I work at a tech company with many "30somethings" who have either had
absolutely no history lessons in school or think anything that happened
prior to the "summer of love" was meaningless because they firmly
believe america re-invents itself every 25 years or so and the past is
not all that instructive. Perhaps that's why americans as a society
tend not to let history give us a lesson in vigilance, and history
repeats itself, e.g., 12/7/41 and 9/11. Same deal, sucker punch, just
a different enemy, time and place. I honor the memory of the dead of
both attacks, and ask why those presumably "in charge" did not
anticipate such acts which in hindsight seem so obvious. I guess its
the same disease of ignoring the past that infects my co-workers. So
be it.

Whilst waxing philosophic, I might as well continue. Our wonderful
Prez seems to suffer from the same intellectual disease, instead of
pursuing Al Queda with all our resources post 9/11, his leadership
detours (manipulates?) us into invading Iraq simply because Saddam
tried to have Dubya's daddy killed and/or all of his oil buddies (read
campaign contributors) were salivating over that "bubbling crude" under
the sand in that shi*hole country, and not because there were any Al
Queda terrorists there being supported by Saddam who was presumably
giving them WMD. Even a fool can realize that Saddam would not have
tolerated a religious-based armed power structure within his fiefdom.
Now, and properly so, we have to stay (1, 2, 3 years, no end to it that
I can see) to clean up the hotbed of international terrorism that
filled the power vacumn our invasion created, and do that at great loss
of life - both american and iraqi. Somehow, even though I didn't
particularly care for the guy, I don't think Al Gore would have gotten
us into this mess. I dunno, I guess I'm just so, so sad for those
families that have lost their sons and daughters in this particular
aspect of the war on terror that really shouldn't have happened in the
first place.

BYW, today is the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's murder. We should
all read the lyrics of "Imagine" and just think about what he was
trying to say.

I'll shut up now.

Mutt