The uprisings in the Middle East are somewhat heartening.. if you ignore the rape and murder of reporters and the snipers firing on protesters... The protests in Wisconsin can be seen as encouraging if you don't get the feeling that Walker and the Koch brothers will eventually win. Yet, if you look at the GOP agenda and the way that the dialogue has assumed that "We have to be responsible and cut spending" is the default position of the right and left without any mention of increasing taxes or, perhaps, looking at spending on the entitlements that the large corporations and the rich enjoy.
Seriously. How do you do it?? I mean, we have over seven billion people on the planet and it seems that just like rats in a crowded cage, we are getting more violent and less empathetic. People seem to be getting more ignorant (or perhaps the ignorant just have more power.) Wait, no, there is a purposeful spread of disinformation out there. It used to be that people who didn't understand things stayed out of politics. Now, they are told what to think by certain unnamed corporate television stations owned by our pal, Rupert. How do we stay motivated when natural resources are dwindling? Is this going to be helpful for international cooperation when most conflict is based on access to land and resources? The bottom of the gulf of Mexico is covered in oil and most of the life is gone. Animals are dying all over due to development and climate change (never mind plant species.) And I haven't even discussed the decreased crop outputs and food shortages or the fact that the bees are dying.
Ok, I'm taking some deep cleansing breaths.
Any ideas???