On Feb 19, 10:51 pm, 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.

The NPT has gone a long way toward restoring sanity. Just one nation
violated the treaty in order to develop nuclear warheads (North Korea)
- assuming they were indeed successful. Three nations with with
nuclear weapons never signed, Pakistan, India and Isreal. But who
cares, they have a return address. Of all Bushean foreign policy
blunders, the deal with India in violation of the NPT was undoubtedly
the worst.


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

While Ehrlich published this work in the late 60s, much of the
research took place during the decade prior to that. Yet there was one
data point he greatly overlooked: the birth control pill. Although
that wonder helped curb population growth, we should note that the
human population has almost doubled since then. Erlich also overlooked
the power of human innovation. Technological advances have made
possible the relatively comfortable absorbtion of all those people.


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

Feel free to inhale large quantities of DDT. Given the evidence, I'd
rather not take my chances...


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

I'd like to see global sales numbers in support of this claim. I think
the biggest erosion of the Big Three's sales was never global but
national.

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

I'd call LBJ a progression and not a liberal.

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

Thankfully, that's been true for generations. Economic growth
continues unabated.


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

I don't understand the claim that "history is often wrong" but when
the home team is the New York Jets, then they can do no wrong. Wait a
second, it's the Jets. The god damn Jets. (Okay, you got me on that
one...)


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

Bah, I'm still a liberal. I will not surrender my liberty for safety.
I insist our leaders remain accountable to the rule of law. I'd prefer
structural legal protections even if 100 guilty men escape justice in
order to prevent the wrongful conviction of just one innocent man. I
am willing to accept a standing army as long as it's subservient to
civilian leadership and used in the defense of life, liberty and
property rights. And I remain a child of the Enlightenment.