[VOA]

America will not fall because we were incapable of meeting the evil without;
it will be due to the straw men within America, whose eyes are dead already,
who no longer yearn for their own personal independence, let alone that of any others.

YEARS AGO, I saw a documentary (PBS?) on TV about the Etruscans.
The Etruscans often carved likeness of the departed on their grave stones/sites.
IIRC, the archeologists have found that when the Estruscan culture was in full
bloom, the grave sculptures showed happy, enthusiatic likenesses of the
departed souls.

In contrast, the grave sculptures from the times when the Romans were overtaking
and pressuring the Etruscans show likenesses of people that any human would
recognize as tired, dispirited and resigned to their fate.

This historical observation is one reason I don't despair when there
is heated debate in our country and even when huge amounts of expenditures
are made for ambitious projects, whether it is attempting to reach the Moon,
combat world-wide terror networks, etc.

I figure this reflects a culture/society with the happy, upbeat demeanor of
the early Etruscans.
And I hope it goes on and on and on as long as possible.

[risk]

Maybe that's why there's something so satisfying about being able and willing to say to our enemies: "BRING IT ON!" Maybe there's some Etruscan in me. Speaking of the ancients, our war in Vietnam reminds me of another time when brave men sacrificed themselves so that a great state could defend itself more effectively. Famous words:

Go tell the Spartans, travelers passing by, that here, obedient to their laws we lie. --Epigram carved on the tomb of Leonidas's Three Hundred.

There couldn't be truer words to describe our fallen in Vietnam.