Familiarity breeds contempt they say, and if you are surrounded by family and lifelong friends, you often may well understand - or think you do - each the others thoughts about major events and substantive principles. The degradation of civil society across the West is a crime, and it is all the world that is robbed of the good intentions and hard work to create the blessings of civilization.

It is always more intriguing and challenging to address deep principles, as you do, in a language you were not born speaking. Your superlative skill at English is an inspiration, although I haven't had occasion to speak French, that sole language besides English I learned much of, in ~50 years.

Thanks!