Is the world on fire, raging hate?

From 14th Street to any corner of the globe, we see, hear and experience hate-mongering, fear-mongering, xenophobia, racial and tribal discrimination and blistering diatribes.

Terrorism, national and international, wars and scrimmages seem endless, and often without clear motivation.

Of all the towns or cities I've lived, Amsterdam felt the safest. It no longer is according to this article.

Now a country, once the embodiment of tolerance, and often cited as liberal and left-of-center, joins the pact of pyromaniacs we call pluralists, populists or right-wing extremists.

Some examples of how hate begets hate in the United States:

Rowe on Coulter here.

Michael Seitzman on hate here.

Joseph Palermo addresses incitement to hate here.

The sense of hysteria is very real

What I felt yesterday appears to be a reality. Folks all over the country are feeling and experiencing great losses.

I myself felt a hard ball in my stomach yesterday when the cash register rang up twice as many dollars as I had intended to spend at the super market. And that was after I shopped carefully and picked up more 2fers than I generally do.

Is anyone really in charge of this financial disaster?

Can we count on a government now when we have experienced so little real leadership in recent years?

And frankly I wonder who is in charge! Or if anyone is at the helm to this seeming sinking boat!