THE PASTELING OF ALLEN COUNTY

PASTEL: A LIGHT DELICATE SHADE OF COLOR.

Allen County is becoming a landscape of pastel colors – those drab, bland, unexciting colors which are safe for all construction. The blandness is the result of subdivion after subdivision springing up with restrictive guidelines that require colors that, apparently, are intended to blend into the country landscape and not stand out from the surrounding environment. Could it be that the developers think they can hide massive, “Pleasant Valley Sunday” suburbs by coating them in colors that tend to blend into the landscape?

Folks, the donut hole is getting larger. The Division of Planning Services, through its boards and commissions, continues to approve subdivision after subdivision.

The conceptual plan for Allen County shows the buildout of subdivisions to the I-469 interchange and encompassing the western area of Allen County to the Whitley County line. If this buildout happens, the subdivisions will literally take over the western side of Allen County. Along with this buildout, will come additional problems of urban sprawl and destruction of the environment.

In addition, the buildout works against the revitalization of downtown Fort Wayne. As urban sprawl continues, businesses and residents widen the doughnut hole, neglecting the heart of the City. Lutheran Hospital relocated to the Southwest in 1992, and now Parkview is leaving for the Northeast. Parkview plans a 900,000 square foot expansion costing $500,000,000. The remaining hospital, St. Joe, so far is stedfast in its commitment to the downtown, pledging to build a $7,000,000 medical building next to its already existing facility.

Until the boards and commissions stop approving every subdivision that comes along, the downtown will continue to fight for its existence. Harrison Square is a wonderful start to begin the revitalization of the downtown, but along with Harrison Square, incentives need to be provided to encourage prospective home buyers to rehabilitate homes in the older neighborhoods. Ultimately, the planning and zoning boards need to take a stand againt the leapfrogging urban sprawl that is turning the county into a patchwork quilt of beige.

SOUDER SITS ON FENCE AGAIN

Congressman Souder is doing it again. Condoleezza Rice has been asked to testify about the Bush Administration’s now-defunct claim that Iraq sought uranium from Niger, a small nation in Africa. According to Bush, Iraq had tried to buy thousands of high-strength aluminum tubes, which Bush said were “used to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon.”

Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California wants Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to testify about the Bush administration’s claim that Iraq sought uranium from Niger. Rice has not responded to Waxman’s request, setting up a clash between the White House and the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Of course Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd is trying to keep his perch on his proverbial fence by saying
he’s frustrated with the Bush administration’s lack of cooperation with Congress just as he was frustrated with the lack of cooperation by the Clinton administration.

But, on the other hand, he said he won’t vote to subpoena Rice because no previous secretary of state has testified to the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and “because there are at least two other committees with prime responsibility. It is also not clear what additional information could be presented, given previous hearings and written responses.”

What a difference a change in power makes. Both Souder and Dan Burton, R-6th, are longtime members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Burton was chairman of the committee for six years when Republicans controlled the House. During that time, more than 1,000 subpoenas, including many to top Clinton administration officials, were issued when the Committee was investigating campaign finance and presidential pardons.

“The question tomorrow,” Souder said, “is: Since the obvious, perhaps sole, reason for the requests is political, is exercising that power justified?” Wow! Now he finds the argument that politics is not justification for issuing subpoenas. What a revelation! And all those investigations under the Clinton Administration by the Republican-controlled Congress weren’t politically motivated? Obviously, Souder plans to vote against a motion to subpoena Secretary Rice.

GLOBAL WARMING BASICS – POPULATION 6,708,100,000 AND GROWING

The average temperature for February was 15.6 degrees, making it the third-coldest February on record in Fort Wayne. And it didn’t take long for those who still deny global warming to gleefully say “see, no problem.”

But to understand climate change, it is necessary to define certain widely misunderstood terms. The terms are greenhouse gases, global warming, weather, and climate change. Greenhouse gases are those gases that are capable of trapping heat near the Earth’s surface. As they increase in the atmosphere, the extra heat leads to global warming. The atmosphere is the “skin” of the planet and is composed of four layers: the troposphere (closest to Earth), the Stratosphere, the Mesosphere, and the Thermosphere.

Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. Of those gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), a colorless, odorless, non-flammable gas, is the most abundant. The atmosphere also contains several other greenhouse gases. Carbon Dioxide is emitted into the air as humans exhale, burn fossil fuels for energy, and deforest the planet. Every year humans add over 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by these processes, and it is up thirty percent since 1750.

The major producers of carbon dioxide are power plants, cars and trucks, major transportation, and factories and home heating systems.

As these greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide, they trap more heat which leads to global warming. Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere. If the increase is sustained over time it can be sufficient to cause climatic change.

It is critical at this point to understand the terms weather and climate. Weather is what is experienced each day. When we get up in the morning we check to see what the weather is like – Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is it sunny? Is it hot? Weather is a daily phenomenon. The phrase “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful” comes to mind. On the other hand, climate is the composite of prevailing weather conditions of a region. Climate factors include temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years. I sometimes hear people say they want to move to a warmer climate or a drier climate.

Naysayers chuckling about a cold winter month and downplaying global warming show a lack of understanding about our environment and the terms that are used. We may continue to have a supercold month now and then, but since the term global warming contains the key word “global”, it is folly to look at daily weather as debunking global warming as an issue.

SURVIVING THE INJURIES OF WAR

More than 23,000 U.S. troops have been wounded in combat in Iraq, and over 3, 000 troops have died. That means that for every soldier who has died, roughly seven have survived, and they are surviving with injuries that, in the past, would have been fatal.

The devices causing so many injuries are improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The injuries suffered from these devices have become known as the “signature injuries” of the Iraq War, and the device has become known as the “signature device.” Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are unique in nature because the IED builder has to improvise with the materials at hand. They are designed to defeat a specific target or type of target, and they generally become more difficult to detect and protect against as they become more sophisticated.

IEDs fall into three categories: a package-type device, a vehicle-borne device, and a suicide (human) device. The package-type IED is generally thrown from overpasses or hidden in some manner and triggered when an unsuspecting patrol comes along. The device can be hidden in potholes, alongside the road, or in just about anything large enough to conceal the material.

The vehicle-borne device uses a vehicle of some sort to carry the device. These IEDs come in all shapes, colors, and sizes which vary by the type of vehicles available — small sedans to large cargo trucks. The larger the vehicle, the larger the amount of explosive that can be used, resulting in a greater effect.

A growing technique in vehicle-borne IED attacks in Iraq has involved the use of multiple vehicles. The lead vehicle is used as a decoy or barrier buster. Once stopped or neutralized and with coalition forces starting to move to inspect or detain – the main VBIED comes crashing though and into the crowd before detonating; thus resulting in an increase of the casualty ratio.

The third type of IED, the suicide or human device, poses a different kind of threat to the soldiers. A “person-borne” suicide bomb usually employs a high-explosive and/or fragmentary effect and uses a switch or button detonation firing system, which the person activates by hand. Although the human-borne device is referred to as a suicide bomber, the goal is not to commit suicide but to kill and injure as many people as possible.

The number of blast-related injuries in the Iraq War is much higher than in previous wars and conflicts with most of the troops returning from Iraq suffering injuries caused by some type of explosive device. According to statistics provided by the Veterans Administration and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , 32% were injured by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 15% from grenades and 16% by fragments from IEDs and grenades. Gunshot wounds comprised only 13% of the total.

Those closest to the explosion experience what is known as a “primary blast injury” which can be very damaging. A primary blast injury is caused solely by the direct effect of blast overpressure on tissue. Air is easily compressible, unlike water. As a result, a primary blast injury almost always affects air-filled structures such as the lung, ear, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A “secondary blast injury” is caused by flying objects, such as shrapnel, that cause multiple penetrating wounds.

