I hear a voice of civilization -- and of civilized anguish -- here. I can especially connect with the call to a collective responsibility commensurate with our collective good fortune as Americans. I hope we can get there in a way that benefits the world community no less than ourselves; we'll need their help to suppress the well-equipped barbarians (I would cite examples of why I think that way about jihadists, beheaders, and other pissant bandit chieftains with big delusions and lots of things that go bang, but all anyone needs to do is look at the news).

Was it H.G. Wells who said the whole of human history was a race betweeen education and catastrophe? Keep the light, friend.