Killeen Daily Herald

[Stu]

18 July 2010

From what we know, including the KDH’s pompous indignation, we can deduce that the Killeen city staff acted properly. (Killeen spends $2K on retreat, 18 July).

The KDH usually telegraphs its punch when it has an axe to grind, especially when it assumes the role of community advocate. The front page “story” is just the set; the editorial spike a few pages later then asserts smarter ways to do whatever someone else did. That tactic is standard data for media elites and those who mimic them but what the droids fail to grasp, in this case at least, are the reasons that leaders structure “retreats” – hardly, they’re working sessions often called offsites -- the way they do. Perhaps that’s because many reporters gleefully criticize leaders but have never actually been one.

The KDH staff could really gore the ox by reporting on the offsite conducted by 1st Cavalry Division leaders recently in San Antonio. Using KDH logic, the First Team could have erected tactical command posts on Fort Hood’s West Range and consumed Meals Ready to Eat and still accomplished its goals. Plus the Cav already has shirts.

It was apparently the location, food and shirt choices that galled the KDH, even though it tried to appear reasoned in the editorial. If the KDH had dug a little deeper then it could have educated its readers on the purpose, method and end state of an effective offsite and why this one was necessary for the Killeen city staff.

o Offsites are not secretive boondoggles. They are a legitimate albeit infrequent forum used by leaders to share organizational vision, formulate plans, and make strategic decisions. They are especially useful when teams are new or physically dislocated.

o You don’t go into an offsite “cold”. A read-ahead helps participants prepare and achieve a common baseline of the issues and desired outcomes. It also helps set conditions for participants to frame solutions and make decisions during a compressed time period using a precise and moderated agenda.

o Effective offsites are conducted a reasonable distance from the office. If you’re “close to the flagpole” then participants can be pulled away by superiors, staffs or the “tyranny of the urgent”. Its also helpful if the location is a cell phone “free zone” as that helps leaders avoid distractions.

o Offsites should be conducted at a relaxing location that provides adequate work space and environmental controls. There are places that specialize in setting these conditions at a reasonable cost, even in the era of Obamanomics. Sometimes it’s even appropriate to invite spouses and, heaven forbid, remain overnight.

o Reasonably priced, on-site meals are required, the latter mainly to save time. Lets see, meat and beverages versus Power Bars and water. Wonder if they skipped the sides to save a buck or two. Seriously, it’s OK to feed leaders quality meals. They deserve it.

o Civilian and military organizations have long understood the value of brand and team identification. And shirts are an option. If we were talking $150 per then we could concede the point. But $25? Please, give the staff a break.

It takes neither talent nor effort to sharp-shoot leaders based on open record requests. But that’s another media tactic; publish a “gotcha” and force the target to respond defensively. That’s a technique but not one recommended if the goals are the greater good and closer working relationships.

Perhaps the KDH should explore ways to train its staff to identify news that merits attention and then how to package it with real journalism. Perhaps an offsite would help. And if KDH managers are feeling really generous, the staff may even be fed and receive spiffy new shirts.


Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

19 July 2010

There is a Paul Harvey. (Heights reader maintains design of Stan Schlueter Loop exit badly flawed, Letters to the Editor, 18 July).

I submitted this Letter on June 20th and provided the Editor some additional information on June 24th. The latter was omitted from the Letter published on July 18th therefore it is provided below.

After the 5-car pileup on June 16th, I contacted Rep. Jimmy Don Aycock, Councilman Larry Cole and Police Chief Dennis Baldwin. I provided each an information packet and requested their assistance in correcting this situation.

Rep Aycock was already aware of the issue and has contacted Tx DOT.

Councilman Cole is looking into the situation.

Chief Baldwin spoke with me during our Rotary club meeting on July 16th. He said there have been seven accidents at this site and that KPD continues to investigate the issue.

Should we expect architects to mitigate the impact of bad behavior in their designs? Yes, if possible, especially roadways. At a minimum, designs should not exacerbate these behaviors, as is the issue here.

This is the third time the KDH has published a letter from me on this topic. The previous ones were dated 6 July 2008 and 14 February 2010. It should not take a fatality at this location before community leaders are motivated to make the required and obvious changes. More voices would certainly help.

