Endurance

There is really only one story: the creator gave us everything we need; it was only when we started thinking we were smarter than the creator that we got into the trouble we now find ourselves in.

As the US government continues to embezzle our federal taxes for its corporate clients, it is only a matter of time before an underground economy develops among previously law-abiding citizens. Robbed of their pensions, healthcare, and savings, many will soon find there is no alternative available, especially for poor and working-class stiffs--including senior citizens. As Congress contemplates stealing Social Security and Medicare out from under the Baby Boom retirees, crime as a means of survival is no longer going to be the sole province of urban minorities; rather, it will unavoidably become a new way of life.

The Irish Times notes that Spain's banning of Basque political parties is a recipe for disaster. As they observe, creating a feeling of disenfranchisement among Basques does nothing to encourage rejection of armed struggle as a political tactic. If anyone knows about that topic, it would be the Irish.