The Devil We Don't Know

I'm usually a pretty optimistic guy by nature because I've been a pessimist and it sucks out loud. But having looked out at the vast expanse of the not-so-vast knowledge base of the electorate, I'm one step away from paying my tab to society, finding a nice quiet spot in the middle of nowhere, and only going into town for provisions, books, and the occasional appletini.

I don't expect much from the faux left in the area of historical knowledge. Most of the time, anything past last week's episode of "American Idol" is considered ancient history. To expect them to remember events that happened in the 90s is like expecting the Enterprise to go Warp...oh, I don't know...1 billion: it will break apart before anything meaningful will come of it.

I did, however, expect more from Republicans and conservatives. I was and am disheartened by the number of people from the right who don't remember or understand the implications of Kosovo on the current war on terrorism. I mean, we were only helping Muslims and al Qaeda by going after Slobodon Milosevic. Can't see the connection to the current war against radical Muslims and al Qaeda there...

So, why is it important that we know recent and not-so-recent history? Because what we don't know can hurt us, especially when it comes to dealing with terrorism. One of the biggest problems we have right now is that we don't understand our enemy. History can be a guide to what the terrorists may do, if we think to use it. And people on both sides of the political aisle aren't thinking to use it that often, leaving us in a bad spot. That leaves it up to us to pick up the slack, and a lot of the time, we have attention spans shorter than...what was I saying?

Knowledge of the past can also help us understand economics because we can see what worked and what hasn't. That saves time when dealing with socialists. Instead of getting sucked into the neat-sounding rhetoric and wasting years before getting disillusioned or deluded, you would know enough to run away quickly.

Put simply, we need to get on the ball and learn this stuff. The sooner we do, the better we'll be prepared to take on the challenges of the day.

And let me tell you, the ladies love a guy who knows a thing or two about the Stamp Act!