Now, notice how in the count room nobody ever seems to see anything. Somehow, somebody’s always lookin’ the other way. Now, look at these guys. They look busy, right? They’re countin’ money. Who wants to bother them? I mean, God forbid they should make a mistake and forget to steal. — Casino

Ever notice how quiet a lot of politicians are for the first year or so after an election?  Things go back to “go along to get along”, nobody makes waves, and we get hosed.  Then, just as the election cycle revs back up,  a few soapboxes are set up, a line forms behind them, and members of both parties take turns standing on them and spraying the crowd with their own special blend of 64 insults and refutations.  Either way, not much that needs doing gets done, but a lot of smoke and noise is created, and it’s used as cover to do things that would never happen if they got doused with a little sunshine.

What I want is a politician who hits the ground running the day after they’re elected, never stops but for water and a protein bar, and isn’t afraid to spit in the eye of anyone who gets in their way.  It helps if I agree with them, but I can respect someone who is actually trying to work in the interests and wishes of the people who voted them in even if we don’t agree.

That goes double if you’ve served more than a couple of terms in your current job, and more than a couple decades overall.  I’m not advocating for formal term limits, but there should be a social taboo against being in office for your entire career.

Schmidt, the Hangman: [During Duffy’s speech to the crowd] You haff last request?
Cigar smoking prisoner: [Spitting out cigar] Yeah, tell him to shut up and let’s get this over with.

— Hang ‘Em High

There comes a time that all the planning, motivating, informing, empowering, and whatever-ing that is going to happen, has happened.  I call this time “GET ON WITH IT!”.  It’s a serene state where those who have been slowly suffering under a burden of unnecessary talking finally get to cry havoc and let slip the dogs of productivity.  It’s usually when everyone notices that deadlines are fast approaching, most of the budget has been spent on non-productive drivel, and the 20% that does 80% of the work earns their pay.

Hawthorne: I wouldn’t have thought bravery would be a problem for you.
Charles Remington: Well, you hope each time it won’t be… But you never really know.

— The Ghost and the Darkness

There was a situation when I was stationed in Germany where wounded women, children, and old people from Sarajevo were evacuated to a military hospital.  Since the doctors didn’t speak Serbo-Croat and little children don’t tend to speak English, a group of linguists was sent to provide what help we could translating.  Some of the issues were pretty routine, including one poor woman who was in labor almost from the moment the plane touched down.  Some, however, were pretty bad.  This is when I saw something that I had never seen before and have only seen a few times since.  Some people who were normally squared away and brave fell apart, while a few people, who we had all rolled our eyes at when they got into the van for the trip north, were absolute wonders.

What I guess I’m trying to say is that you never can tell, especially when something new pops up.  One of the people who had a really hard time with that assignment was one of the few intel people I ever knew with a “V” device for valor on a Gulf War I decoration.  He stood up to being shot at, but the sight of suffering children threw him for a loop.  One of the ladies I considered a waste of a good uniform turned into a mama bear, worked unbelievably long hours in bad situations, and made a big difference to those kids and their families.