Shaking In My Boots

Do you think we Americans would ever get off our fat asses to protest a stolen election? I look at the faces in the crowds of Kiev and I wonder if we are still capable of exhibiting mass displays of righteous indignation. The long decades of peace and frivolity we’ve had in this country may have robbed us of our capacity to feel passionate about much of anything anymore. Oh, I know we were supposed to be really tuned into the last election, that this was the first time lots of people voted. But I’m feeling cynical right now. I think that more people are thinking about how much they can afford to charge on their credit card this Xmas than they’re thinking about the big issues.
You know, big issues–like the potential collapse of our debt-ridden economy. And then last night I was watching Charlie Rose and he was interviewing some former Microsoft exec who now dabbles in policymaking. He was forcefully making the point that the technological barriers to creating bioweapons are very low and could be surmounted by a small, determined group of zealots. Nothing like some apocalyptic foreshadowing before bed.