Good morning, After six decades of the 20th century, here is the first of the decades of the 21st century! The decade of 2001 (the “aughts”) began with a President who withstood the most contentious and close campaign in over 100 years. But after Bush v. Gore finally was resolved, the President began with an inclusive mantra of “compassionate conservatism.” Shortly thereafter, in September 2001, our country sustained multiple audacious attacks on our soil and things changed forever. Little did we know that the feeling of collaborative working together would devolve into two wars that would drain our coffers and continue for years. More important, these wars challenged the limits of American power, posed issues of our humanity (in the form of “enhanced interrogation,” the Abu Graib prison, and the limited legal rights at Guantanamo Bay), and stretched our national consensus to a period of all-out war between the parties, the ramifications of which continue to this day. This also was the decade of Katrina, the start of the ubiquitous march of school and other mass shootings and the financial meltdown that brought the decade to a close.
#352 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 16)
#352 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May…
#352 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 16)
Good morning, After six decades of the 20th century, here is the first of the decades of the 21st century! The decade of 2001 (the “aughts”) began with a President who withstood the most contentious and close campaign in over 100 years. But after Bush v. Gore finally was resolved, the President began with an inclusive mantra of “compassionate conservatism.” Shortly thereafter, in September 2001, our country sustained multiple audacious attacks on our soil and things changed forever. Little did we know that the feeling of collaborative working together would devolve into two wars that would drain our coffers and continue for years. More important, these wars challenged the limits of American power, posed issues of our humanity (in the form of “enhanced interrogation,” the Abu Graib prison, and the limited legal rights at Guantanamo Bay), and stretched our national consensus to a period of all-out war between the parties, the ramifications of which continue to this day. This also was the decade of Katrina, the start of the ubiquitous march of school and other mass shootings and the financial meltdown that brought the decade to a close.