Friday, February 15, 2008

Another Bush Glitch!


It turns out the Food and Drug Administration did not inspect a Chinese plant providing a key ingredient in Baxter's heparin medication. They refer to this oversight as a "glitch". Quality problems are significant and widespread in our world today. From Chinese manufacturers to the Bush Executive department, numerous examples of poor quality can be found. The New York Times had this to say about its latest expression:

“It was obviously a glitch” that the drug, heparin, produced and sold by Baxter International, was approved for sale without a plant inspection, said Karen Riley, an F.D.A. spokeswoman. The agency does not know who was at fault, and it is still “preparing to send inspectors over there,” Ms. Riley said.

Peter Barton Hutt, a former top lawyer for the agency, said that since 1980 it has had a policy requiring that plants be inspected before drugs are approved for sale.

It turns out the Chinese didn't check out the plant either. This provides me the opportunity to share my published poem with the same title.

Glitches

What word suffices when processes fail?
When leaders err
When they show their tail?

Something changed their perfect plan
Mucked it up, gummed it up
Such that intended perfection can’t run.

What evil creature would do this dastardly deed?
It must be one that can’t be seen.
Has anyone really seen a glitch?

One can usually spy the tail end of a fleeing snitch
And definitely feel one’s nose going twitch
But what of the seemingly frequent but invisible glitch?

It dashed in as seniors began Medicare Prescription coverage
It stopped air passengers at the gate as planes hovered

The glitch infected clocks trying to extend the day
In Houston it even gave teachers unearned bonus pay

In war, the glitch thrives
Wrongful enemy identification costs numerous lives

The FBI post 9-11 had thousands of glitches
As agents galore looked through citizen’s britches

One act in Iraq caused my jaw to hit the floor
The glitch even took some $8 billion, walking out the door

Yes, leader’s fail their people when they blame glitches
It makes them look more like sniveling snitches
Trying to make their way out of self dug ditches