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My thoughts over the past 8 years could fill a Ryder rental truck. None of them very optimistic or positive, when it comes to twig. But this writing and our view should go beyond the symptoms and try to address the cause(s). Sure, a sea change always catches some unaware, and many drown. This tectonic shift may result in an entirely different world economy, a new map, and new ways of doing things. Just look at the governors anxious to grab some "rescue" money and to build more ROADS! Unbelievable. Preposterous. Always thinking of how we did things in the 1950s (just before our civilization peaked), and eager to keep "the party" going. The question is do we apply a tourniquet, a cast, or choose amputation? That is the triage that is likely to become necessary; and we had better hope the surgeon is an elected person (but not an Illinois governor), instead of a camouflage-clad nut from northern Idaho or a Bible-swallowing maniac from Waco. The moral decay evident in this country and perhaps through most of the world lies beneath nearly all our problems -- always has been. We have much to show for 10,000 years of "progress" and "prowess," but in truth we are pretty much the same beings we were then. Here in the USA, where what one HAS became vastly superior in so many minds to what one does or IS, we showed real "leadership" over the past four decades or so. I truly am convinced that the canary died in our coal mine on November 22, 1963. A very imperfect chief executive was removed by a group of even more corrupt, cynical, misguided, IMMORAL people. Our faith in common solutions has suffered since. As for me, I HATE a "DIY" world. So in 2000 and 2004 the American electorate chose not to seat a President smarter than it was. It did anyway. The vast majority of THE BLAME is to be found IN THE MIRROR.