Even with the magnitude of IED-caused injuries, though, the wounded in Iraq have a much greater chance of surviving. In World War II, 30 percent of all injured troops died; 24 percent died in Vietnam. In Iraq, just 9 percent of the injured lose their lives. Improved body armor and advances in battlefield medicine have saved countless lives. Kevlar vests provide protection to the trunk but leave the limbs exposed. Thus, while the chest and abdomen are protected, arms and legs are left open to devastating injuries.

In addtion, today’s headgear offers greater protection against penetrating injuries. However, the headgear is not effective against closed-brain injuries that are the result of IED blasts which “shake” the brain within the skull. These injuries result in traumatic brain injuries or TBIs which can range from life-threatening to mild.

In 2005, Congress provided funding for the establishment of four polytrauma centers located at Richmond, Virginia; Tampa, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Palo Alto, California. While four polytrauma centers are a start, the enormity of the care and support our returning veterans will need is staggering.

In calculating the funding needed for his conquest of Iraq and establishing democracy in the Middle East, President Bush and his administration failed to consider just how damaging and devastating the injuries to our soldiers would be. With a higher survivial rate than ever before, being wounded in Iraq is just the beginning of what many times is a life-long struggle to recover.

The sacrifices that our soldiers are making should be uppermost on the minds of Americans, and those sacrifices should not be forgotten when they return home and need care. Every citizen who can speak out should be doing so to let his or her representative know that indifference to and inadequate care for our veterans will not be tolerated.

THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL – 25 YEARS LATER

On March 26, 1982, ground was formally broken for the Vietnam War Memorial – known to many of us as just “The Wall.” The Memorial Wall is made up of two black granite walls 246 feet 9 inches long, designed by Maya Ying Lin. The walls are sunk into the ground, with the earth behind them. At the high point where they meet, the Wall is a little over 10 feet high. The walls taper from the apex to a height of eight inches  at their extremities. Granite for the wall came from Bangalore, India and was deliberately chosen because of its reflective quality. All cutting and fabrication was done in Barre, Vermont.

One wall points toward the Washington Monument and the other in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial. Each wall has 72 panels, 70 listing names (numbered 1E through 70E and 70W through 1W) and 2 very small blank panels at the extremities. A pathway runs along the base of the Wall, where visitors walk, read the names, make a pencil rubbing of a particular name, or pray. Some people leave sentimental items there for their deceased loved ones, which are stored at the Museum and Archeological Regional Storage Facility.

The Three Soldiers (also known as The Three Servicemen) is a bronze statue on the Washington, DC National Mall commemorating the Vietnam War. The grouping consists of three young men, armed and dressed appropriately for the Vietnam War era, purposely identifiable as Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. It was designed to complement the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by adding a more traditional component. The statue was unveiled on Veterans Day, 1984.

The Wall serves as a moving tribute to those 58, 479 brothers and sisters who gave their lives during the Vietnam War. But for those who cannot make the trip to Washington, D.C., a smaller version of the Wall was created. The Moving Wall, also called the Traveling Wall, is one-half the size of the original wall and can be transported to cities and towns across the United States. Since its first appearance in 1984, the Moving Wall has visited more than 1,000 cities and towns.

The memories of the Vietnam War, as with all wars, will never leave us. The Wall provides a sense of completeness after so many years of bitter debate and discussion about the Vietnam War. I visited the Moving Wall in 2001 when it was set up at Highland Park Cemetary. And last September, after all the years of longing and hoping for a chance to see the original Wall, I made my first trip to Washington, D.C. I walked back and forth along the Wall, watching as others kneeled, cried, and gently touched the Wall. Conversations were hushed and words were softly spoken. The peace and calm I felt as I walked along the Wall instilled in me a sense of being home. The Wall had been on my mind and in my heart for all those years, and now I was there paying tribute to all those who had sacrificed their lives.

