Brian O'Connell

9/21/2002

I'm Back, Baby!

broc7, after an extended vacation from the blogosphere, during which he has studied the philosophies of Sufi masters, the economic policies of Richard Rubin, the aerodynamic properties of the unladen swallow, and Austin Powers's mojo, has returned, as if from the dead (that's for you, Jett), and has, sadly, also begun to refer to himself in the third person.

We can see that much has gone wrong in our absence (please ignore the shift to first person plural). Dr. Frank has apparently taken his leave of us. Bill Quick is reduced to begging for work on his blog. Stephen Green remains obnoxious. The Blogosphere Ecosystem lays in ruins. And Demosthenes is smugger than ever.

Yet much has remained that gives us hope (although we had paradoxically also hoped that hope would not survive our absence). Steven Den Beste continues to throw political correctness out the window and speak truth. Our favorite Norwegian, Bjørn Stærk, has returned from his vacation from the blogosphere with renewed vigor. The Pej continues to do whatever it is he does. Andrew Sullivan has deigned to link while keeping it real. Lileks is Lileks. And Demosthenes is smugger than ever.

The anniversary has come and gone, and most of us are relieved. That awful, terrible year is over. We've faced crisis after crisis and survived. WTC, Pentagon, the mail, Enron, Martha Stewart, the Catholic Church, FBI, CIA, NYSE, NASDAQ, S&P, 401k. There aren't many institutions we can rely on. Even our toy trains are now suspect. But the strength of the American people does not depend on these institutions. It was always the other way around.

The US is now in a lull before phase 3 of the war begins. More institutions may crumble. The terrorists will strike again. Saddam will lash out with whatever he's got. But America will win those battles, as sure as the sky is blue. Then we'll break a few heads in Saudi Arabia.

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