Couldn't agree more about the "common" people, the "me's" and my neighbors. And, we can be worked into a frenzy. I'll never forget a little old lady I saw during the Iran hostage crisis. Was driving a Cadillac with a "F--K Iran!" bumper sticker. Jingoism sells, and very few people knew why the Iranians revolted. Most people here took it personally, didn't have the slightest idea the US may have had a part in the hostility.

The resentment was fairly intense. I had some Iranian students living near me during those days. They would come over to my place evenings to hang out just to feel safe. They were pretty badly harassed for being Iranian. The irony was they were in essence exiled because of their family's close ties to the Shah.

Once it gets started it's insidious. The McCarthy era in America was a very, very grim time. Many nice people were smeared, and no one had the guts to stand up to him. Not Truman, not Eisenhower. In fact, Eisnehower sold out one of his dear friends by not helping him stand up to McCarthy, to Eisenhower's everlasting shame. I wish I could remember who it was. (Both Old Joe's, Stalin and Mccarthy, drank a whole lot more than most 15 or 20 people.)

Don't know that I'm the one who regards the average person with his interests as a moron. I try to reserve that for other occasions.

And, South and North Korea would need to each be guaranteed they couldn't destroy the other. Then they might do it. The South is so much better off economically I wouldn't think the North would have an undue influence once violence was taken off the table.

Where I have to stop and think it out is what drives folks to be willing to commit suicide to attack. That takes a lot.

As fanatical as they were, the Japanese at the end of WWII couldn't find enough kamikaze pilots. They assigned them. Then they had to give 'em planes with wheels which fell off upon take-off, just enough fuel to get to a fleet, and no parachutes. And those were fanatic.

(A friend of the family was a physician on a ship hit by one. He couldn't figure out how anything got through the amount of iron they threw at it.)

It takes a great deal of desperation, I think. I'd have to think more than envy, too. At times of my life I've envied some people, not enough to do myself in. Not enough to do them in, for that matter.

I'm with you. I think given the chance people would rather live their lives.

Arf