I touched the Wall for my first time last September, thinking back to classmates from South Whitley who had died. And of those who came home maimed, scarred, and disfigured, both physically and emotionally. I touched the Wall again and again as I walked along. And, when I finally walked away, I knew I would be back to touch the Wall again and again and again until I can no longer make the journey.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES – GOVERNOR DANIELS’ CHANGE OF HEART

So Governor Daniels has decided to back down from pursuing the Indiana Commerce Connector and the Illiani Expressway. His reason? Public support just wasn’t there. Seems to me the public support wasn’t there last year for the leasing of the Indiana Tollroad or Daylight Saving Time either. But Daniels sure didn’t give two cents about public opinion then.

The reason is obvious. Last year the House and the Senate were controlled by Republicans, and Daniels pretty much had his way even if some effort was required. This year, the House is controlled by the Democrats and the Senate is controlled by the Republicans. Yes, indeed, what a difference a year makes. I bet the Guv is fuming inside.

Of course, his “gracious” acceptance of the lack of support for the tollroad projects may be an attempt to demonstrate that he actually cares about public opinion. He may also be easing into that “Aw Shucks” good-old-boy with the patches-on-the-elbow sweater routine that served him so well in his first campaign. He effectively manipulated and fooled the majority of the voters in 2004 and will probably try to do so again in 2008. Any Hoosier in his or her right mind should be chanting, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

Daniels’ purpose appears to be to use Indiana as an experiement in privatization and as a possible springboard to a senatorial position if and when Senator Lugar retires. So, who is Mitch Daniels? Daniels moved to Indiana in 1959 at the age of 10. He finished high school at Indianapolis North Central and then skidaddled out of Indiana in what would become a history of non-residency. His post-high school college years were spent at Princeton where he received a deferment from military service, completing his degree in 1971.

He then returned to Indiana and joined Richard Lugar’s re-election campaign, later becoming Lugar’s principal assistant. When Lugar was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976, Daniels followed him to Washington, D.C. where he worked in various positions until 1987. He then returned to private life accepting a position with the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, in Indianapolis. In 1990, he joined the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical giant and rose in management to become senior vice president of corporate strategy and policy.

However, his days of absenteeism from Indiana were not over yet; in 2001 he became Director of the Office of Management and Budget. His 29-month tenure in that position oversaw a $236 billion dollar surplus turn into a $400 billion dollar deficit. Obviously his management of the office wasn’t much better than his prediction of the potential cost of the Iraqi War, telling The New York Times in an interview in 2003 that such a conflict with Iraq could cost $50 billion to $60 billion. The cost as of today is approaching $415,000,000,000 – just a slight miscalculation. After the budgetary fiasco, Daniels returned to Indiana in 2003 to plan his run for the governor’s office.

Armed with a pseudo-Hoosier persona, Daniels traveled the state in a white RV wearing plaid flannel shirts and getting “down” with the average folk. Staying at the homes of devoted Republicans, Daniels traversed the state in the RV visiting each county two or three times. What a shock his supporters must have had when the day after the election, he morphed into the well-heeled businessman that he so successfully hid during his campaign. And the surprises kept coming as he swiftly moved forward with his plan to privatize what ever stood in his way.

Mitch Daniels is just about to turn 58, and, of those 58 years, he has lived in Indiana 30 years – about 50% of the time. Imagine if employees tried to argue that 50% attendance was good enough for the workplace.

His positions with Eli Lilly surely did not afford him the opportunity to rub elbows with the average Hoosier, and his wealth, estimated at over $15,000,000, puts him at a distance from most Hoosier families even today.

His disdain toward our Hoosier heritage is clearly reflected in his refusal to live in the Governor’s mansion. He now has his Lawrence Township home up for sale, and the family’s new home has been under construction in the exclusive and gated Laurelwood community near 106th Street and Spring Mill Road in Hamilton County. Apparently he has decided to move the family to Carmel to a home “big enough for grandchildren.”

In 2008, we will again go to the polls to elect a governor. If Mitch Daniels chooses to run again, let’s hope that Hoosiers have learned their lessons, and the “My Man Mitch” slogan falls to the wayside and a “Not My Man Mitch” chant is heard loud and clear across the Hoosier state.