silent alarm but the police were far too busy with a riot that had started at the Centreville mall. Rob saved his mother's life.
My views on this are that stealing is wrong. The absolutism side tells me that all stealing in wrong, but my predominant relativism side tells me that there was a just reason for this. Rob tried everything he could think of in this terrible situation and came up empty. He resorted to stealing in order to save his mother's life. One could argue that he may have traumatized the cashier. One may also argue that stealing from such a large company does not really hurt anyone. These are points of minor consideration when faced with the bigger picture. He saved his mother's life by committing a regularly heinous act. I judge actions by their cause, effect and intent. I judge by popular standards and my own. I attempt to look at things from several perspectives.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Perception Is Reality
Topic: Perception
Perception is reality. What one perceives is, often times, all that person takes into account. Let's say that you walk into a restaurant you've never been to before and are waited upon by a young woman that looks more than a bit ruffled. She takes your drink order and rushes off. She came off as callous. You immediately assume that she is snooty. You then chit-chat for roughly ten minutes before you become so agitated upon having not even been served your drink that you approach the front desk and demand to speak to the manager. The manager walks through the doorway which leads to the kitchen, wearing an apron which he is in the process of removing. He then looks entirely professional without the addition of the dirty apron, having been wearing a dress casual suit. He greets you quickly, as if he too is hurried. You frown upon this and begin to explain the exact amount of time you have been sitting at your table with no service. He apologizes and offers to give you a gift certificate to eat at the restaurant for free. You accept his offer, thinking nothing of it. While he reaches under the counter for the certificate, you spot the waitress that so callously ignored you. You point her out to the manager. He barely glances in her direction and then assures you that it will be taken care of. He quickly hands you the certificate and his name is shouted from the back of the restaurant. He bids you a good night and rushes off to the kitchen, donning his apron as he goes. You feel that he was slightly rude, but there is nothing more you can do at this point. You decide to leave immediately, vowing never to return. You get to the parking lot, and attempt to find your car, having had to park across the street. The long line was hardly worth this pathetic excuse for a restaurant.
Situations like this are not that uncommon. In truth, the restaurant was on it's busiest night ever. Three people had called out. In this situation, the main cook and two waiters had been involved in a car accident, having carpooled. This being the dead middle of spring break, the other employees were off on vacation, unable to come to work when an emergency sprang up. The manager of the store was forced to work on the grill, and two waitresses were working the entire floor. These waitresses were, in fact, the best for miles around. They were extremely proficient in their job, but were utterly swamped. The parking lot was filled to the brim. There was a line far out the door. Some people understood, but others became indignant. The staff was in an extreme rush, but had no intentions of scaring any customers away. The customer in this story perceived a lack of parking, a tremendous wait, a bedraggled servant that was too incompetent to remember they were even there, and a manager that didn't seem to really care about them at all.
These observations were not true, but they might as well have been for the customer. She will most likely throw the certificate away and tell all of her friends about what terrible service she received. They will remark on how they had always received excellent service and a wonderful meal. They will exclaim their surprise at her experience, and most likely never return to what is in truth a great place to eat. What one experiences for themselves is our own reality. Experience presents cold, hard fact and that is all one needs. What one thinks of a situation given evidence through one's own perception is not always the truth...But perception is reality.
Perception is reality. What one perceives is, often times, all that person takes into account. Let's say that you walk into a restaurant you've never been to before and are waited upon by a young woman that looks more than a bit ruffled. She takes your drink order and rushes off. She came off as callous. You immediately assume that she is snooty. You then chit-chat for roughly ten minutes before you become so agitated upon having not even been served your drink that you approach the front desk and demand to speak to the manager. The manager walks through the doorway which leads to the kitchen, wearing an apron which he is in the process of removing. He then looks entirely professional without the addition of the dirty apron, having been wearing a dress casual suit. He greets you quickly, as if he too is hurried. You frown upon this and begin to explain the exact amount of time you have been sitting at your table with no service. He apologizes and offers to give you a gift certificate to eat at the restaurant for free. You accept his offer, thinking nothing of it. While he reaches under the counter for the certificate, you spot the waitress that so callously ignored you. You point her out to the manager. He barely glances in her direction and then assures you that it will be taken care of. He quickly hands you the certificate and his name is shouted from the back of the restaurant. He bids you a good night and rushes off to the kitchen, donning his apron as he goes. You feel that he was slightly rude, but there is nothing more you can do at this point. You decide to leave immediately, vowing never to return. You get to the parking lot, and attempt to find your car, having had to park across the street. The long line was hardly worth this pathetic excuse for a restaurant.
Situations like this are not that uncommon. In truth, the restaurant was on it's busiest night ever. Three people had called out. In this situation, the main cook and two waiters had been involved in a car accident, having carpooled. This being the dead middle of spring break, the other employees were off on vacation, unable to come to work when an emergency sprang up. The manager of the store was forced to work on the grill, and two waitresses were working the entire floor. These waitresses were, in fact, the best for miles around. They were extremely proficient in their job, but were utterly swamped. The parking lot was filled to the brim. There was a line far out the door. Some people understood, but others became indignant. The staff was in an extreme rush, but had no intentions of scaring any customers away. The customer in this story perceived a lack of parking, a tremendous wait, a bedraggled servant that was too incompetent to remember they were even there, and a manager that didn't seem to really care about them at all.
These observations were not true, but they might as well have been for the customer. She will most likely throw the certificate away and tell all of her friends about what terrible service she received. They will remark on how they had always received excellent service and a wonderful meal. They will exclaim their surprise at her experience, and most likely never return to what is in truth a great place to eat. What one experiences for themselves is our own reality. Experience presents cold, hard fact and that is all one needs. What one thinks of a situation given evidence through one's own perception is not always the truth...But perception is reality.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
About me
This is Brady Allen Wilson-Brummitt. This first blog post is an introduction about myself. I suppose that I will start with my career goals because, after all, our career goals are what bring each of us here. I would like to complete my core classes at Macon State College and then move on to major in botany at Georgia State...But most likely Fort Valley. I graduated Perry High School in 2004. Shortly after that I moved into my own apartment and drifted from job to job. After about three years, I decided to join the Air Force Guard. I went SatCom and stayed deployed for over nine months. Having completed that tour I deecided to start college, seeing as the Air Force would pay for anything I needed. (That being the entire reason I joined.) I am a bit of a nature lover. I really do like being outdoors...Just not all the time. I love plants. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it's just in my blood. I was always outdoors as a child. I enjoy fishing and hiking outdoors. I enjoy the internet most of all, though. It is my first true love. I play alot of video games. I could probably be considered a total nerd, but that doesn't quite bother me. I've been told I have a great personality, and that it shows thru is my writings. I enjoy writing. I've done it for a couple years now. I am really big on reading science fiction novels. I play DnD and WoW. (60UDwar,60UDrog) Go Horde? Don't mind if I do. I have no wish to sound even nerdier, so I suppose I will stop there.
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