<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Morgan:
click!
I tellya what... I was worried that I might not make it into the tippytop 1% before SETI @ Home turned into a pumpkin... now I'm worried that the world (or at least a terribly signifigant portion of it)will blow up first.
If it's not one thing, it's another, y'know?
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Thanks for leaving the light on - I was too tired to be stumbling around.
Before you read this, please understand that I am aware, after re-reading your post, that you were making a point about the triviality of your seti concerns in light of the impending doom that has been thrust upon us. I realized that after I posted the below rant... but I chose to leave it here to be pondered, or shot down, as you, the reader, (or one of the "old salts"), so choose.
Ok - with that stated:
I'm truly not worried about either. I know I'll never make it to the tippytop before SETI@home turns into a pumpkin, and I honestly don't believe that the middle east is going to be blasted into the ether. Oh - there might be a couple of significant craters, but that would make for a great tourist attraction. I'm
honestly sorry if that sounds inconsiderate, but I can't seem to help being less concerned about that than say, why dogs sniff each other {meant as lightheartedly as possible considering the subject matter}. I am quite aware that my apparent lack of interest is appalling to most, but I see it like this;
- individually we can't (or won't) do a darn thing
- together we can do very little (if anything)
- the citizens of this great country have effectively been nullified by the federal government... and with our consent, which makes it a repulsive realization.
Before you disagree with this statement, realize that although we didn't see it happening in a light that made it stand out to us, when reflected upon, one can put everything together and clearly see just when and where everything was put in place - and with little or no objection, because, unfortunately, it has been too much of an effort on the part of the citizen to delve into the slimy world of politics. Now, when it's time to pay the piper, as it were, we have the interesting notion that we should be heard and listened to - well, we should have thought about that a long time ago. Apparently we couldn't be bothered to diligently keep watch over our government - which we were so strongly urged and warned to do, lest it control us, instead of us controlling it. After all, wouldn't you think that in a country where issues are decided upon by majority rule (of the people who are in fact supposed to
be the government), that an issue of this magnitude should be put before those people to be decided upon? I can surely understand and appreciate that there are those times when there is little or no time for a decision to be reached, and in such a situation, I would not condemn any action of our leadership. In fact, I would condemn a lack of action. In this case however, there has been ample time to put this issue where it belongs - in the hands of "We, the people...".
Now, I fear that this is a legacy that we will surely regret. But, I am also decidedly aware of our
near helplessness - wrought by our own hands, {or the lack of use thereof}.
I am also a firm believer in "whatever happens, happens for a reason". I am therefore comfortable in the huge assumption that no matter what happens, there is a sound, positive, and logical reason why this must be. We may not be able to see or understand right now, but I believe that it is there.
Now that I have posted this completely off-topic rant in here... I apologize. If someone feels that this would be better off in the politics section of FF, by all means please move it... Linnea?? RC??
[This message has been edited by DougBupstateNY (edited 09 March 2003).]