I just finished reading "Baghdad Burning" (see above for link). A feeling of helplessness pervades the author's writings, as it does me whenever I pause to think about the really horrible mess that our government has gotten us all into--a mess which they try to promote as "victory" at the same time as they are urging us to "stay the course." By the time they finish executing Saddam he will have become a martyr to those who wish to control Iraq.

And "controlling" Iraq does not mean just those followers of him in Iraq--it has international connotations as well. We are such oil hogs that we forget that dinosaurs are an endangered species. Lip service is given to the concept of alternative fuels, but little action is taken. Prices of petroleum products skyrocket, and most people just sigh and complain--many of them while they drive their gas-guzzlers.

We put off worrying about the finiteness of the oil supply, just as we ignore what factory fishing is doing to the oceans. A recent news article estimated that the oceans may well be "fished out" in less than fifty years. (Mark Kerlansky, in his book Cod, talks about that very topic.)

I don't know if it's because of my advancing years, but in a way I think I'm glad I won't be around to see what it's like fifty years from now. My kids and grandkids will be, however.