Incredible post, amused. You've said a lot with very few words and have echoed many of my own sentiments.

If you are teaching in China, or elsewhere, I imagine that your students consider themselves quite lucky to have you as their teacher, in that you bring them the perspective of not just an individual but of one who has their eyes quite open.

I taught in China for nearly seven years. One of the most common questions I would get from my students, other than why I'm not fat like most Americans...lol, was, well, why aren't I like other Americans they had met. The answer was simple in my mind. And so it seems in yours, as well.

On a completely different note, I would love to get your perspective on what's happening in North Dakota right now. Dependent on where you are, you may or may not be getting the full story. Basically, though, the situation is spiraling out of control. The latest is that many military veterans are heading there and the ND State Patrol is preparing to block access to any citizens who choose to involve themselves in what so far has been a peaceful protest by the Sioux and those who have joined them. Not so peaceful on the other side.

If the state police actually close off access routes to US Veterans, things are going to get crazy. There are hundreds of veterans on the way right now. All have vowed to go there unarmed, but this doesn't mean there won't be some seriously pissed of vets.

Moreover, many people throughout the country, including on the island where I live, are organizing collection locations where material aid can be donated for the protesters. Others are organizing caravans so that those who believe in our rights of free speech and civil disobedience will have the opportunity to help those who are peacefully demonstrating, yet being treated like criminal trespassers by the "law" enforcers. They have been using tear gas, concussion grenades and water cannons (in freezing weather), as an attempt to disperse the crowds. They even tried to designate a "free speech zone" to move them to. That sort of backfired on them, as people who were neutral or apathetic to the issue beforehand have now begun to discuss the issue openly and of course are offended by the notion that apparently free speech doesn't exist on every piece of land in this country.

It will be interesting, and it's all because of OIL and FRACKING, the transportation of the first, which causes all sorts of unreported damage, and the hazards of the latter - also pretty much unreported.

Sadly, Obama is staying out of it. Hillary seemingly can't be bothered. Bernie has spoken out of course because he's been against fracking since it began. At any rate, it well may become such an issue that those politicians who have so far chosen to fly beneath the radar on this issue will have to show where they stand.

People are getting angry. That's a good thing; apathy is getting quite old.