“We’re headed towards the middle ages. This is the decline of the American empire. This is what decline looks like—middle class vanishes, plagues sweep the earth, droughts, locusts in Georgia, the dumbing of the country, lack of leadership at the top, unstuck youth at the bottom, high suicide rates, homeless people in the streets—I could go on and on… Maybe good riddance to bad rubbish… Somebody once asked Gandhi what he thought of Western Civilization—he said it was a good idea, somebody ought to try it someday.” ~~Abbie Hoffman 1988