The snail pace's of development. Incredible ideas out there, but no seeming way to get
in-volved. Done working at the airport. Thank God. As great as it could be (re: the pragmatic visionary-ism of Radical Middle, 2% Solution, The Opportunity) it is still in many ways a back-breaking fallen world. The monotony, the anomie of it all. The specter of Empire, of Techne, the relentless flatenning drive of instrumental reason, corporate conglomeration. All have had their (limited) place. All can be worked with in a very good, balanced, sane way. Still, it's a broken, rough world.

This is a very crucial moment and our leadership (of both so-called political parties) is failling us. Both more concerned about strategic short term victories, stoking their so-called bases and ponying up to their lobbyists/fund raisers to do any real work. Very few shinning lights stand out (McCains, Bidens and so on).

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown alone seem to understand what is needed for Europe. Chirac and Schroeder continue their long decline into oblivion. The Far Right continues to gain strength in Europe--raising the old fearsome ghosts...anti-Semitism (of both Jews and Arabs, or did we forget Jews and Arabs are both Semites).

Iran is probably the scariest. The administration has to ratchet up the pressure on them. It's pretty much clear in my mind that they are building a bomb. What the hell do we do about that though? Invade Iran? Regime Change? Exactly how is that going to happen? Are we going to round up every ayatollah, mullah, and Shia Cleric? Invade a country far more prosperous, populous, and enormous with the Rumsfieldian Doctrine of "Do it on the Cheap and Crappy."

How many insurgents are there in Iraq? 50,000? 75? 100? You don't think Hezbollah and a few groups could raise that kind of an insurgency in Iran? Ethnically and religiously homogenous Iran?

To my mind the "Supreme Council of the Wise" or whatever they call themselves saw the writing on the wall. They are part of the (unfortunately named) Axis of Evil. One member of that triad has nukes and is left basically untouched (North Korea). One did not--though we claimed they were making them--and was uprooted. Solution--get some nukes. What else? Now, it appears that Iran was already underway with their operation pre the Axis of Evil speech, but that did nothing but accelerate the progress.

45 million people should not be uninsured in this country. 270 million plus should not be so uneducated about the world and about how our country affects it. We should not have 50% of the most powerful nation in the history of the planet not voting. We should not have people working 40 hours a week and not being able to take care of their families. We should not be left with either a unilaterialist hard power solution to everything (Bush) nor a inherent fear of going it alone (Liberals). We are an empire and we should start acting like a responsible one--both at home and abroad.

Bush refuses to see that the three biggest looming domestic issues directly connect to the larger international ones--i.e. the coming retirement and extended lifespan of the Boomers, the abymsal state of education in this country, and our dependence on foreign oil.