Here in Australia the debate was a non-issue, not much intense debate. The crowds just watched the news to see what the oil bully did. The political charade continues while all the other small world network discussions continue.
They (the US. government) have the military, economic, political and social power to dominate the discourse of international politics. The average person doesn't have the capacity to understand the big political issues. They're too busy going to work, burning oil for mobility, feeding the kids, stessing over money, etc. to grasp the implications of American foreign policy, oil depletion, climate change, free trade and the war on terrorism. Does the average person care?
Yet...keep up the good valuable work. It's called hope. You're working towards it, it's a good first step. Next step is political engagement. Maybe this forum could focus on political engangement in the run up to the 2004 US. elections.
I'm curious about how people are feeling right now about the need for dialogue on the Iraq crisis. Are the people in your communities hungry for dialogue on this topic, or is there not too much interest (perhaps because they perceive the war as 'winding down')? Do you feel that there is another, more timely or pressing topic that D&D practitioners should be focusing their efforts on? And if you have held a local dialogue on this issue, how did it go? Were you able to get people who are in favor of the war, or is it primarily people who oppose the war who feel compelled to attend dialogues in the issue?
