Respect...hardly

The controversy continues to swirl surrounding the supposed "joke" made by White House aide Kelly Sadler.  At a staff meeting this past Thursday while discussing Senator John McCain's opposition to the nomination of Gina Haspel to head the CIA, Sadler allegedly said that his position didn't matter since "...he's dying anyway."

At a press briefing the following day, WH Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about this and refused to comment.  When asked if Donald Trump is setting a "hurtful tone" Sanders disputed that, as reported by CNN.

"Certainly there is not a tone set here," Sanders said.  "We have a respect for all Americans.  That is something we try to do in both word and action."

Seriously?

Senator Cryin’ Chuck Schumer fought hard against the Bad Iran Deal, even going at it with President Obama, & then Voted AGAINST it! Now he says I should not have terminated the deal - but he doesn’t really believe that! Same with Comey. Thought he was terrible until I fired him!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2018

Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Fake News NBC just stated that we have given up so much in our negotiations with North Korea, and they have given up nothing. Wow, we haven’t given up anything & they have agreed to denuclearization (so great for World), site closure, & no more testing!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2018

"Slippery James Comey"
"Shadey (sic) James Comey"
(James Comey) "...is a weak and untruthful slime ball..."

Sorry Ms Sanders, but that is not respect.  It is blatant disrespect and I could list many many more instances of the utter contempt displayed by Donald Trump against anyone who he opposes in any way.

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Interestingly, another leak from a staff meeting shows Ms Sanders, according to "sources" calling the remark by Ms Sadler wrong; but focusing more on the fact it leaked than the comment itself.  

I can understand her concern.  But a true leader confronted by this decision would not have stonewalled.  So what would I have done?  I'd have answered the first question about the comment this way.

"It was an inappropriate remark and we have dealt with it internally.  I cannot comment on personnel matters but I addressed the issue.  I'm far more concerned with the fact that a member or members of our communications team felt the need to leak the details to the media.  If we cannot count on confidentiality in our internal staff meetings, something needs to change.  I apologize for the inappropriate comment."

Leadership begins with acceptance of responsibility.  Not abandoning that duty.

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While some decisions remain to be made, the major TV networks have done much of the bloodless destruction known as cancellation for the upcoming season.  You can see an up to date scorecard here.

Which shows do I care about continuing/ending?  I was happy to see Blue Bloods renewed, especially in light of the surprise at the end of the season finale.  That will be an interesting dynamic to watch unfold next season.  As a big fan of Code Black I am hoping it will get another season.  I was happy to see Madam Secretary renewed and plan to catch up on what I've missed with a binge watch this coming week.  

It isn't easy for a television series to get me to watch regularly.  I watch a lot of reruns.  Law & Order.  Grey's Anatomy.  Hill Street Blues.  I'd watch JAG or L.A. Law if they were running on a cable network.

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A story in today's Los Angeles Times reports that a survey of flight attendants reveals nearly 20% of them report having been the victim of some form of sexual harassment within the last year.  That stat is based on claims of being physically harassed.  35% of the flight attendants surveyed reported being harassed verbally.

This fictional account of the lives of two stewardesses was published back in 1967.  It was actually written by a man who was a public relations executive for a major airline, although the two women whose names are credited as the authors were involved with the project when it began.  It painted a risqué look at the lives of the then almost entirely female flight attendants.  Nearly five decades later, Mandy Smith (who had worked for Virgin Atlantic for a decade) penned this tome.

We had television's Pan Am.  Snakes on a Plane had a blonde bombshell flight attendant.  Executive Decision had Halle Berry and Marla Maples as the flight attendants.  Passenger 57 had the very fetching Alex Datcher as a flight attendant and Elizabeth Hurley as a terrorist disguised as a flight attendant.  

The media's narrative about flight attendants all being gorgeous and available is a misnomer.  That does not justify passengers on real flights abandoning their inhibitions and doing whatever they feel like doing.  The same rules about words and actions that are in play everywhere else in our society need to be enforced everywhere.  Even on a flight.

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On Friday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. would help North Korea with its economy if they denuclearize.  

That's a tall order.  Data from the CIA lists 198 economies of nations and dependencies with per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure.  Using U.S. dollars as a measure, there are four nations listed with per capita GDP over $100,000.  The U.S. ranks 13th with a per capita GDP of $59,500.  North Korea ranks 184th with a per capita GDP of only $1,700.  To put that in perspective, Uber is running an advertisement to get people to apply to drive for them, guaranteeing you will earn at least $1,700 doing so.

Rebuilding their economy will require assistance from the rest of the world on par with the post World War II Marshall Plan that revitalized Europe.  Do we have the resources to take on the arduous task of revitalizing the economy of North Korea on our own?  I do not believe we do.