Every day is silent and gray

Or so it seems with my current crop of reads. They feel like the ghosts of failed policies past, present and future. The first up is the Great Deluge, which I still like and still makes me worried about the country's ability to manage disasters.

Next up is the End of Iraq, by Peter Galbraith. It's a brief book, but a rather angry one. Galbraith has been supportive of Kurdish rights since a visit in the 1980s and he is none too pleased with American policy in the region. His thesis is that the place is so messed up, we may as well assist it in breaking up into three parts. The screaming caveat is that Galbraith has long advocated Kurdish independence and you have to be careful of his evidence. So far, it is an enjoyable read, if a possibly questionable thesis.

Finally, and most depressing is the Weather Makers, and Australian climate scientists look at global warming and how much it is influenced by human behavior. So far, all bad news. The Amazon reviews have the predictable "he's a liar" reviews. Global warming is like missile defense with the debate approaching the theological, in both intensity and doctrinal correctness. It is hard to know what to believe. I for one will not be convinced that global warming is not a problem by, say, commercials claiming carbon is our friend. To be fair, to really understand these issues requires a lot of reading and discussion, with fair-minded people. I can't tell you how much time I spent looking into boost phase missile defense before I really understood it. So I expect this book will worry me, without making me truly comprehend the problem. Ah, more books I guess.