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

21 July 2010

Finally. (Unyielding? KPD wants you, 20 July) Increased traffic enforcement is a good start but should only be an interim measure designed to improve driver awareness and safety. TxDOT still needs to change the way that exit is constructed.

KPD should also consider factors that may skew its ticket data. These include conditions that exist before the exit that correlate to actions at the exit.

1. Drivers who are warned. It would have been better to allow KPD to issue citations and then publish the results. Instead, the KDH trumpeted the impending crackdown. That sorta defeats the purpose.

2. Drivers in the left access road lane with a cell phone glued to their left ear. These [insert word] enter “the zone” with a self-inflicted blind spot that prevents them from seeing cars exiting CTE that are below them to the left rear and climbing.

3. Drivers on CTE who move into the left lane vic Connell Chevrolet. This courteous act allows other drivers entering CTE to do so safely before reaching the bridge over WS Young. If the former want to exit at Stan Schlueter however, they must then jockey for position before moving back into the right lane. As those who have attempted it can confirm, this is a high-adventure maneuver given the relatively short distance to do so, especially between 1100-1300 and 1600-1800.

4. Drivers who bypass this exit because they can’t enter the ramp. If you’ve experienced #3, then you may have been unable to exit safely and therefore been forced to wave-off, exit at FM 2410, and loop back.

5. Drivers who dive into this exit from the left lane of CTE. These [insert word] dart across the right lane and into the exit ramp, cutting off others in the process. This risky maneuver quickly changes the dynamic between cars already queued and taking that exit.

6. Drivers who bypass this exit intentionally. This situation has been allowed to exist for 2+ years. Some drivers simply refuse to roll the dice and therefore opt to avoid that exit entirely.

The objective solution likely involves widening the bridge vic Faith Temple. If TxDOT opted not to do that in the project design then that bridge dictated the exit’s location; far enough west that traffic had a chance of merging before reaching it. If that was the calculation then this situation could have been avoided and it will now cost taxpayers more to do it right the second time.

We should remember however that the crux of this issue is people and unsafe driving behaviors, not the proverbial SUV with a will of its own. Even perfectly designed exit ramps, access roads and bridges won’t solve the problems caused by aggressive, distracted and poorly trained drivers.

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

24 July 2010

Someone must have limited the number of Associated Press bylines that the KDH staff could bogart this week.

The Mayor got it right and should not apologize for the decision to conduct an offsite in Salado. (Killeen council taking its business elsewhere, 23 July).

And why is the opinion of a former Mayor relevant? Its not but stirring the pot remains a staple in the agitprop diet and helps them feel relevant.

The KDH should have focused instead on the thought process and behavior of the lone councilmember who opted not to participate. (Retreat reveals Killeen Council’s personality, 24 July.) Someone obviously hasn’t gasped the meaning of “team” and the reason he was elected.

Legitimate offsites are not a “waste of taxpayer money”. That tag is more appropriate for the egregious decisions made by uninformed and/or detached elected officials. Like we’re seeing in Congress. But if the good people in Killeen continue to elect him then I guess they get what they get.

There was a Letter to the Editor in today’s KDH that spoke intelligently about the negative impact of voter apathy. If the apathetic are replaced by the uninformed and/or militant however then we really have a recipe for disaster.

Moderators and team building exercises are valid and useful offsite tools. In this case, Elim Group chose the DiSC Profile. Similar tools include the Carl Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs typology test, Keirsey temperments, and Management Team Role Indicator (MTR-i). Regardless, the Council apparently gleaned insights and methods to improve its operations – less one – and that’s a good thing.

So, Cheeves Bros catered the event. Cool. I wonder if participants got a shirt too?

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

4 August 2010

Once again, the KDH opts to parrot a nauseating Associated Press bias instead of challenging it, or better yet ignoring it. (Texas in need of more minority teachers, August 4th).

The article gushes opinions but is typically void of content and both sourced and verified data. It also contains a list of vapid quotes that are stunning in their ignorance and import.

1. “Texas schools need to hire more black and Hispanic teachers, especially as the enrollment of minority students continues to rise, experts said.”

No. Character, integrity (the whole person) and professional qualifications remain the crux of being a good teacher, not race and gender.

