ref:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/opinion/24DOWD.html

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-security-bush.html

Dear Ms. Dowd:

You might find the novel "Snow Crash" of interest. In it a force attempts to penetrate human psychology deeply for purposes of controlling people. This idea is developed in the novel via the notion of primitive religion as a psychological program controlled by over lords. The current media and political world can be likened to such a program. It represents then a de-evolution of human culture. The ones in charge, the current over lords are however most likely in the throws of such mindless self-willed psychological viruses themselves, without any motive, except some notions of self-preservation. In effect the machines of sensation -- the TV -- has taken over as a mental virus in human hosts the world over.

Like monkeys in trees that wonder down tree limbs too far or stuck children on monkey bars in playgrounds, humans as a bilogical species have reached a dead end; they are or soon will be all of them stretched out psychologically and waiting for a parent to rescue them from cultures (Western, Arabian, all of them) and situations gone bad.

Iraq, the economy, the life of citizens, the world at large of humans all are vastly complex puzzles that bravado, testosterone, and hype (religious and otherwise) just can not solve. And these things are the rage of the culture, the life bread of the citizens.

Next is the whining of the masses, the politicians, the corporations, and the media. The plaintive cries of all these and indeed all humans on earth will echo in the chambers of nature, the real over-lord. The answer in the echo of wincing, paralyzing confusion will be "I told you so."

Indeed is it not obvious: You have to extend in the domain of reason not Viagra. You have to unplug the senses not seduce and corrupt with them. You have to build biological awareness in the next generation, not exploit it for profit.

The trick to the fix is that you have to reverse your culture, your thinking and go back to more sound, fundamental ground: eat well, reproduce wisely and develop culture that encourages these things with the best wisdom you can generate. When the TV promotes the eating of brocoli you will be on the right track -- imagine the impact of a culture that encourages and discusses and even promotes with reason sound biological choices. It would be devastating: the economy is build on vice industry, sensation, on biological tricks and traps. The sad fact is that encouragements to reason will fail until the price, the pain, the confusion and chaos of the swing set of cultures gone awry exceeds the illusions and controls such cultures currently generate. There is no way out of the equation.

P.S.
Friedman's article (today's) is accurate, accept that it does not include any analysis of its counter: namely, that people of any nation (or region) bulk at being told what to do. Regardless of soundness of motives and perhaps even technical skills, people are such creatures as will not be ruled or even influenced by foreigners outside of their circle. They can be so influenced but it has to be by invitation only.

The missing UN and Arab involvement in the decision to invade Iraq zapped the invite. That and the real disinterest in building Iraq, despite hype to the contrary, will destroy it. Iraq is and will degrade to a Palestine or worse a Cambodia or Rwanda. The engagement will collapse the already frail and frayed US psyche; the karmic repercussion of being so wrong to so many people and all so blatantly laid manifest to all will bite us bad. Then the only remedy is more testosterone, bluster, and hype -- exactly what is not needed; exactly what propels the mental viruses of cultural degeneration and makes the mental cul-de-sac of a cultural gone bad even more perilous and even more difficult to climb away from. Brace for indeed the perfect storm: an apocalypse.