A. Book (Sonofsaf: odd, oh biography)
book cover
published on the internet as a blog entry on 9-2-11
sonofsaf.com
U.S. copyright pic
Laid the groundwork and provided a written, substantive account of what my intentions were. I wrote and edited it mostly over the 2011 summer. The book was supposed to be about the AGS, but only one chapter would have made for a boring read, so I chose to embellish it with chapters on art, labor, leisure, music, people, politics, religion, sports and a promotional brochure. It's just an unusual autobiography filled with bizarre, but true stories. Easy 3 hour read. Unlike the majority of writers, I had no interest in trying to profit, so I just threw it up on the internet. There were also larger, more substantive moral issues regarding its content.
B. Meetings w/ Burgoyne & the FBI
(Interview with Burgoyne)
Explanation of meeting with Burgoyne (1-15-12). Interview. He told me he wished more people would take an interest in things like this.
Then, I went to the FBI on 2-22-12 (footage of shiny brand new building in a shattered, decrepit downtown Wheeling) and informed the field representative that I would be disseminating my concerns to the DHS, FCC, DOE and university leadership. He listened but seemed mostly indifferent. "What do you want me to do about this?" was the question he kept asking. I asked him "what will you be doing about this?" He responded, "when this meeting is over, I'll write a report covering our discussion and send it up the chain." "Can I get a copy?" His response... no. I ran into him months later at the annual Ogden 20K and informed him of my progress. Having just completed a challenging half marathon, he was in a great deal of pain and didn't have much to say. I would characterize his level of interest as slightly annoyed and somewhat standoffish. Curt but courteous.
C. Letters sent on March 1, 2012 (university leadership, DHS, FCC, DOE)
17 written responses in the time frame of March 1 > April 20, 2012
University of Cincinnati
University of Missouri
Clemson University
University of Virginia *
Virginia Tech *
Rutgers *
Eastern Michigan University *
University of Nebraska *
University of Southern California
San Jose State University *
University of Oregon
University of New Mexico
The Ohio State University
University of Washington *
Duke University
US Army West Point*
University of Georgia
* - denotes the use of my term "Artificially Generated Stampede."
Why would a distinguished, educated individual use the term AGS? A term he/she was completely unfamiliar with. The term "artificially generated stampede" is entirely my own. Chances are they reviewed the material and made a conscious decision to use that term. Even though no such term officially exists.
Phone calls from various people with a wide range of concerns. They all seemed concerned regarding the issues I had raised. They wanted to know what I knew. It's my opinion that they had never been exposed to the concept of the AGS.
Air Force & Dept. of Education responses
Why would the Superintendent Lt. General specifically praise me for having the "courage to step forward" and bring this matter to his attention? Likely because, from a military perspective, he understands the negative consequences of potential real world action.
Why did the DOE respond? It's my contention that this letter was never supposed to have been written, let alone sent. There exists a massive bureaucracy designed to protect those at the highest levels. Being physically briefed on every hypothetical is not going to happen, because if something unanticipated happens, guess who gets the blame. Guess which administration would be held accountable. Guess whose administration just went down the tubes. Don't underestimate the power of the "Bin Laden determined to strike in America" memo. The general population didn't handle that too well. I can guess they'd be even less receptive in the aftermath of the dominipede. You meant to tell me that everyone knew about this and nobody did ANYTHING??? Not only that, but they were purposely NOT informed. And it wouldn't have even cost them anything?
Why the DOE response - probably because they rarely deal with hypothetical national security issues, as does the FBI, FCC and DHS. Even still, the response was very far down the chain of leadership - certainly an attempt to insulate and/or shield the Secretary from inaction should an AGS occur on his watch. His official title speaks volumes.
The Dept. of Education does flex its muscle from time to time. Makes you wonder if they would fine a university in the event of a stampede. What constitutes the precise amount of time for "warning people in a timely fashion."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhd9B0JrmZM
CBS news (0:00 - :16)
D. Letters sent on April 20, 2012 (university leadership follow-up)
At this juncture, sensing the U.S. govt. would not take a legitimate proactive approach, I omitted them from future correspondence.
