25 Days til the course is complete

The Public Affairs Course has been long - so long - too long. Almost done now. It's been a real mix of the amazing, the mundane and the juvenile. If I can hang on - stay the course, when it's done I will finally be free of the military training world. A double back dated promotion has been promised, but I am so used to being let down, betrayed and ripped off by the CF system. Expectations are not high. With a rip roaring 3 years left to serve before retirment. What a glorious military career. Hopefully I can complete the MA thesis by Christmas. Counting down now to retirement and hopefully the start of a PhD somewhere interesting. If I can just get through the next month . . . .

Back in high school - and it's more infantile than ever

Hmmm - thinking out loud. I am on a 6 month course in Ottawa right now. The course is a pilot one based on an exciting vision for a public affairs officer. The officers driving the vision, however, are not necessarily the ones delivering the course material so there is a growing disconnect between the vision, which I love and am well suited to, and the day to day approach to learning. The vision sees a public affairs officer as a combination political officer, journalist, media liaison, operational advisor and instructor. A fascinating Jack/Jill of trades well suited to the vision for the evolving role of the military at home and abroad. I love it. Sadly many of the students see the job as little more than a journailist, some simply as a no brainer slacker job (are they in for a surprise). Conduct in the class often degrades to that of a grade nine class on a bad day and the petty back stabbing that goes on is downright infantile. Most of the instructors associated with the school are still tightly bound to the more tradtional view of the public affairs officer as a conservative/reactive staff position whose primary, dare I say exclisive role is to act as a kind of media liaison between their base/CO and the local, regional or national media.

117 days to go. Sad. I have waited for this course for over 6 years. I am very well suited to this job and would do this work past retirement if the organization was showing any sign of progressing past its current state of affairs. I am totally disillusioned with the order of things, or lack of same, lack of cohesive vision and integrity. Too many march exclusively to the urgent drum beat of their own career agenda without a care for the greater or corporate vision or intergity. This is so small minded and short sighted. Sigh. 117 days to go.

Justice and the Cost of Principles

The past few years have required that I wrestle with a large government organization (and my employer) on a variety of issues that included violations of their own regulations and Charter aspects of Canadian laws. Years ago I was obliged to do the same in a difficult divorce. In both instances I have found that justice seems to be reserved for the party with the deepest pockets. On one occasion when discussing my divorce the last lawyer in a string of 6 assigned by legal aid actually told me I would have been better off to have shot my ex as then I would have been afforded a decent criminal lawyer at the Crowns expense, even if I only wounded him. (it's ok we are friends now - it was a long time ago)

The lawyer I was obliged to hire in my struggle to find fairness and equitable treatment in the CF told me that principles were expensive. Perhaps this is a naive notion, but I am of the opinion that it is more expensive in the long run to be without principles. In any event, it turns out he suffered from a shortage of ethical principles himself. He first failed to research my case properly, in spite of being provided the resources to do so, then misrepresented and mocked me in court, and finally charged me more than the agreed fees. My case was never heard on its merits (I have since won on my own) yet I am still paying him for doing a lousy job. In this regard he was right. His absence of principles was, for me, very costly. Is this justice or simply a lucrative and unethical business in justice manipulation?

First ever blog . . . Leap

This blog was set up simply so I could follow the adventures of my friend Laura http://loneliestcanadian.blogspot.com/ who has moved to Namibia.

Sadly it is not yet my turn for adventure as I have first to complete my MA thesis www.mywrdwrx.com and wind up my day job sometime by 2012. Retirement has an ominous sound to it - like a kind of slow leak to a flat tire. Much better to think in terms of starting a third career. If life keeps having new beginnings it cannot really end now can it. It simply evolves. Eventually, no doubt, it will evolve past recognition. But that's fine too.

Later