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The sun is outdoing itself for the early risers, which is, I suppose poetic justice, since on Good Friday evening I wondered if the wrath of the heavens would leave us dry and safe.
I'm sitting here, PJs and all, thinking of world events and human conditions. And, to be useful, I take time to read a few articles just waiting to be published on OpEdNews. In the quiet (even my email seems to take a recess) there was time to liberate a few fantastic articles from the queue. Long, well documented, and carefully written articles are what I like to look at during quiet times. One this morning had in excess of 30 end notes. As I say my private thank-yous, I marvel at the great technology which has happened in the last couple of decades. Say, from the Fall of the Wall.
Ultimately, I realize that what counts most is what a person--a people--does to steer clear of the mayhem of war and threats of economic strangulation--a prelude to ever more war.
The picture which comes to mind is in Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinsky's two books, just now rescued from a pile of thought carcasses--carrying notes and quotes a year old. "The Grand Chessboard" (1997) and "Second Chance" (2007) define one view of where the United States should head after the war we won. That Cold War! It was arduous, but we won, didn't we? Since Brez comes in for criticism on this site, I make no brief pro or con--not about a retired Security Advisor's sagacity, nor about whether the Cold War was won. Instead it's the pictures in the books.
Picture the globe, not flat but squashed. Like a very ripe grapefruit which was mashed just a little, it turns out less interested in North and South Poles but stretches the temperate zones to more clearly show how the big players (shall we say the G20?) interact. And through it all runs the underground. Underneath the surface of a visible Earth, is the lifeblood of world trade. Simply put: Gas and oil pipelines.
In 2008, when things seemed normal--at least as normal as one expects in a presidential election year--"the greatest country in the world" was still a brag point. Needless to say,some of the high flying rhetoric has flattened, along with wallets and expectations.
This is 2009. Easter Sunday. I have time to address the subject of geopolitics. However, the subject changes before my very eyes. What about Moldova? Where do things stand in Thailand? If NATO includes Turkey, how will the Kurds play their part? The perennial Israeli/Palestinian "problem" pops up--with each new election, even more so. And the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan sends malignant signals to the rest of the World.
I repeat myself. This is Easter Sunday. Whether Christian or of some other religious background, we all resort to thoughts of more benign social interactions. "Uprising" and "poverty" are operative concepts as we think our way to personal and general betterment. Were I younger, I could surely find someone who would let me march with them. As it is, I'll just sit here and let members tell what is on their minds.
A small reminder--if you respond, please give me the date of when something happened. Remember, things change rapidly. What were you doing this time last year?
