Post Imperial

Posted on 28 February 2011 by Erik Hare | 29 Comments

My friend in the Netherlands came through over Skype as if he was just down the street. We were chatting about global economics when the fear of losing our global dominance naturally came up as a discussion of Empire. “If the end of your Empire is what people fear, I have to tell them, we live with that every day over here and … it’s not bad at all.” The Netherlands wasn’t a huge empire, but it was able to shed its possessions in Indonesia and the Caribbean without missing them all that much. Life went on.

That sentiment appears to also be playing out in the UK as well as many other former great globe-straddling forces that have quietly turned inward. The US is facing the same situation and it weighs heavily on our politics and economy. But it shouldn’t. Life after Empire isn’t the barbarian-sacked end of Rome, it’s simply the natural progression of Liberty that we should embrace if we’re going to master it rather than let it destroy us.

Continue reading →

Consensus

Posted on 18 February 2011 by Erik Hare | 22 Comments

Tens of thousands of people have filled the Capitol grounds in Madison. They have taken over the marble hall itself, banging on the doors of the Senate Chamber and making noise not normally heard in Wisconsin outside of a Harley rally. The Senate Democrats have fled the state, stopping all action for lack of a quorum. It’s hardly business as usual in a state that is generally known for hard work and quiet contemplation, at least when the Packers aren’t playing. What will happen?

The way out is the same way that the good people of Wisconsin and all over the USofA have gotten through this before. Our traditions, sometime enshrined in our Constitutions, laws, and legislative rules are all there for some very good reasons.

Continue reading →

Pledge Drive!

Posted on 16 February 2011 by Erik Hare | 12 Comments

It’s Pledge Drive time at Minnesota Public Radio! This Winter’s pitch for bucks comes at the same time Congress is (once again) looking to slash funding for public broadcasting. That means one thing to me – I better get my own Pledge Drive in while I can.

Welcome to the first ever Barataria in-blog Pledge Drive! There’s a survey at the end where you can tell me just what you think anonymously and easily, whether you give or not.

Continue reading →

Lift Every Voice and Sing

Posted on 11 February 2011 by Erik Hare | 17 Comments

Our third grade class filed under the concrete breezeways that loosely connected the classrooms of Coral Reef Elementary, past the Seagrape tree at the end of the open courtyard, and into the big cafeteria. It was the only space large enough to hold all the energy of so many kids, cooled only by tall jalousie windows that caught the breezes off Biscayne Bay. The air inside was heavy and anxious, and just like nearly everything in Florida it could be oppressive if you let it get to you. But we kids just took it in and made it exciting. This was our music class, the time when we could bubble our energy in a new song taught to us on the tired piano by Mr. Michaels.

Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;

Continue reading →

Global Retreat

Posted on 9 February 2011 by Erik Hare | 23 Comments

There’s little doubt that the Depression we’re in is testing the global economy. What may be less obvious is that the very nature of our global system might be increasing volatility, making downturns more likely in the future. Preventing this will test the ability of this entire planet to act in ways that further both our own long-term interests and the interests we share together.

In short, it’s been a helluva ride, sure, but the scary part may be yet to come.

Continue reading →