James Drogan

Re Conversations with Dave

"It's just literally not being covered at all in any normally accessible media and what little you do see is so narrow, ill-informed and predujicially biased in it's interpretations as to miss all the structural factors."

Why not?

A line from The American President comes to mind here.

" And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it, and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections."  See http://www.larsonsworld.com/library/misc/american_president.html for the entire response from President Shepherd.

I suggest that one of the answers to my question is that the means, political power, has become the end.  The debate about Judge Roberts is an example.  The logic seems to go: "He was nominated by President Bush and therefore bad. If we dig deep enough and long enough we will find something to support our conclusion. And if we don't, that fact will confirm that he's too secretive and hence suspect."  Senatorial holds on nominations is another example of this sort of foolishness (see today's lead editorial in the WSJ).

Doing what's correct has given way to doing what will put one at the top of the heap.  This mantra has taken over politics, the mainstream media, some professional sports, some in academia (a nice article on this matter in column one of today's WSJ), some religious organizations, and. of course, some of industry.  In the game of Who Do You Trust, where do these organizations finish?

So, how does one square this with the item on "Heartening - Values and Social Renewal?"  Heartening argues the case that positive social change has risen from the bottom.  Perhaps it has.  I, like you, would prefer additional supporting evidence, especially since my day-to-day experience with those around me doesn't seem to indicate much "heartening."

Perhaps we have a clash of forces at hand.  Heartening versus meanness.  The light versus the dark.

Or perhaps I'm simply becoming more curmudgeonly.