Peter T,

Glad to read your update.  A bit ago I was looking for a past message and while going through the archives I saw the names of so many former regulars from here and wish more of them would chime in from time to time (sadly, I know what would get them back, but I do not think that one thing is on the foreseeable future - new DB music).

I wish Healthcliffe was still with us.  For me personally, his continued optimism was so looked forward to.

What really troubles me about America is the overall direction this country is headed in and I fear there is no righting this ship and very sadly, I think about the main coping skill is that of an individual finding his or her happy place because we have no stellar Americans that seem to be interested in moving this country forward in a collective manner. 

I really have very little optimism for the future well-being of this country. 

And is it not so sad that when back in the 80s and how conservative writers were writing about the demise of America, like Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, they may just have been on to something, yet just a bit early?

I could go on and on about how America's norms and customs are being lost (I mainly mean just everyday simple ones that really bind this country and good human behavior together), and this includes from both sides, though in reality, the most damage is coming from the right, but what good will it do?

Really, how much worse can this country get when the rights of children to be safe in a classroom from mass murder take a back seat to an American's right to own a mass-produced killing machine?? I mean, is not a person's right to live above that of a person's right to possess such a weapon? It is just insanity.

Anyway, best wishes to everyone in this world of madness....