2. “The research shows that if you can match the ethnicity and race of teachers and students, teachers tend to be more effective, said Ed Fuller, Associate Director of the University Council for Education Administration at the University of Texas in Austin.”

That’s expected coming from Austin but what scientific research was conducted? Even if minority enrollment reaches 62% as posited, why would white teachers be less effective with minorities simply based on their race?

3. “The findings indicated that recruiting more minority teachers could generate important gains among minority students, [said Harvard University].”

What specific gains could be made? It would help if we could review the referenced study.

4. “One of the reasons is that minority teachers better understand cultural differences and can “break down” the student’s stereotypes, according to the study [done by the Education Resources Information Center].”

ERIC is part of the Department of Education so that confirms what the feds think about the cultural acumen of “majority” teachers. That’s not surprising since it is liberals who drum racial and cultural stereotypes and norms into the brain housing groups of students from the time they’re children in Day Care.

5. “The teaching force needs to look more like the students we’re serving”.

How will hiring more minority teachers help achieve the desired equity? It won’t but then that’s not the real goal. In 2008, the population of the United States was 304 million. The largest three racial groups were white (228 million, 75%), Hispanic (46.9 million, 15%) and black (37.6 million, 12%). These numbers logically support the exact inverse of what these “experts” propose.

Raise your hand if you’re about up to here with every conversation in this county – or so it seems - beginning with race when liberals are involved.

Liberals trumpeted that President Obama would “finally” help our country achieve a “post racial” nirvana yet they are the ones who continue to beat the drum about racial inequality, profiling, crimes, reparations, etc.

It doesn’t matter whether the subject is immigration reform, congressional ethics investigations, Supreme Court nominations, the Gulf oil spill, Global Warming, or teachers in Texas, race is always in the opening salvo from liberals.

Texas may indeed need more minority teachers, but not for the reasons suggested by the AP. What our country needs more is to reject liberalism’s penchant for racial division and to focus more on a person’s character and their contributions to society and less on their melanin.


Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

8 August 2010

What slump? (Seafood Slump, 7 August).

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHH) have poked, prodded, tested and determined that Gulf seafood is safe but some fishermen and, more importantly, “experts” at the Associated Press disagree. The KDH therefore dutifully dispatched a reporter, interviewed two uninformed customers, deemed the assertions credible, and dedicated most of a front page to a local eatery and a fallacious claim. The latter is likely to cause lemmings to continue avoiding seafood.

Well played KDH, well played.

Fish City Grill is no doubt loving it: management couldn’t have paid to receive front-page advertising. It’s likely Red Lobster, Dead Fish Grill and other local establishments may not share that sentiment.

“About four or five weeks ago we started seeing a drop in business”, [said Ms. Karwick, Director of Operations.] Gee, what could have caused that to happen in this military town? We could probably start with the heat, summer vacations and, given Market Height’s proximity to Fort Hood, out of state training exercises and operational deployments.

One can understand the fishermen’s trepidation but it was ironic to note that HEB and Fish City Grill both debunked the AP’s typically sour outlook, albeit towards the end of the article and on page A-3. If we want to change habits, we should start with being informed and not the food we avoid.

Someone at the Herald should take a refresher course in statistics. If you’re conducting a survey on fear-based and emotion-driven opinions then it takes a sample population of 600 to achieve a confidence level of 95% (+/- 2%). Better yet, we could investigate the facts, but then that would require journalistic rigor.

Achieving confidence that seafood is safe is not complicated. Fish skin contaminants are easily removed. Bacteria is the main issue but if you’re concerned about ingesting PCBs - which are more prevalent in the Great Lakes and not toxic in occasional servings - then keep fish well iced, trim the fat and skin and then broil, grill, bake or smoke the meat to at least 145 degrees. (Note the absence of frying; that seals in contaminants of all kinds.) The National Shellfish Sanitation Program monitors harvest beds and farms. Shellfish (like oysters) purchased from reputable dealers and restaurants may be eaten raw, steamed for 4-9 minutes or boiled for 3-5 minutes. Just like they do in Kitchen Stadium.

