Debut

It is 27 September 2005, and according to the United States federal government, the country is at Elevated risk for a terrorist attack.

The United States is at war against insurgents in Iraq. Charges that American troops there are torturing prisoners have become dull with repetition.

Oil is near record prices. This hasn't triggered inflation or recession in the United States yet. No one knows why.

Earlier this year the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that it's okay for a city to seize a person's property and transfer it to private developers.

The avian flu virus H5N1 is still rare in humans, which is good, since it is resistant to antiflu drugs. Scientists peg the virus as the next human pandemic. The U.S. has committed to stockpiling enough flu vaccine, eventually, to innoculate some 6% of the population. No word on why this particular number was chosen; but it might not be worth worrying about. The vaccine reportedly doesn't work very well.

A hurricane struck the Gulf coast this month, killing hundreds (if not thousands) and destroying countless homes. The government response was a complete failure. Meteorologists say we're in for decades of unusually powerful tropical storms.

A second hurricane illustrated something we've been trying to ignore: major American cities can't be quickly evacuated in case of disaster or terrorist attack.

North Korea and the United States don't seem too anxious to start World War III this week, but the overall situation is alarming. If you think President Bush is surrounded by yes men and detached from reality, you have only to look at Kim Jong-Il to kick your ulcer into high gear.

One might be forgiven for thinking that the time for concern has passed and the time for a stiff drink is at hand. If you're just now reaching this conclusion, you are many bottles behind The Alarmist.

We're trying to keep our hats on. But let's be honest. The world has gone off the rails.

Welcome to The Alarmist. Documenting the new normal.