Hey, Joe....

Greetings from the fringe. No really, that’s too kind. I truly dwell elsewhere. Outside looking in, but not so far outside I don’t find myself petrified by our collective fate. And inclined to opine about that…

Joe has asked me to share some of the angles I get from way out …here (? wherever), which is elsewhere from anywhere, most of the time. He’s going to be deeply immersed in a huge project that will require several weeks of his undivided attention, so he took the very risky move of inviting me to fill in.

I am honored, deeply flattered, and not just a little spooked. Truth is, I’m a virgin to this blog thang, so please, be gentle with me. Just for starters, I’m going to have to experiment a little bit with the links and other such niceties.

But, that being said, I’ve never been one to stifle an opinion, especially my own, and can take criticism fairly well, so please, just jump right in. I’m mostly interested, actually, in hearing what others have to say about some of the wide angles I’m inclined to apply to…, well, just about any- and everything. Though I will keep a general focus on this collective fate dilemma for our purposes here.

Before I launch into these waters, a few little things. First, I must warn you all that I simply do not boast the vast wellspring of archival data that Joe draws from like he was turning on the tap. I’ll try to make up for some of that void by asking what I hope are unique questions, or at least questions that are not given enough attention. Joe is also exceedingly skill at this, but it will tend to be more of my focus. I’m so grateful for him and his colleagues in this quest for giving the dark and hidden some light, but I often find myself admitting that, no matter how heinous and scandalous, I’m ultimately not surprised. How much more info do we need, folks? Well, all we can get in the sense of staving off complacency. But this huge question then rears its ugly head in the face of all the evil truths: so wadda ya gonna do about it?

I doubt I or even the collective we will be able to come up with any answers. But perhaps this can be our opportunity to at least grapple with some of the really hard questions, questions totally lost on the likes of Georgie Porgie and Scottie Mac, questions that only each of us can answer for ourselves.

Well, it won’t be ALL like that, but I have a huge list of such questions, and I’m sure you do, too. So I invite you, implore you, to cough ‘em up.

Which is my second little thang: I am really very serious about my interest in hearing your opinions. Call it a perverse sociological study. Just keep it within the bounds of courteous discourse, if you will, please; you know the rules (though they have clearly been abandoned by the public at large).

And last but not least, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Joe profusely for his remarkable breadth of knowledge, for sharing that with all of us for these recent years, and for his depth of perspective. I visit this site every day because he never fails to bring a really provocative and insightful view to the table. For those who recognize this quality, please know that I am humbled to be here. I hope you’ll weather this little doldrum with me till he returns.

Peace.
dr. elsewhere