The END

[fisherman66]

beenthere,

I think that makes alot of sense. I would like to add that the military draft really turned boys into men. I think some of the civic duty you discussed was instilled at that junction.

[Doug.38PR]

New Orleans and even 911 are nothing new and are a picnic compared to other things that have happened in the past as horrible as those events are. In the early 1900s Galveston, Texas was wiped off the map by a hurricane. It was built back. Hurricane Kamille destroyed the Mississippi coast in the 1960s. It was built back. Didn't Chicago suffer a great fire? It still stands. Even this is nothing compared to the suffering and hardships endured by our forefathers of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the American War for Independence the British burned towns and cities and "destroyed the lives of our people", in some areas Patriot and Torys burned each other out fighting each other who were once neighbors. In the War of 1812, Washington and teh white house were almost burned to the ground, but by God's grace a hurricane intervened along with a Tornedo and the city was saved. In the War Between the States and even reconstruction farms, villages, towns, cities and nearly entire states were burned and bombed off map from Texas to Virginia. Picture it, women and children left with nothing but ashes. No cell phones, no paramedics, no National Guard with helicopters, no modern medicines, no Astrodome, no shelters, no FOX news to talk to. All they could do was travel on foot for hundreds of miles in the wilderness (and that was worse than someone in NY driving to California back then) in hopes of finding some remnant of civilization. Even if they did come upon their own army, the army could do little to help them as the army wasn't much better off (in fact, in the case of the Continnentals and Confederates, the army was worse off). But the Western Christian culture sustained, survived and thrived off of these hardships. Civilization still exists.
Yes these are hard times we face, but things could be A LOT worse. Since I believe in a Sovereign Almighty God and that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords all is under control. I don't worry about or visualize a "Mad Maxing" of America. Yes the American government and Union may fall within 100 years or so. Big deal. A good man heard once said "Organizations and programs die out, but the natural (that is culture, kith and kin) always comes back around and survives) The Roman Empire fell, but with the spreading of Christianity in Rome's place, many Christian kingdoms and countries of Europe grew out of her ashes. (England, Scotland, France, Italy, Spain, etc.) As Robert E. Lee once said, "it is history that teaches us to hope."

[308Enfield]

my revalver not only next to me but in the bed.

...ummm, this seems like a good way to shoot yourself, your wife, or both. Not to do any bashing but in the interests of safe and responsible gun ownership that most people here advocate, I don't think having a loaded firearm in your bed is a good idea.

[alpineman]

We're in decline, but I wouldn't say it has much of anything to do with natural disaster(s) like Katrina. I think it has more to do with the overall decadance of our society, but that's a whole 'nuther inflamatory thread...

And I'd cuddle my AR-15 in the bed, if my wife would let me... can't help it...

[Charlie Golf]

Hmmm...illiterate and pro-Clinton.

I think Al Qaeda follows the same recruiting policy.

I agree with whoever said that our country turning away from it's CHRISTIAN roots will be part of its downfall.

I know, I know, American is the great melting pot of the world and all are welcome here...and I agree with that but it was founded on terms similar to "In God We Trust" etc.

I think it was Freud who said that man is inherently "good" but I think if he could see the US today he might say that "SOME of man is inherently good (i.e. all the good folks helping out the Katrina refugees, or whatever we're supposed to call them this week) and the rest are just a bunch of selfish S.O.Bs" that care only about their own particular individual rights.

We need to get away from all this politically correct BS and get pack to the "golden rule" and the "magic words."

Hell, I'm a white, Christian male. When is the ACLU gonna stand up and fight for my rights?

[aspen1964]

...the ACLU is against you Charlie...

[beenthere]

We were truly a different breed back then. We rebuilt ourselves, not waiting for the Feds to do it for us. I watched interviews where people squawked about being fed the same kind of food for 3 straight meals. I would have thought they'd be happy to have something to eat.

They said they are calling for more volunteers to feed people in the superdome (hope that's the right one). I guess that means all of the 15,000 have to be waited on hand and foot and they can't find 100 or so willing to take on the demeaning task of serving others.

The culture has changed from the bootstraps generations to that of take care of me. A few will use this as an opportunity to lift themselves up and be contributors. Most will just sink back to their previous level of dependence.

[fisherman66]

Most will just sink back to their previous level of dependence.

Looks like they have already sunk deeper. I hope the most vocal are not the majority.

There will be plenty of work in NO and Mississippi in a few months. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Let's reinstate the draft and teach this generation some discipline. I'm not a war monger, but as a society we have no right of passage. The draft is historically the path to manhood.

[cuate]

Sometimes dementia prevails and it often cannot spell.

[Charlie Golf]

...the ACLU is against you Charlie...

Then they better not find out that although I'm white skinned and Christian, I'm more African-American (50% -- my father and his entire family) than most blacks in the US and my ancestors come from a part of the world where Christians are the ones who are religiously persecuted.

Then they'd be REALLY confused about what to do.

[Dwight55]

Virtually all history buffs can point to a singular event in any given society's heritage that spelled the end for it. Sometimes it took a few years for it to occur, . . . but it did.

In others, . . . overnight was the literal ending for a society.

Just to use two with which most are familiar, . . . Hitler is said to have cursed profanely when he first heard of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, . . . for in his heart of hearts he knew that it also spelled his end. He just didn't have the time table for it, . . . but it took less than 4 years until he personally sent a bullet into his own head.

On the other hand, . . . Hiroshima and Nagasaki immediately changed the Japanese thought pattern from a "let's dig in and hold on as long as we can" mentality, . . . to a "accept unconditional surrender terms, . . . now" mentality.

Yes, . . . these are man made events of war, . . . but truly, . . . is that not wherein lies the greatest threat? As other posters have said, . . . we have recovered from horrible fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, . . . but we cannot ever hope to continue on as long as there are people who by the hundreds continue to blow themselves up, . . . hoping to take us with them.

Sooner or later, . . . one of them will strap on a small thermonuclear device, . . . and bingo-bango, . . . if he does it at 40,000 feet over Eastern Tennessee, . . . the electronic shock wave will literally shut down the Eastern half of the USA and Canada for a minimum of 2 weeks and many experts believe it could be several months before everything is back on line.

Just shutting the stock market for a half hour would plunge us into financial chaos, . . . much less two weeks.

Yes, . . . it can happen, . . . and when it does, . . . history will chronicle the moment in it's perfect 20/20 hindsight.

May God bless,
Dwight