Neither God nor Gaia

We can’t go back. We can’t save or destroy the planet: popular anthropocentric conceits. But, we could be rational. We could eschew supernatural fear of all kinds, especially the godian and gaian. We belong here. We are neither given dominion over nor a plague too the planet. We could seek to know, to learn and unlearn, and to achieve the possible. We could save ourselves, and our people. I have always admired Churchill’s speech after the fall of
France. He spoke of courage and perseverance, but he also spoke of the future. He posited that though manmade utopias quickly become dystopias, it was possible to make things better. His phrase was “Broad Sunlit Uplands;” it may be the most profound thing said in the English language in generations.

Hindsight and Incompetence

It is distressing to see, time and again, that hindsight is not 20 20. There are principles of human behavior that transcend ‘will’ and ‘purpose.’ No country can be relied upon to fight indefinitely when not in their interest, no matter what commitment was given prior: such as the U.S. in Indochina. No country can be relied upon to roll over, when national interest is perceived to be threatened when means exist to fight, no matter that they have given way on peripheral issues: such as Britain standing up for Poland.
 
The tragedy of  the personal incompetence of President Bush is that it will leave behind the opportunity to believe that the outcome in Iraq could have been otherwise: when interventions will always fail in their goals. I try to explain that, but beliefs will challenged, and you may have to unlearn them. And man, is that hard.

Britain and the U.S.A.

Britain won’t regain the preeminence it once enjoyed, neither will the USA. The USA’s bizarre and counter productive military efforts beginning with Vietnam have served to hasten its own decline. Ceaseless repetition of the same actions with the expectation of differing results is not rational.

Both countries would do well to cease chasing the divergent and irrational dreams of global hegemony not called hegemony, and free trade that is not free. They should combine with each other and other closely related countries to regain hegemony over their own domestic economies.

The militarization of foreign policy will lead to further economic decline and finally military defeat. The truth is neither country faces grave external foes, they are primarily domestic.

Ordnance Orgy

I’d just like to point out the obvious: we have been spending hugely unnecessary sums on military ordnance for years. Replacement of this unnecessary burden will further indebtedness and undermine the
US economy. We didn’t make the
USSR implode, they did it to themselves. As are we know, and with far less cause. I wonder will our government ever be run by people who live in the real world of thought and evidence. 

Including the deaths of 911, 80 times as many people have died just from largely avoidable car wrecks. There is no enemy about to overwhelm us from outside. All our enemies are inside, stealing jobs and pensions through financial manipulation, and hounding us with their lunatic religious beliefs.