Beginning in April, “experts” warned us in apocalyptic terms that it would take decades, perhaps even generations, before the Gulf coast returned to “normal”. BP certainly is culpable for the spill and then compounded the problem with an inept and caustic PR response. It seems however that nature, BP and people along the Gulf coast have conspired to accelerate the recovery timeline just a tad.

Instead of wringing our hands about Gulf seafood, perhaps we should devote our energies to fixing the condition that Russ Honore accurately noted in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It seems to have spread westward.

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

18 May 2011

I often take issue with the KDH but it also deserves kudos when they get it right. Colleen Flaherty and James Baker are spot-on in advising owners to have their home’s electrical system checked, especially if it’s an older structure. (Wired for safety; Free screenings offered, 17 May 2011). Our home was built in 1966 and, while we used another company, we’re glad we got it checked.

Efficiencies aside, the cumulative affect of kitchen renovations and improvements including an in-ground pool and new heat-pumps resulted in the need for a holistic analysis of our home’s electric system. A recent check confirmed some improvements were required.

The internal house wiring and distribution panels were sufficient but we needed to replace the external meter box, add a 200 amp service panel with breakers, replace the wiring from the electric point of entry to the panel, and ground the house. The cost was reasonable, the work took 8 hours, and a portable generator sustained power to the refrigerator during the process.

The demand for residential electricity has grown significantly since the 1960s due to the proliferation of electronic devices in most homes. How many people though consider their homes electric system when adding more "stuff"? It's a good idea to get your home checked to help you avoid system overload, equipment damage or worse, a house fire, especially if you live in an older house.

Still Serving!

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

26 May 2011

That warm fuzzy sure passed quickly.

The May 22, 2011 issue contained several articles that bring into question (again) the decision making process at the KDH.

Another high-profile male trips over his zipper and deceives himself, his wife and family, and the public. Why exactly do we need expansive coverage focused on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s need to “revamp his image” vis-à-vis politics and the movie industry? He should instead be encouraged to quietly repent and enter counseling to restore his integrity and repair his marriage.

The political jab on page A4 is in particularly bad taste. This satirical cartoon attempts – poorly at that - to leverage the human misery and economic destruction caused by the recent flooding to advance the demagoguery aimed at stopping attempts to cut federal spending and reform Medicare. Liberals can hyperventilate until the Second Coming but the facts won’t change. If we don’t change course then it won’t matter if you’re left wing, right wing, or chicken-wing, Medicare will cease to be viable for our younger generations.

But then, I also think DoD should triple TRICARE premiums for military retirees like me.

And finally, the study of purported human-caused underwater noise pollution on pg A6. Like anthropogenic global warming, environmentalist angst is mounting over the supposed impact of noise on sea creatures. As usual, “the precise science” fueling this alarm remains elusive but the pursuit continues unabated for political consensus and legal action to halt this "pollution".

Maybe it was a slow news day.

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

23 July 2011

TxDOT finally responded to reason [and pressure] and altered the eastbound Highway 190 exit to Stan Schlueter Loop and traffic has been flowing splendidly at this exit since October 2010. Now it should consider adjusting the approach to the eastbound exit at Trimmier Road by moving the solid white line to the right, temporarily reducing the shoulder, and forming a deceleration lane beginning just west of the Jasper Road overpass.

TxDOT’s regional Thoroughfare Plan will eventually ease congestion by widening Highway 190 in each direction but until then a temporary third lane is needed to mitigate the effects of eastbound traffic congestion caused in the morning after on-post physical training, during lunch-time, and at the end of the business/duty day. During these periods, traffic on CTE and vehicles exiting Fort Hood merge to cause bumper-to-bumper traffic that extends from Trimmier Road west to the Fort Hood Main Gate. As many drivers know, this congestion usually dissipates once they pass the Trimmier exit. Driver behaviors remain a causal factor for this problem but a temporary structural remedy may also be available.

TxDOT’s Roadway Design Manual dtd May 2010 states that customary shoulder widths for 4-lane divided highways are 4 ft inside and 10 ft outside. It also says shoulders “serve as emergency parking areas, lend lateral support to travel lane pavement structure, provide a maneuvering area, increase sight distance of horizontal curves, and give drivers a sense of safe, open roadway.” Perhaps TxDOT can again respond to reason, leverage this flexibility, and provide drivers temporary relief from the normal workday gridlock on this section of CTE.

