Re: Third World Man

[Lyle Seaman <lws+@transarc.com>]

tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May) writes:
> The U.S. is not likely to find itself relegated to third world status over
> this issue. Rhetorically, I wish it were so, but it just ain't. This
> issue--like the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s, the race issue in the '60s,
> the Vietnam war in the '60s and '70s, to name a few cases, _sounds_ really
> serious. And it is, as those cases were, but predicting the imminent
> collapse of American civilization is usually a lose.

In all those cases, the critics were right.  You just think "imminent"
means "in the next year or two".  Look at at the signs, man --
literacy and child mortality rates, an imprisoned populace, massive 
government debt, etc.  The US is slipping into the second world as we
speak, with no signs of a turnaround ahead.  Only the sheer size of
the economy keeps people from believing it.  The critics _were_ right.
(Incidentally, the race issue certainly spans more than a mere
decade. The race-related violent demonstrations certainly peaked in
the 60s, but the deleterious effects of forced immigration and slavery
have been a blight on society every day for almost three centuries.) 

Go right ahead, fed, ban strong crypto.  The coffin only needs a few
more nails.