Elk City, OK: 426 miles, .5 miles, 6 caches, and a scary scary thunderstorm.

Yay! I got some sleep last night!

First thing in the morning we Visited the Roundhouse, New Mexico's State Capitol. We'd left our knives in our pockets, but it turns out they have no metal detectors. It was pleasant just to walk in. Slowly our freedoms are being nibbled away and wedon't even notice. The capitol is just beautiful. We did peek in on the House, gathering for a meeting.

At the information desk I was asked (for the second time in two days) how Arnold was doing. This time I turned it, and said "yeah, and how's Bill Richardson these days?" We shook our heads and tut-tutted over our governors.

We found the necessary cache there, then left to go to highway 40. Road work kept us from one. There's a really nice cache at Cline Corners. It's in a block of wood which is at the back of a ruined billboard, held on with a hinge.

Texas (and central time) at 2:38/3:38. Cadillac Ranch. Signed a car. Did it again at the Bug Ranch. Then the weather got more and more threatening. I thought to take the magnet off the car before it started raining. JUST before. Then the rain turned into a torrent, and lightning, and a strong gust of wind that knocked over two semis we saw, and hail. We pulled off into McLain, and hunkered down. After the really REALLY bad stuff we continued, and found an abandoned drive-in with a lot of other cars tucked under, and sat there for 5 minutes, then nearly flooded ourselves on the road... we finally got back to the freeway, and continued on. THEN, before Elk City, the gas warning light went on. Scary! I was really glad to get to the motel. This was about 8 PM.

We walked over to the nearby Holiday Inn for dinner. If you survive it, it's an adventure.

Pelosi First Heard of 9/11 Attacks in Late 2003. Heh. Scrappleface. "Enhanced immolation techniques."

Caracas on the Potomac.

Stimulus! All the dead people getting checks doesn't bode well for the gummint running health care. Preview of Government health care.

A World Sliding Into Danger

In this, from World War II to the winning of the Cold War, to the push during the Bush first term to stop the old axis of evil in its tracks, American influence and might has long served the world well. "Change" on this front is perilous, and it is happening.

What began as a shift to "soft power" during the Bush second term has been further evolving under Obama into a surrealpolitik of reset buttons, apologies for America and avowals of "respect" for governments such as Syria and Iran--whose rulers respect neither America nor the basic rights of their own citizens and neighbors.
...
America is coasting right now on the strength of genuine past victories and of the seemingly inexhaustible resources produced by a longtime mix of democracy and free markets. Lamentations and financial woes notwithstanding, most Americans still live cocooned in enough comforts so that it's easy to forget just how rough the world can get. If America won't lead the way, lay down the rules and proudly defend them, big change is indeed on its way. It won't be the change we seek.

I suppose if we survive that, it will be an adventure.