7 responses
University of Texas at El Paso
The Ohio State University
Clemson University
US Army West Point*
University of Virginia*
Penn State*
University of Wisconsin*
E. Letters sent on May 1, 2012 (ALL NFL owners, Roger Goodell, 6 auto racing reps)
no responses
observations - disappointment, especially in the face of the Atlanta owners meeting. An exact opposite course of action was set in motion, likely predicated on concerns about money and the fan experience, with no regard for safety. Talking points from the owners meeting.
On WiFi fan initiative:
The initiative is to get WiFi in all of our stadiums both for mobile devices including telephony. We want to make sure fans when they come into our stadiums don’t have to shut down – they can bring their devices. We want them to have access to the same amount of information, have access to our RedZone channel, have access to highlights, and be able to engage in social media including Fantasy Football. When you come to our stadiums, we want to make it a great experience. That is what it is about.
On how much that would cost and how expansive that would be:
That is the trick. We want to put it in all 31 stadiums. We want to make sure the same service is provided and the same technology is there for the fans. The costs vary from the different proposals we have. It is part of the reason we are looking for new technology partners that can help us address what I consider pretty complex problems.
On if it is realistic to expect it to be in for 2012:
No. It is possible we could get a stadium or two stadiums in, but it is a pretty big undertaking.
On if he would want them all to launch at the same time:
Not necessarily. We have talked about a pilot. We have talked about New Orleans – we are in New Orleans this year having the Super Bowl there. That might be a good start. But there are several teams that are very aggressive in this area that have some very good technology available in their stadiums. We are learning from that, and our fans are engaging with it, which is the best news for us.
Currently, there is one stadium operating with comprehensive wifi access. Gillette Stadium in Foxorough, MA. Expectations for wifi in all 31 stadiums by 2015 is the current objective. It's my contention that if you seek to put in place "the wifi-living room experience" for every ticketholder in every NFL stadium, with it comes a moral obligation to warn people of the potential downside.
F. Letters sent on June 20, 2012 (to the pool of 30 individuals who responded to my concerns)
2 responses
Virginia Tech*
The Ohio State University
3rd piece of correspondence from Gordon Gee, President of OSU. As an overseer of one of the biggest stadiums in the country, I applaud him taking a hands on approach. The only person to respond to ALL 3 of my letters.
G. Letters sent July 10, 2012 (directly elected representatives)
Erikka Storch meeting. Interview.
Senator Joe Manchin*
WV Dept. of Military Affairs and Public Safety (Joe Thornton) response
observations
VI. Observations about my letter writing campaign in its entirety
It took courage and integrity to respond to my letters. I applaud those who acted professionally as my concerns were difficult to comprehend and virtually impossible to adequately address. I imagine there were many who wanted to engage, but came to the conclusion that there words might someday come back to haunt them. They might have surmised it to be a fishing expedition. And they would have been correct. Please understand - those who decided to respond or contact me are worthy of great respect, not scorn or ridicule. This is a challenging issue. And trying to find a reasonable solution, results in other issues surfacing.
VII. moral imperative to make a documentary
Director of National Center for Sports Safety and Security Lou Marciani initiated contact. He was unfamiliar with the concept. He seemed focused on mitigation strategies. I tried to explain that this wasn't a good overriding strategy. Unless of course, you can execute that same strategy wherever there's a large crowd - at every rock concert, every state fair, political convention, megachurch, baseball game, arena event, etc. There is a place for mitigation, but it would have to work in tandem with a larger awareness campaign. He ultimately told me, "What you did was important. You did a good job in bringing this matter to everyone's attention. But in the end he said, "Well, there's only so much you can do. You can't solve all the world's problems." He said this because it's incredibly difficult to reprogram human behavior. And while I agree with that particular notion, it's my contention that we do not have a choice in the matter. The only moral choice is to be proactive. We must try.
I refuse to accept a defeatist mindset. In my mind, the dominipede is an unacceptable outcome along the scale of 9/11. Therefore, I have chosen to act. So here's what I have done...
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