Former Transportation Secretary Noman Mineta has an
op-ed in the Post today, in which he
tries to remind us that at one point, he was doing important
things:
A few years ago, I led a U.S.
delegation to Bangkok for a high-level meeting on aviation
safety.
Yes, Secretary Mineta. Of course you led the delegation. And of
course it was a high-level meeting. That's cool, but it was still
on aviation safety. Anyway, here's the exposition:
At the end of the meeting, the
Thai transportation minister brought up an issue that had not been
on our agenda.
[Dramatic music: Duh duh duh] Mein Gott! The plot thickens!
"What I really need to talk with
you about is road safety," he said. "This is such a huge problem
for us."
If there was ever a moment where supporting Ron Paul seemed like a
valid stance, it's contained in this op-ed. Sec. Mineta's area of
expertise is transportation, so it makes sense to have him talking
about it, but it seems a bit of a stretch to suggest that among the
greatest problems facing the third world, a pernicious threat is a
driver who fails to indicate.
The gap in road safety between
developed countries and transitional countries is
widening.
Norm has never taken a cab in Rome.
If current trends continue and we
leave developing nations to turn this around by themselves, as many
as 100 million lives worldwide could be lost to road injuries
before this epidemic begins to reverse course.
Does this not seem a bit out of proportion? Local villagers face
chaos in the streets, and rather than turn to local government, or
having local government seek out the answers on their own, they
turn to Norm Mineta who then takes a solemn oath that no one will
ever again get cut off in a complicated intersection?
Don't we still face a problem with countries that think it's
okay to force abortions, to develop nuclear weapons, or, uhm, to
chop women's heads off for showing their faces?
topics:
Transportation, Abortion, Nuclear Weapons
