IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
AND NO ONE REPRESENTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST CAN EVEN GRASP THE ISSUES; WHEN THE PEOPLE HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO SET THEIR OWN AGENDAS OR KNOWLEDGEABLY QUESTION THOSE IN AUTHORITY; I HAVE A FOREBODING
OF AMERICA IN MY CHILDREN’S OR GRANDCHILDREN’S TIME–WHEN THE UNITED STATES IS A SERVICE AND INFORMATION ECONOMY; WHEN NEARLY ALL OF THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES HAVE SLIPPED AWAY TO OTHER COUNTRIES; WHEN AWESOME TECHNOLOGICAL POWERS ARE IN THE HANDS OF A VERY FEW, AND WHEN THE DUMBING DOWN OF AMERICA IS MOST EVIDENT IN THE SLOW DECAY OF SUBSTANTIVE CONTENT IN THE ENORMOUSLY INFLUENTIAL MEDIA, THE 30-SECOND SOUND BITES NOW DOWN TO 10 SECONDS OR LESS, LOWEST-COMMON-DENOMINATOR PROGRAMMING, CREDULOUS PRESENTATIONS ON PSEUDOSCIENCE AND SUPERSTITION, BUT ESPECIALLY A KIND OF CELEBRATION OF IGNORANCE; WITH OUR CRITICAL FACULTIES IN DECLINE, UNABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHAT FEELS GOOD AND WHAT’S TRUE, WE SLIDE ALMOST WITHOUT NOTICING, BACK INTO SUPERSTITION AND DARKNESS; CARL SAGAN, THE DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD: SCIENCE AS A CANDLE IN THE DARK