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

5 August 2011

Once again, the KDH invents a dramatic and misleading headline that is unsupported by facts. (Heights expenditures to exceed revenues, August 3rd.)

I attended the Harker Heights city council workshop on August 2nd. It took the staff two hours to brief the draft budget for 2011-2012. It was an excellent presentation, superbly organized and one that clearly showed Heights is not running a deficit. In fact, sales revenues, while down, combined with wise management, sound investments, high standards and effective resource stewardship will allow the city to sustain infrastructure and quality of life initiatives and accelerate new projects. In sum, the city’s financial posture is good news and means the Bright Star will continue to shine even during this down economic cycle.

The discussion however clearly seemed to overload the sole and bored looking reporter sitting at the media table. Perhaps she zoned out and dreamed she was writing for the New York Times about the federal government. That would explain why the article was sloppy, disjointed, and inferred that expenditures would exceed revenues by $13 million in part due to the absence of 25,000 Soldiers from Fort Hood.

The editors could have corrected the problem. Reporters – and I use that term kindly – may collect data but editors are responsible to fuse it into useful information and then approve the headline. When editors fail at these tasks the result is common in today’s media – vapid non-sequiturs focused on the wrong things and spun to support a particular bias.

The KDH managed a Teflon mea culpa the following day. (No tax increase projected in Harker Heights, August 4th.) Someone from Heights must have called to correct the record but the response below indicates the economics of it all likely still escape some in the newsroom.

Editor’s note: An article about the proposed 2011-12 Harker Heights budget in Wednesday’s Daily Herald contained figures that reflected capital improvement projects over a five year period, giving the impression of the revue shortfall.

“The editorial staff got it wrong and will be supervised more closely” must have been omitted due to space constraints.

Lost in this clumsy attempt at journalism is the quality and professionalism of the Harker Heights city staff. Residents should take time to observe their staff in action – they’re an amazing team and we are well served.

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

22 August 2011

It reminds me of Bob Woodward in All the Presidents Men. (Fort Hood prepares to cut civilian contractors, KDH, August 21st). The KDH focused on something shiny - in this case, two high profile police officers - and therefore failed to ask the right questions.

A more appropriate headline would have been this - DoD cuts 8% of federal civilian workforce: Impacts Fort Hood.

KDH editors and reporters would have first needed to know the difference between the types of civilians employed at Fort Hood: Department of the Army Civilians (DAC) and contractors. And no, they’re not the same. All the military services employ Civilians but an Army-centric primer is provided below.

DAC.
•Individuals employed by DoD to perform specific duties for the Army as part of the Total Force.
•Hiring managed by an Army command in coordination with a regional Civilian Personnel Operations Center (CPOC) and local Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC).
•Positions are coded for Tenure (permanent, probationary, temporary or term) based on specific criteria.
•Hiring process usually takes months.
•Wages are determined by federal salary tables generated by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
•May function as a Contracting Officers Representative (COR) or Technical Oversight Representative (TOR) to provide quality control and supervision of contracted functions via direct interaction with the management of contracted companies.
•Make decisions and commit government resources.
•Have Civilian Career Programs that specify areas of functional expertise and civilian education requirements and opportunities.
•Can be deployed just like Soldiers and would then normally wear the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) with distinctive DAC insignia.

Contractor.
•Individuals employed by a “for profit” company that provides specific services to the Army for a set period of time.
•Hiring managed by the company’s Human Resources department.
•Positions and contract terms are negotiated with employers.
•Hiring process can take hours but usually days or weeks.
•Wages determined via individual contract negotiations.
•Often supervised by CORs and TORs. Contractors work for their companies and not the Army or a COR/TOR.
•Provide services as above. This even applies to retired generals.
•Are usually hired as a functional expert or based on military “connections”.
•Individual contracts must specify overseas duties. Can wear ACUs (without rank/patches) but normally wear civilian clothes.

Officers Todd and Munley were DACs, not contractors. Fort Hood’s spokesperson apparently was speaking about DACs and the KDH article confirmed the reporter was confused and didn’t know the difference. Yet another rookie mistake by the newspaper serving the Army’s largest military installation, but I digress.

