A few years ago, we did not speak much about war. At least not in the present tense... and we had money, a small but adequate measure of trust, and a world vision. WTO was our focus, for or against, and though admittedly vague, we could see hope somewhere off in the far distance, as we planned some kind of equitable world... The two party system was a joke, but now it's not funny. Our country was in at least tollerable standing around the world, and the U.S. was solvent... We had a sexually gullible Rhodes scholar in the White House, and he seemed to do his best to be open and thoughtful about his major decisions... We didn't give much thought to our own voting safety and integrity, because we had come such a long way from the stuffing and hiding of ballot boxes, the outright lying of ellection officals, and the use of intimidation around the voting booths... Thought was not a crime, and Ideas were openly discussed. Yes, I am being nostalgic... but what happened? ttr