A child in the ’60s, when the world was turning fast, I loved the upbeat ’90s’ carbonated peace and prosperity. But the 2020s are a bitter brew of COVID-19 and poison politics choking us.
In fact, the 21st century lost the plot early on.
George W. Bush was a tragic tiebreaker choice of president by the Supreme Court. Bush v. Gore, a 5-4 ruling in 2000, gave new meaning to “one man, one vote.” The supremely political Court ruled against the people’s popular vote.
One event led to another in a cascade that has made all the difference. Once, even globalization sounded good.
If you believe in harbingers, things haven’t been the same since. If you recall Bush’s rookie reaction to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, it was wide-eyed fear: “Oh dang, that’s the plane plot the CIA briefer told me about in August when I was clearing brush in Crawford.” (A paraphrase.)
Bush was…
