I was expecting the country to break apart, politically. But it never happened.

Indeed. So did my family, actually. And you're right, it didn't happen, much to everyone's surprise and relief. It came close though. That whole kerfuffle over East Timor stretched Indonesian unity near to the breaking point.

I think Indonesia's OK now.

I haven't been back in like 15 years, so all I can say is that from an outsider's perspective, it looks like Indonesia is becoming ever more Islamised. While that is actually a net benefit if you want political unity, it's a huge negative for pretty much everything else. Economic development and scientific progress will stall out pretty quickly if Indonesia goes the Full Monty with Islam- and I have little doubt that eventually it will. They've managed to preserve growth and development, for now, but I'm just waiting for the next major crisis to hit the region to see whether Indonesia stays secular. Without Suharto, or anyone like him, I really doubt that it will.

I was expecting the country to break apart, politically. But it never happened.

I think Indonesia's OK now.

A business venture I was involved with in Malaysia was bellied-up due to the Asian currency crisis. I was also in a deal in Japan and Korea to automate semiconductor and FPD fabs at the time and that was also bellied-up due to the currency crisis.

1998 did not end well for me. Not at all.

You are correct in all of your assessments. I have read about the economic crisis in Asia you mention in a book that was more about the economic-wonky side of it. I didn't know about the social chaos,but I should have guessed,probably. I believe the split you mention will manifest in a bi-lateral schism involving the eastern and western portions of the country. Both the East Coast liberals and the West Coast liberals will want to be in charge,neither group will want to share power and they are just different enough from one another that it's highly possible they would go toe-to-toe for the scraps of civilization.

I don't foresee the Hispanics presenting any real problem, as they are typically short-sighted and rudderless.As soon as the Catholic church showed up on their shores they started taking their direction from them.

Whites and Asians have the most to lose in this fight, on opposite sides of the world, we have both built highly technological civilizations that have been the standards for bravery,honor,and humanity. What should we do,considering you correctly state it is not a matter of if,but when we see all our painstaking work,that we purchased with so many lives and so much human suffering,undone?

It is my contention that Whites and Asians in this country should unite,culturally and genetically. We have much to offer one another in both areas, and I believe we should invite the Native American population of our country to join us, as they have the most to gain by enjoying a higher public profile than previously afforded them. Together,we could take and hold a large portion of this country in the ensuing chaos,after that, administration of our state would be a breeze. Whites,reds,and yellows are far more skilled in effective warfare than blacks and browns,and more principled and intelligent in governing the spoils of war.

We need to watch each other's backs,because we all know that they aren't just after whitey. Asian storeowners seem to get the crappy end of the stick every time these riots happen. They acquit themselves admirably with rifles,shotguns, and pistols-I've seen the security tapes, but they do go through an ordeal first.

Now,these are touchy issues and I fully acknowledge that I may sound like a crackpot or an asshole to some people,but we may soon be coming to a bridge in need of burning and we can't afford to put off the discussion until we get there,because I believe as you do, that it is imminent.

Bottom line: In order to salvage the noblest aspects of humanity, representatives of the cultures these ideas come from will probably need to work together for the common good of humanity. If we survive, civilization survives.

I think we should employ a two-pronged approach,utilizing the greater number of whites compared to the number of asians we could jointly force "a seat at the table" ,so to speak,to agitate for our common interests,which shouldn't shortchange anyone as the needs of one group of civilized people are not radically different from the needs of another.

Secondly,we could attain even greater numbers by employing a breeding strategy, mixing with Native Americans who are hardy to this hemisphere,giving us a permanent biological advantage over invaders and solidifying our hold on civilization in this country in perpetuity.

We have to do something radical,or we may very well end up living in a first-world New Guinea where they're hacking people to death with machetes over suspected witchcraft cases(Well,maybe not witchcraft per se, but I bet the reason for said machete-hacking would be just as stupid).

Anyway,I hope you got some good guns and lots of ammo for them,and here's hoping God likes all those shrines we build to him all over the place enough to keep our peoples around.