Maybe. At least to me it is. I am so furious about this whole Brittany Zimmerman/911 debacle that my head is about to explode. This tragedy has been made only worse by the County’s reaction to the possibility that they may have really screwed up. How hard is it to admit wrongdoing? Why is everyone so afraid of it? I am so angry with Kathleen Falk for not firing John Norwick that I will not vote for her again. Well, we all know I probably wouldn’t have anyway, given what she did to Peg and the people of Wisconsin. But this is really it. As in most grand-scale debacles, it’s not the actual mistake that has me so angry (that has me incredibly sad), but it’s the cover-up. How dare he say that no apology is necessary? And how dare he act as if the police couldn’t have done anything with the information in the phone call? And what about this whole sending the police on a wild goose chase while they pursued the callers who called the 911 center after Brittany? This is really a royal mess and I just wish someone would stand up and take some responsibility for it.
And the thing is, this is so damn common. If Clinton had just admitted to the affair, there would have been no impeachment. I’m not sure the same can be said for the whole Watergate fiasco, but it was certainly escalated in its severity due to the cover-up. And Sarayu, you know how I feel about your cover-ups. Geesh, folks, let’s just learn from this and, when caught, admit what we’ve done.
On another note, how insulting is it that Otto’s keeps posting for a server position several times over months now when they pretended they were going to hire me and didn’t?
life and puppies 
I do feel like the way Falk and Norwick have been handling this is ridiculous. They both have come off as very cold and presumptuous and not wanting, as you say, to take responsibility for mistakes. Although I do have sympathy for the woman who made the mistake, I do not have sympathy for the rest of them.
That being said, though, don’t you think it’s hard to admit mistakes and take responsibility for them? I know that people in supervisory and elected roles need to be able to do this, and it seems ridiculous when they don’t. It is part of their job to be responsible. But, I know that the first instinct when I (and Sarayu, apparently) make a mistake (in the very rare instance that it happens:) ) is to wish it away, and then wish that no one finds out about it. So, I can just see the temptation for cover-ups. Not that these people should succomb to temptation like I do, as, as said, it is their job to be responsible.
But, you’re right in that they should have learned by now that cover-ups just make it worse for every one involved, especially for the people doing the covering up!
Have you talked to Otto’s again? I think Dobhan is hiring. May not be worth your while, but they do have somewhat expensive food.
I am not talking to Otto’s again. After four or five phone calls, I am taking their subtle hint. I had an interview yesterday at L’Etoile for a host position. Ugh. And an interview tomorrow at Vin Santo. Meanwhile, I am really hoping the law school will pull through for me and allow me to teach legal writing in the fall. That would be the best option because a) it would be cool to teach and something I’ve always wanted to try and b) I may be able to regain some pride.
Ok, but to your point on admitting your mistakes. I totally agree that our instincts are to cover it up and move on. And I’m not really disparaging that. What I’m truly objecting to is when you are caught, red-handed in a serious situation and you continue to bungle around trying to cast the blame elsewhere, or pretend that everything is fine. It’s at this point, at the least, you need to say mea culpa and figure out what went wrong, and how to avoid it again. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s inevitable. And I’m certainly not trying to hold myself out there as perfect in the way I handle them, because I know I am the furthest thing from it. But when Kathleen Falk says, “It’s not useful to play armchair quarterback,” even given that she probably meant Monday morning quarterback, I find it infuriating. Of course it’s useful. How else are we going to fix what went wrong? And it also seems so arrogant to suggest that the press, or God forbid the people, question her version of events or seek more information.
Cover ups? What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
I totally agree, I really think the best way to put out most fires is just to be honest, and come clean. People always know when you’re not telling the truth anyway, so it’s just embarrassing for everyone involved. It’s very “Emperor’s New Clothes.” I mean the guy had to know deep down that he was naked. No matter what the town and the tailor said. Mortifying.
A friend of mine just lost a job because he said on his application that he had graduated college. He hadn’t told anyone that he never did, not even his parents. He went to school in Montreal, where graduation is in June, but he’d already gotten a job in NY so his parents never questioned it. Cut to 8 years later. He’d been working at this new job as the Senior VP of Creative Advertising at a big studio for one year. The HR department had done a bg check and contacted him a number of times and he never cam clean. He kept saying he would look into it until finally he was forced to admit that he had never graduated. It was so silly because he didn’t need it for the job, it was just his ego which caused him to completely panic and ultimately lose his job.
He’s at another job now and everything seems to be fine. He’s been humbled quite a bit, which I think was called for, but if that’s not a lesson learned, I don’t know what is.
As for my cover ups, of which I can’t think of any, at least I’m good at the coming clean part. 🙂
You are. That’s true. And I just want to keep encouraging that. And at the risk of repeating myself, which I know I’m doing so I guess I’m just repeating myself and it’s not really risky, I’m not suggesting people run around blabbing about their mistakes all the time. But if he had just explained the situation — esp when it didn’t matter to the job — then perhaps he’d still be working there and it would have been more of an amusing story instead of the story of a fraud who was busted. And if John Norwick had just said, “Let me look into this. I realize it doesn’t sound good.” Instead of, “What? Mistakes? Us? Never! And we will never apologize! And that girl could not have been saved! And there’s no way we could have ever found her! And it’s really the fault of the police and everyone else” Then the situation would be radically different and it’d be easier to have some faith in the systems.