Bart - finally a thought out sober perspective, although I don't agree with some of the statements. You have used the word "leadership" several times and I believe that is the crux of the matter.

I am a strong believer in "s..t rolls downhill". We as children learn from those with percieved authority, starting with parents. On the national front this conditioning is often repeated. We have a President whose judgement is often flawed at best, and while allegiances to friends or individuals in corporate America is an admirable trait, it doesn't make them qualified for a federal position (Although there does seem to be a ground swell toward positions in Federal prisons).

I don't have to repeat the specifics and the number of times, the extent to which our respect in the world has been erroded, the cost and the loss of life attributed to the current "brane" trust of higher government officials.

I am very fond of my automechanic, I consider him to be a capable, honest, and moral individual. That in no makes him qualified to head any major branch of the government, nor any high level supervisory role in the government.

While waiting for leadership, perhaps Ghandi and King would take a different approach. I believe what you often read on the FT sites is the frequent flyer trying to find an effective strategy to set things right. It also appears to be very theraputic for many of the contributors, potentially defusing more serious actions. We certainly don't want the airports suffer from the "Postal Service Syndrome".