The American people are supersaturated with popular entertainments, consumerism, self-actualization and career, which leaves little time or capacity for thinking or caring about the serious things in the world surrounding us. What we have in America today is a broad population of ignoramuses and select few who know some little bit about the big things, but who are rank partisans and can't be trusted to analyze situations or circumstances without an axe to grind.

The people who founded the nation wouldn't recognize it today.

Very sad news. I've been on his email list for some time and often commented back to him on his weekly essays, to which he mostly replied simply "thanks." But once in a while he'd actually compose a response, which was a kick. He was a thoughtful and centrist Democrat, in other words, an endangered species in today's politics. We are diminished by his loss.

If you want to end this nightmare, make a financial contribution to Scott Brown.