Where is it all going?

I’m really not sure where it’s all going.

Global Warming, Iraq and Religious Fundamentalism all frighten me. They strike me as things for which I don’t see anything even remotely resembling a viable solution.

The science surrounding Global Warming clearly appears to herald a potential disaster but, then again, so did air and water pollution back in the 60’s and early 70’s appear that way. At least the right wing has stopped trying to make it sound like there’s really nothing wrong. The first step in solving any problem is the recognition that there’s a problem to be solved.

I see no good solution in Iraq. It appears that the only thing preventing all out sectarian war and the accompanying horrors is the American presence on the ground. Unfortunately that’s a presence we can no longer sustain. I don’t think there is anything we can do to prevent the coming bloodshed.

Basically Bush and company screwed that pooch when they sent the 3rd Infantry across the border. The most we can do now is withdraw and let the chips fall where they may. If there is going to be a war, at least it will be a war that the Iraqi’s choose for themselves and not one thrust upon them by us. We’ll still get blamed for it though and I can’t say that would be unjustified.

Just allow me to suggest that once the shooting is over, and some semblance of a government emerges in Iraq, that should they indict Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice on war criminal or murder charges that we don’t bother to fight extradition. Just ship them over there with our blessing as long as they promise to let us televise the executions. A four way beheading sounds about right for those clowns.

That brings me to Religious Fundamentalism. I consider this to be a bigger potential danger than even Global Warming. Education might be a solution, but religious fundamentalists shy away from education like the plague and attack it every chance they get.

Given the existence of atomic weapons and virulent viruses, either of which could fall into the wrong hands, having people running around that think non-believers, apostates, and anyone else that disagrees with them, deserve to burn in hellfire could be a real problem. To call religious fundamentalists irrational would be a compliment. They’re so far beyond irrational it’s frightening. Still, they’re absolutely certain that they’re right and the rest of us need to be brought into line. It’s to be brought into line by persuasion for the moment, but ultimately the plan calls for coercion as soon as practical. If you’re looking for a picture, try thinking The Inquisition.

I won’t be around long enough to see how it all plays out. I think that’s a good thing. I just feel sorry for my kids that they’re going to inherit this mess.

I've lived through wars, disease and disasters. They've been claiming it was the eve of destruction for any number of reasons for as long as I can remember. In the past there always appeared to be a way out or at least some level of confidence that a solution could be found. I wish I could say that now, but I really can't. I'm very pessimistic about what things will be like 30 or 50 years from now.

As I relax on Sundays with the rest of the country watching NFL Football, I find myself wondering more and more often when will the last NFL game be played, who will play that game, who will win, and who will care?