OT, way OT

[Bill Ballard]

At 12:44 PM +0200 5/2/04, Richard Brekne wrote:
>sigh... America... is just another country who finds itself in a 
>dominant role for the time being.  Thats it.

As Ric reminds us, this land we've inherited from our fore-fathers 
was a huge continent with seemingly endless agricultural and mineral 
resources, and insulated from the wars which periodically ravaged the 
land of their fore-fathers (the European continent) by large oceans 
on either side. All we had to do was dispose of the indigenous 
populations (piece'o'cake). With all that going for us we'd have to 
be pretty far down the list of talented people, not to have developed 
into the big powerful country which we now have.

Which is not to belittle the framers of our constitution. If I had to 
choose between the overwhelming natural resources of this land and 
the ability to pursue these resources without the periodic 
devastation of continental wars the freedom, and the political 
foundation these enlightened folks gave us. I'd pick a scrawny patch 
of land in the desert and the U.S. Constitution every time.

As far as a country in a dominant role for the time being, everyone 
knows that it will be China next, with its burgeoning manufacturing 
muscle, and its huge population eager to modernize its standard of 
living. Unfortunately its agricultural foundation (its ability to 
grow its own food) is shot. No problem for it. It'll simply bring its 
huge trade surplus with the U.S. into our agricultural export market. 
Too bad for us, they'll need three times as much as we can export. 
Which means that they (the dominant economic power for the time 
being) will also walk away with the foodstuffs intended for our 
domestic market. Does anyone want to guess what this country will be 
like with the resulting food shortages and price hikes?

This country's long-standing trade deficit has been a clear sign that 
our time was coming to an end. The Bush administration's display of 
raw power in Iraq, even if succeeding as intended, would not have 
changed this outcome.

Words, words and more words. How they divide us humans. I've been 
going to church every Sunday (same church with the Krakauer grand) 
for the last six months. Previously my spirituality had been a 
private matter and certainly not leaning toward the Christian faith, 
but I needed a community. The only problem was these words which I 
had to mumble my way through every Sunday. I'm happy now. Every time 
I say God, I mean "heart". The word God no longer divides me from my 
community.

"Everyman prays to God in his own language, and there is no language 
that God does not understand." Edward Kennedy Ellington

(Sorry I couldn't stay out of this one. Usually I'm pretty good about 
sitting out the political and religious foodfights.)

Mr. Bill

"The law gets you into everything. It's the ultimate backstage pass. 
It's the new priesthood"
     ...........Al Pacino in "Devil's Advocate"
+++++++++++++++++++++