Please remove your shoes, Mr. Secretary
February 2nd, 2007
In Washington, DC, we have a different kind of celebrity sighting. While we don’t get to see too much of Britney, Paris or Lindsay in the Nation’s Capital (something for which I am completely and totally grateful), current and former national political leaders abound in our region. And occasionally, not often but every once in a while, we get the chance to see these historic figures doing the same things all of us mere mortals do all the time.
I had this experience on Wednesday in the security line at Dulles Airport. There, a few people in front of me, was former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, removing his shoes to go through screening. Secretary Christopher, who is now 81 years old, was very well-dressed and obviously vigorous, which is excellent news. As a political junkie, it was kind of cool to see him in person, but I couldn’t help but wonder why there isn’t a special security line he could use. (Call it the Premium Public Figures Line.) I mean, I really don’t want to see any former senators, congressmen or cabinet secretaries taking their shoes off at the airport. Seeing important people in their stocking feet spoils any admiration I might feel for them and service to our country, especially when they droop. (The socks, that is, not the important people.)
I also saw former Transportation secretary and White House chief of staff Andy Card walking through baggage claim last night. Fortunately, he still had his shoes on.
If you're new here, I hope you will consider subscribing to the P.I. Blog. Just click on this link to add it to your RSS reader. You can also receive e-mail updates by subscribing via the box located on the blog itself. Thanks for visiting!
Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, Random Thoughts
Ben Martin and P.I.
Association exec Ben Martin, CAE is P.I.’s Architect of Participation. Jeff and Ben help clients harness the power of the Web through the strategic application of social tools.
The AST Executive Summary
The executive summary of the groundbreaking Association Social Technologies survey project is now available for download! The full report will be available in October.
