~~~~~~~~~~~ There is a studied venomous pettiness that is unique to America. It is not the vacuous fanatic pettiness found in the middle east, nor the impersonal, even abstract pettiness found in the orient, nor yet the general and habitual pettiness found in Europe. This is the phenomenon of one stranger being truly and malevolently venomous (for the pettiest of reasons, or no reason at all) toward another merely selected from the passing scene: a waiter to a customer, a bystander to a passerby, a driver to a walker, a driver to a driver. One extreme example is road rage. Why should this happen in America, where there is so much room for everyone? What sparks such venom in Americans and no one else? There are strong and deep reserves of hatred here, beyond the fringes of intelligence; I think it has much to do with big karma yet unpaid. posted by Robert Brady 2:43 PM . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Finding the merest fingerhold of tranquility in the sheer rock face of the moment is about as exhausting as it gets-- then just hanging there and resting by your fingertips for a microsecond or two before climbing on and up through the ultimate challenge-- what is life worth, if it's not interesting? posted by Robert Brady 2:07 PM . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Visiting America at the moment, donning my rusty ole paranoia equipment and watching my luggage and my belongings every minute, zipping here and there I'm pleasantly surprised to learn close-up that the general populace is more intelligent than their president (from abroad, Dubya is of course the exemplar of the American IQ). Which isn't all that surprising, but it makes me wonder if in fact they elected him. Most didn't vote for him, after all. I also note that Americans seem to be a lot wider than they were last time I was here. I order a meal in a restaurant and am amazed at its size when set down in front of me. Enough for a whole day, at breakfast!! posted by Robert Brady 12:53 PM . . .
