There's certainly been a lot of information to digest the last couple of days. We can see now what the immediate effect on our lives will be. I should note that I'm often very critical of the government for taking the politically expedient approach rather than the right approach. At least at this moment, I have a very unusual confidence that they're trying to do the right thing. It's very organic - it seems that the people who know in depth what needs to be done are getting their voices heard. But it does mean checkpoints. It's a loss of some freedom. I'm mostly surprised that we were able to go this long without comprehensive checkpoints. They're quite common in the rest of the world. I also should note that California is in a unique position because of its agricultural inspection program to seal its road borders. Wonder if those stations will get put to re-use.

My favorite interview in the last couple of days is the special forces guy who fought with the Afghans against the Russians and given the mandate to capture equipment for study. You know his eyes have seen Armageddon. What he had to say carried a bit more weight than anybody in NY or DC who have never been to Afghanistan. He said basically that you've got to build up trust with the Afghans and let them fight amongst themselves. If they don't trust you they scatter and you'll never find them. Thought it especially relevant a couple of hours later when it was reported that several former supporters of the Taliban were declaring themselves neutral and scattering.