Current mood: pessimistic
Current weather: hot, cloudy; chance of rain
Current listening: Inkubus Sukkubus


Most of the world reeled in shock and surprise at the attacks
perpetrated eight years ago. No one expected terroristic assults on American monuments on American land. We had become so blasé in our faith in our own superpowerdom that we had begun to believe that we were invincible, inviolate, and so, it appears, did much of the rest of the world. We and the others were wrong. It was a rude awakening. I myself was surprised, but not really shocked. I had so little faith in humanity that I had already become shockproof.

We had the world's sympathy, but lost it, slowly at first and then more quickly, as then President George Walker Bush went completely berserk. The wars that ensued, and the attitudes of powers that should not be, only encouraged and even justified the stereotype of US-Americans as a bunch of rabid fanatics. My faith in humanity went from minimal to zero.

In a perhaps darker part of my mind or soul, I am beginning to believe that the violence and wars of the last century or so are really Nature's desperate effort to cull the burgeoning human population from within. Not particularly good stewards of the planet we turned out to be, but this is best saved for a different entry.

Now, under a new president, some of us are hoping to see a move toward peace. President Obama has done some good things, but I am seeing no progress in the military situation. He actually increased rather than reduced the occupation of Afghanistan. He did, however, promise to have us out of Iraq by August 31, 2010. I for one hope that he adheres to this promise.