Officer Todd apparently resigned and accepted a contractor position overseas. That’s not uncommon, especially if you see cuts on the horizon. Officer Munley was apparently a Term DAC and may have been released as explained below.

I need to say something before I continue. Personnel cuts are a sensitive subject and announcements are best left to official spokespersons, in this case DoD, the US Army and Fort Hood. I’m a retired Army officer and DAC who currently works at Fort Hood. The following are my observations of what I see unfolding.

If the KDH staff had done their homework and understood the differences noted above then the reporter might have asked the right questions and written a coherent article that contained some of the following open-source data.

In 2003, Secretary Rumsfeld began shifting the DoD workload from Soldiers to contractors (in specific areas, notably intelligence functions) and from contractors to Army, Air Force, etc., civilians in many others. The idea was that civilians would cost less than contractors and free “trigger pullers” to return to tactical units. From 2005 to 2009, he also shifted the DoD civilian personnel system to a new National Security Personnel System. NSPS was ostensibly a better way to manage human resources, the appeals process, and labor relations system. It included mechanisms to reward excellence with higher pay and “encourage” others (aka deadwood) to resign or retire, especially in federal agencies located in Washington DC.

Secretary Gates slowed this train, reversed NSPS and allowed the Army to revert to the Total Army Personnel Evaluation System. Civilian positions require years to justify, approve and fund and life as a contractor can be tenuous based on the contract bid and award process but employment opportunities for both have still trended up over the past 10 years. Until now.

On August 4, 2011, the Secretary of the Army announced that 8,741 Full Time Equivalent (FTE), or DAC, positions – 8% of the total DAC workforce - would be eliminated no later than September 30, 2012. These and other civilian cuts across DoD are in response to the current budget debate. 83% of the Army cuts are from five organizations; Installation Management Command (IMCOM), Army Material Command (AMC), Office of the Secretary of the Army, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and US Army Europe (USAREUR).

HQDA actually announced the process to achieve these reductions in a letter dtd July 11, 2011. The letter also specified that contractors could not be hired to fill the resulting gaps. Commands have already identified DAC positions to be cut and HQDA has approved the list. Commanders are now (quietly) cross-leveling faces to spaces and may even relocate some Permanent employees to facilitate retention. Others in Probationary, Temp and Term positions may have their employment terminated. Local CPACs will also selectively offer Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and/or Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay (VSIP) to further reduce the affected population. If these steps do not achieve the required levels then a Reduction in Force (RIF) will likely follow. Those affected would receive some form of compensation but they’d essentially be fired.

Job losses are not good news, especially in the current economy. DAC and contractor reductions at Fort Hood will likely cause a corresponding decrease in IMCOM garrison support and services capabilities. In response, commanders could task Soldiers to backfill essential functions, including emergency services; ask volunteers to fill non-essential but desired functions; and either scale back or terminate the rest.

After the dust settles, garrison operations at Fort Hood may look a lot like they did in the 1990s. That’s not a show-stopper but it’s the elephant in the room that deserves to be reported.

Still Serving, Army Strong!

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

September 5, 2011

The Big 12 continues to lurch towards disintegration but the level of prophetic pessimism about negative impacts on education, athletics and the state’s economy is unsubstantiated, unnecessary and unhelpful. Stirring the pot however is a media staple. And now as if on queue, even the KDH has melodramatically joined the fray. (Texas A&M’s move from Big 12 will leave void in Central Texas, KDH, September 4th.)

Its important to first acknowledge that the rivalry between Texas A&M and Texas resulted mainly from the first 102 years of mostly friendly strife across the academic and athletic spectrum and under a handful of organizational alignments, not just the past 15 years of football within the Big 12.

I was a member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and have experienced the expanse of this rivalry since 1973. It is not surprising that the looming departure of Texas A&M from the Big 12 is therefore being both speculatively celebrated and mourned, especially the latter since many pundits have short memories when it comes to politics and sports.

Texas A&M and Texas have clashed annually since 1894 and the rivalry was already firmly established when the Southwest Conference formed in 1915. It continued unabated, and with a lot less apoplexy, when the Big 12 formed in 1996 after Arkansas bolted for the SEC and the SWC folded due to a combination of poor athletic performance, recruiting scandals and NCAA sanctions.

