Trying not to think too hard about it

What is happening to the United States?

It's frustrating to me that such a large portion of our country is insistent on having the country regress so rapidly and so dramatically. Not just with this issue, but with everything. What happened to the people who brought about the Civil Rights Movement, the enormous innovations in the technological and scientific spheres, the EPA, the balanced budget we had 10 years ago? They must still be around, but why does it seem like they've all migrated to a side which seems to oppose every progression that's been made over the last 60 years?

Is it a last ditch effort of a dying generation? What kind of future are they trying to secure for themselves, when they'll see so little of it? What kind of future are they trying to secure for the generations that are noticeably opposed to the things they want?

I worry about the amount of problems my generation will have to clean up once they're gone. I worry that some things will be too far gone to save. I worry that not enough sensible people will be in positions to change was so direly needs to be changed. I worry that not enough people worry about these things, or that not enough people care about more than a couple issues.

I sincerely hope our generation will respond swiftly, strongly, and sensibly to what's trying to be laid out for us. While the regressions that are on the table may not come to fruition, they are backed by a movement that is scary, and our response cannot be feeble or without earnest.

There are little specks of hope coming through the side that helped fuel this movement. See:

Bush worries we're becoming 'Nativist'
Rumsfeld has regrets
GOP sick of the "nuts"

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On another note, I'm doing an experiment by not eating meat every Monday. Mostly because I'm too stubborn to give up meat entirely but feel that perhaps I eat too many animals in general. I blame it on Zooborns.

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February has been a bad month for great bands.

Jack White just "gave" us The White Stripes.



LCD Soundsystem is throwing a going away party in April.



The Gorillaz might be done, too.



Good thing The National is still around and playing shows I get to go to at the last minute thanks to a very dedicated girl willing to stand in single digit temps for almost 2 hours to get tickets.