While campaigning to get on the ballot before 11 September 2001, I explicitly, persistently recommended, as part of my platform, in writing (and orally) specific improvements which, had they been adopted, would have saved many lives and prevented destruction of much government property. For example, the following, explicit, campaign suggestions for improving government were still on the Alan J. Munn Web site on 10 September 2001 (in other words, before the 11 September 2001 terrorist murders).
(There is a conclusion at the end of this incompetence section.)
The Web site's verbatim suggestion was: "Not only is the fire department's staff ignorant of where moving FDNY vehicles are, the department's staff can't communicate with firefighters in moving vehicles. The fire department (FDNY) should have a computer system which allows FDNY dispatchers to automatically know where all fire department vehicles are at all times, especially when the vehicles are moving. Also, dispatchers should be able to have full duplex, two-way conversations with firefighters in any vehicle. Firefighters in any vehicle should be able to have full duplex, two-way conversations with firefighters in any other vehicle."
After nine eleven, consultant McKinsey & Company recommended to the New York City government in "McKinsey Report - Increasing FDNY's Preparedness". New York City is the biggest city in America. The city government, including the FDNY, has a huge, bloated budget. There are many gifted people in the city. FDNY is not the fire department of a finanically poor, isolated village. Therefore, that McKinsey was asked to be a Monday morning quarterback for the FDNY is sad because it correctly implies that McKinsey has more fire expertise than does the FDNY. It should be the other way around: it someone asks a McKinsey consultant what qualifies him to evaluate the work of a fire department, he should say, for example, that he used to be a high-ranking, FDNY executive. Sadly, being a high-ranking, FDNY executive does not qualify a person to expertly evaluate any multi-county organization which serves severasl million people, not even the FDNY. Running FDNY well would require as much technical education as running NASA, CDC (Centers for Disease Control), or a modern, big, medical center. Few of the top fifty staff at NASA used to be astronauts. Few of the top fifty staff at most, medern, big medical centers used to work in an ambulance. Expertly running a big city's fire departmetn differs much from running a fire house.
As far as I know, the city government still (14 July 2008) has not followed my advice above.
The web site's verbatim suggestion was: "Right now (March 24, 2001), the NYPD has a "Car 54, where are you?" problem. The NYPD should have a computer system which allows NYPD dispatchers to automatically know where all NYPD vehicles are at all times, especially when the vehicles are moving. Also, dispatchers should be able to have full duplex, two-way conversations with cops in any vehicle. Cops in any vehicle should be able to have full duplex, two-way conversations with cops in any other vehicle."
The city government still (14 July 2008) has not followed the advice above.
The Web site's verbatim suggestion was: "The World Trade Center and Javits Convention Center should be privately owned and operated."
Had my above advice been followed, thirty-seven PAPD officers (that number from former URL our.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/portauthority.html) probably would not have died on 11 September 2001. The only reason so many officers were there during the two attacks was that the Port Authority owned the WTC.
Incidentally, a government agency having an office building complex built for private tenants in Manhattan, then owning and operaring that complex, is an example of bringing coals to Newcastle.
The Web site's verbatim suggestion was:
"At present (23 March 2001), the Court of Claims at the WTC leases a suite on part of one floor of an office building.
....
The Court of Claims should move to a place with lower rent."
Incidentally, had my advice been followed, three Court of Claims officers (captain William "Harry" Thompson, senior court officer Thomas Jurgens, and senior court officer Mitchel S. Wallace) probably would not have died on 11 September 2001. Of the many pseudo-experts who give unsolicited, specific advice to governments, few can name dead people who probably would be alive if the advice had been followed.
More auxiliary cops (unpaid, unarmed, part-time, volunteer cops) would have been useful for many emergency activities; for example: helping people quickly get out of and away from the WTC, and in searching for survivors in the WTC rubble. More auxiliary cops would have saved lives. The Web site's verbatim suggestion was: "The city should make much more use of volunteers (for example: auxiliary police ...)."
Before 11 September 2001, all of the above suggestions, and other suggestions, were publicized by posting on Alan J. Munn's Web site (as well as by Alan J. Munn's public speaking in the Queens Borough of New York City, by handing out printed material door-to-door in the Queens Borough of New York City, and by sending postal mail to people in the New York City region). Nevertheless, local, Port Authority (PANYNJ), state, and federal government officials failed to properly prrotect New Yorkers from terrorist murder. That is why, after the 11 September 2001 attacks, Congress passed a special law to protect the Port Authority from legal liability to its victims. Government officials continue to fail to properly warn or protect Americans from terrorist murder. Pseudo-experts often needlessly frighten Americans with false alarms, warnings and threat assessments. Many pseudo-experts have gone from the extreme of no warning when they should have given one (namely, on 10 September 2001, the day before the 11 September murders) to the opposite extreme: many false alarms. Those who offer advice to minimize damage of terrorist attack should first disclose what explicit, written advice they gave on 10 September 2001 (the day before September 11th).
Below is a copy of a letter mass-mailed to peopel in Queens (New York City) before 11 September 2001.
Below is an enlarged copy of the terrorism-related part of the letter.
|
web www.ajmunn.com
On lit des Français.
|