Texas A&M and Baylor have collided on the football field since 1899 but annually only since 1945. Still, given Baylor’s performance this week against TCU, this year’s Battle of the Brazos promises to be another great game.

For better or worse, Notre Dame and NBC started us down this road in 1991 and television contracts and revenues increasingly influence today’s NCAA conference affiliations more than tradition and nostalgia. A big part of the problem, then as now, was a lack of foresight and leadership by the NCAA and conferences. Athletic rivalries are special and could be sustained but that would require collaborative and creative solutions and egos to be checked at the door. The former is likely doable but, given pronouncements from some quarters, the latter may be a bridge too far, at least for now.

My prediction? Maroon and White will bid adieu to Orange and White until a sports network or conference gives Austin an offer it can’t refuse.

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

December 28, 2011

It’s wise to do your homework before donating to charity, and not just for year-end giving to secular organizations. (Be cautious in year-end giving to charities, December 28, Killeen Daily Herald). Instead, consider investing the same level of rigor to year-round giving and the much larger charity pool – churches and ministry organizations.

Domestic non-profit organizations (aka corporations) may be either secular or “religious” and may receive state/federal tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. Federal law further delineates “religious organizations” and “churches” as separate and distinct entities.

Most “religious organizations” – like the Christian ministries Focus on the Family and Young Life - are required to submit an IRS Form 1023, Application for Recognition Under Section 501c3. Once approved, they must adhere to the following federal policy or risk losing tax-exempt status.

• Must be organized and operated exclusively for religious, educational, scientific, or other charitable purposes;
• Net earnings may not inure to the benefit of any private individual or shareholder;
• No substantial part of its activity may be attempting to influence legislation;
• May not intervene in political campaigns, and;
• Purpose and activities may not be illegal or violate fundamental public policy.

Churches however are neither required nor should they volunteer to be a 501c3 in order to be exempt from federal taxation. Why then do many (most?) do just that and therefore invite intrusive federal taxation (Form 990-T) and ministry restrictions (read, political)? It may be that church leaders are generally uninformed, no doubt fueled by perceptions and a cottage industry that “protects” churches from (self-inflicted) issues with the IRS.

Churches however must submit a Form SS-4 to the IRS and secure an Employer Identification Number if they wish to open financial accounts, apply for state tax exemptions, or pay salaries.

Secular, non-profit organizations have an important role in our society but consistent, year-round giving could provide churches and ministry organizations the resources to do what they should do best – care for those in need spiritually, physically, emotionally and financially. This kind of intentional, targeted giving could also help lessen the reliance on, and influence of, local, state and federal entitlement programs.

For additional information see the Internal Revenue Act of 1954 (as revised in the Tax Reform Act of 1986); IRS Pub 1828, Tax Guide for Churches & Religious Organizations; and US Code Title 26 (IRC), Subtitle A, Chapter 1.


Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

January 18, 2012

What took so long? (Fort Hood discusses civilian job reductions, Killeen Daily Herald, January 14, 2012.) “Down-sizing” has been in effect at Fort Hood and across the military since last summer - see the August 22, 2011 post above - but it apparently took the KDH five months to notice.

Even so, the article is misleading as it focuses on Army civilians at Fort Hood that are aligned with Installation Management Command (IMCOM). Reductions to Army civilians with permanent, term and temporary tenure status are, in fact, impacting all Army commands including those assigned to Forces Command (FORSCOM) and Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Hood, including me. As previously noted, significant cuts also continue to be made across the military to the contractor work force.

Here’s the next story - civilians are just the first volley. The next round of cuts will be wearing uniforms.

The Reserve Component will likely not see major cuts but not so the Active Component. Army and Marine units have exited Iraq and will, unless something changes and less trainers, soon leave Afghanistan. DoD has also announced the last two US Army brigade combat teams forward positioned in Germany will soon be re-stationed to the Continental United States (CONUS). The net effect will likely provide the political cover for some to seek another “peace dividend”. And we should know where that mistake leads.

Like TRICARE premiums, Army civilian and contractor adjustments make sense if shaped by national strategy, military missions, and fiscal realities. This includes the elimination of functions deemed less essential when the military is garrisoned primarily in CONUS, as well as proactive changes to operational contingency plans and supporting training strategies. The latter will likely soon result in less emphasis being placed on counterinsurgency and more on wide area security and combined arms maneuver.

