Motivations

Several comments to recent posts have posed the question: What motivated Pinky & Gussie to run this blog? First things first: Pinky started this blog -- it is his. Pinky will have to speak for himself about his own motivations, and I'm sure he eventually will.

As for myself, I'm helping out here because Pinky said he needed the help. I told him "No!" at first. And at second. But eventually I got into the spirit of things.

What is that, you ask?

Well, in no particular order:

* A strong abhorance of UC, and any vestigial odor of their residual managerial presence at LANL, which, due to DOE's awarding of the contract to LANS, is unfortunately abundant,

* A strong dislike of Bechtel, DOE, and their collective plan to turn LANL into a pit production facility at any cost, and

* A fervent hatred of the managerial incompetence that has become the hallmark of LANL. As to my particulars, which were also questioned:

I retired in 2005 after a long time at LANL, because I (correctly) perceived that UC had no intentions nor any desire to correct the problems in the LANL management infrastructure that had led up to the Nanos melt-down.

Why am I still helping to maintain this blog?

Good question. I'd have to say that my summary reason would be an abhorrent, fascinated compulsion. Take the "Hispanic" post, and the comments it garnered as an example. I'm still here because I just can't *wait* to see what new insights into the underbelly of Los Alamos culture will become exposed to the rest of the world (that portion that still cares enough to take a voyeuristic glimpse, at least). Racism; elitism; corporate profiteering at its absolute worst has been abundently demonstrated on that post. These are now undeniable components of Los Alamos society.

Now that I've been out in the real world for a couple of years, I've noticed that outside of a 200-mile radius of Los Alamos, nobody much knows nor cares what goes on at LANL and Los Alamos. This active blog community, therefore, is by definition a cross-section of LANL culture, exposed to the world. I await with morbid fascination the words that will be coming out of your mouths next.

When I get tired, or totally disgusted with what I see, then I'll bail and leave Pinky to haul the garbage on his own. I'd hate to do that to him, because he is a friend, but when enough is enough, that is exactly what I will do.

--Gussie