It seems like a long row of dominos is just waiting for the first to fall. Who will be brave enough to tell the bully "NO! You can't have my lunch $ anymore. We'll not blindly follow your every whim any longer." As someone who was bullied, I know once the first kid puts up a fight, even if he gets beat up, does end a bully's power in the mind of his victims & soon no one will take the would-be oppressor seriously. Then his threats have no power leaving a pathetic loser who you're more likely to pity than to fear. It's the end of an empire Y'all & I hope this is the defining event that starts the long slow loss of power & influence that the U.S. has so long abused & lorded over its allies & foes alike.

On a different note, I have a few colleagues & friends who are firefighters. I can't wait to use my new word on'em the next time we talk, "conflagration". Over the years @corrbetreport has been great for my vocabulary...so thanks James for helping me to sound much much smarter than I really am.