If you were in the Army twenty years ago then you’d recognize the emerging training environment, one that resurrects Krasnovian armored formations and battles at the Whale Gap. The proper balance of policy, ways and means however is required to avoid a classic, and oft repeated, mistake – preparing for the last war. Fortunately the next administration should be positioned to influence the action.

Still Serving, Army Strong!

Stu McLennan
Harker Heights

[Stu]

January 26, 2012

The KDH is again all over a story that is several weeks old but still didn’t get it quite right. (Army to reduce combat brigades, KDH, January 25.) See above.

President Obama wants to fundamentally “restructure” the US Army – that should sound ominously familiar – but details on long-term impacts remain elusive, notably how the Army’s ability to train for, conduct and sustain successful land combat operations will remain unaffected by the cuts.

-Cut the Pentagon budget by $260 billion over 5 years and $487 billion over 10 years.
-Cut the number of active duty Soldiers from 570,000 to 490,000
-Cut the number of combat brigades from 45 to about 32.
-Eliminate the requirement to respond to two simultaneous major regional conflicts.
-Deny reenlistments in order to retain recruits.

I don’t claim to be prescient but this is likely just the first salvo. 490K may not be the low end number of Soldiers and the eliminated “combat brigades” may be all active component brigade combat teams (BCT).

Retaining mid-level NCOs and officers; strengthening special operations forces; sustaining the reserve component; and increasing BCTs from ~3500 to ~5000 Soldiers are all good things. So too are thoughtful adjustments to military strategy and resources. No administration must go unchallenged however when it trumpets policy decisions that are in fact a “peace dividend” masquerading as a thoughtful reduction in defense spending based on a required shift in national military strategy.

Did you notice the looks on the faces of the civilian and military leaders standing behind the President when he announced this plan at the Pentagon on January 5, 2012. Their body language likely tells the story – sit down, shut up and color.

The KDH byline “From staff and wire reports” is also misleading. The KDH used the majority of an Associated Press article, this time by Lolita Baldor, but selectively omitted several parts, no doubt due to space constraints. This is not the first time and remains an annoying practice: if you’re going to bogart it then print the whole thing. The KDH added just two sentences and still got one of them wrong.

[Missing: Add after the paragraph “The Army plans to shed...”] One priority would be to make sure that the Army retains its mid-level officers, who routinely take up to 10 years to get to the rank of major or higher. Army leaders struggled through periods of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, using bonuses and other incentives to retain the mid-level officers they needed to command smaller units on the battlefield.

But Army officials also acknowledge that they will be forced to deny the reenlistment of many qualified soldiers, while also continuing to bring in quality recruits.

[Missing; Add after the paragraph “But the new military strategy....”] One major reduction, already announced by Panetta, will cut the number of Army brigades stationed in Europe from four to two. Other units would rotate in and out of the region as needed.

Currently there are three brigades in Germany and one in Vicenza, Italy, and that would change so that there would be one in Germany and one in Vicenza.

[Wrong: Corrected.] Fort Hood has five BCTs; four HBCTs and one SBCT. The 1st Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), while a versatile and lethal formation, isn’t a BCT. The KDH staff obviously still needs that Army 101 primer so it can decipher information provided by Fort Hood. I’ll again oblige.

There are several types of “combat brigades”; infantry, armor, cavalry, field and air defense artillery, aviation (attack helicopters and air cavalry), special forces and combat engineer. There are only three types of BCTs however: Infantry (IBCT) with light infantry, airborne or air assault units; Heavy (HBCT) with armored and mechanized units; and Stryker (SBCT) with wheeled units. Old Soldiers would recognize HBCTs as essentially a combined arms Regimental Combat Team.

The 1st Cavalry Division has four HBCTs; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The fifth BCT at Fort Hood was also an HBCT - the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) – but the 3d ACR is converting to a SBCT. The 3rd Cavalry Regiment (CR) will have different personnel and new equipment and mission sets but troopers will proudly retain the Brave Rifles’ lineage, esprit and elan.

Still Serving, Army Strong!

Stu Mclennan
Harker Heights