[Gregory Palmerino]

Mark,

History is littered with men who have risen to power while good, simple folk just wanted change. It remains to be seen how those good, simple folk will react when they get the change they didn't vote for. Including the military, there are over 4 million people who work for the U.S. federal government. We'll see how many John Chiang's there are once this ball gets rolling.

My first reaction to the poem in question was that Wilbur's poem was naive and surprising for someone who experienced WWII so profoundly. However, as Nicholas Butler says, optimism is the foundation of courage. It's my hope that Wilbur's poem was expressing the need for courage rather than the luxury of conversation.

Courage from a lot of people is what I'm hoping for over the next four years. This could be a time when the beacon of progress shines from its heart again rather than from its head. Courage: that's what's wanted and that's what's needed.

Cheers,
Greg