tom watson wrote:

I, like many of you, grew up in a global climate of fear, wherein we
were taught as little children to hide under our desks in response to
the fear of nuclear war.


For us it was fallout shelters.

I, like many of you, grew up listening to the harpies talking about
the Population Bomb.


It's still ticking - louder all the time.

I, like many of you, grew up thinking that we would never survive the
Silent Spring.


And a lot didn't - for just one example, look up the W.R.Grace asbestos death
toll in Northern Idaho. Then there's Union Carbide, acid rain, Love Canal,
and so ad infinitum.

I, like many of you, grew up in a world where the USA made the cars
and everyone else bought them.


Only if you grew up before the end of WW2. Or have MG, VW, Jaguar, Morris
Minor, MiniCooper, and others slipped your mind?

I, like you, grew up in a world where Barry Goldwater was a
Conservative and LBJ was a Liberal.


There I agree.

My children are not growing up in a world like you and I grew up in.

It is difficult for me to explain to them that history is often wrong
and that the home team is not always the hero.

When I was younger and smarter I described myself as a "Barry
Goldwater Democrat".

You old guys understand the complexity that underlies such a
statement.

Now I just stick to the old timey, "Fiscal Conservative - Social
Liberal", and live within the stresses that the definition implies.


Can't argue with any of the above - same description applies to me.

Global Warming can kiss my ass. I'm a lot more worried about Persia
and Byzantium.


If you're concerned about short-term personal/family survival, you're right.
If you're concerned about long term survival of our species, you're wrong.

The planet will survive just fine - at least till the next "intelligent"
species comes along. It's the current flora and fauna that are in trouble.

--
It's turtles, all the way down