Sunday, May 1, 2011

Unnatural Overreaction

In the rock opera, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Pontius Pilate had a dream. He dreamed of an amazing man, a sad man, with a “haunting, hunted” look. Despite his best efforts, Pilate can not get the man to tell him what is bothering him. As the dream shifts Pilate sees the man being killed by a mob. As the dream’s fog finally clears he sees millions crying for the man and blaming him, Pilate for his death. Of course the Holy Bible says it was Pilate’s wife who had the dream. What sort of significance can the husbands of the world attach to that?

Old Pilate was a governor of sorts, charged with responsibility for keeping order and collecting taxes. Little is actually known about him and many scholars believe he was nothing more than a biblical allegory. In any case, rather than risk an uprising Pilate agrees to the violent demands of a very small but well organized mob and hands Our Lord over to be murdered. Angry mobs kill innocent people, destroy property and generally spread fear so it could be said Pilate erred on the side of caution. Ironically, it seems Pilate subscribed to an old Hebrew proverb that says, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” (No, it did not come from Star Trek.)

So what’s it got to do with safety?
Often people and governments react to small seemingly insignificant things and miss the big picture. Referred to as a, “Knee Jerk Reaction,” they result in sweeping legislation and regulations costing billions, serving almost no one and occasionally causing great harm. As a Catholic one of my favorites has to be the Roe v Wade decision. No matter which side you come down on philosophically the law ignores the rights of the weak (the unborn) in favor of the strong.

Another group that burns my bacon is what I call, the “have your cake and eat it too crowd.” Screaming for the rights of homosexuals on the one hand while at the same time demanding a return to all “natural” foods and life styles.  Huge irony there!  Hey, if we are going all natural, I want them to bring back asbestos. It is still the best insulator there is and all you have to do is just dig it up. Slip on an impervious suit and appropriate respirator and once it is sealed properly it perfectly safe and lasts forever!

A discussion of asbestos brings me to group three, what I call the, “Greed Breeders.” You would call them plaintiff lawyers, for them asbestos is big business. There is even a boat in our marina named, “Asbest There Is.” These creeps hide their massive greed behind the facade of “protecting” the rights of the injured. In 95% of all such cases, their clients caused their own injuries or illnesses by ignoring safety rules. Ever wonder why gasoline costs so much, insurance costs are so high or medical fees are out of site? Well, that is why.

If legislators and courts really want to know where the dangers are their best bet is to consult a safety professional. I know a whole bunch of good ones.

Sitting in a rocker at the Old Place, I am,

Col. Jim