[Torie]

There are not really any barbarians at the gate. But some have this odd need to go on a quest to find them. They must be out there somewhere. A successful quest would be to realize that where they are is in one's own pessimistic and dispirited mind.

[Tailgunner Joe]

bttt

[Noumenon]

"There are not really any barbarians at the gate."

Precisely my point - and Huntington's. The barbarians are already inside the gate. They're being churned out by the thousands, courtesy of our educational system.

Pessimism? Facing reality is hardly pessimistic. You might give it a try. As Rand has said, "We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality."