Hmmmm...

Nothing terribly surprising in that article. Ever since the Soviet Union went bankrupt America has been eyeing the world with the giddy regard of a drunken robber baron who has just produced four aces and cleared the table of chips, and has also just received news that the crosstown gang has been gunned down and their mansion burned to the ground, and he is now wondering how best to start banking and allocating the spoils.

Let's see now...got a lot of new jurisdiction to exploit and protect from other potential robber barons who might arise, given half a chance. Better find ways to do that, and preserve total supremacy in firepower at the same time.

Let's see...don't really need social services much anymore, since there's no real competitors out there for the hearts and minds of the public, so we'll just start privatizing everything and phase them out. We'll build more jails to house the ones who fall through the cracks...those who don't conveniently die, that is. We'll hire any killer willing to obey orders to keep the rest in line.

Let's see...we've already got total military supremacy on Earth, might as well extend it into space...the next potential battlefield. There must ALWAYS be a battlefield, because life IS a battle, not a cooperative effort toward some higher purpose. Winning is the only real purpose in life.

And so on.

Big Brother has well and truly arrived, spreading the dictatorship of wealth, militarism, and excess while preaching the gospel of democracy and freedom (from responsibility...). Freedom, in fact, for almost no one, except the Bosses.

Nope. Not surprised a bit.

Be glad your thoughts cannot be seen, people, and be glad that a little of your money is still in the form of actual currency...permitting private transactions to be made between individuals.

- LH