Worth Reading

Dan Rather wrote a great column this past weekend on the current economic crisis and its effect on the have-nots:

We are witnessing the outlines of what happens when the world's have-nots feel they can no longer eke out the necessities of life. In the developed world, it may be worth noting that those who have less are often the very same people our society depends on to get our food to us; in the developing world, it should be recognized that hunger fuels anger, ignites revolution and feeds terrorism.

The implications of high commodities prices start with humanitarian concerns, but they do not end there. They also encompass issues of civil society and national security. One need not subscribe to apocalyptic or even pessimistic thinking to read warning signs in the unrest we have witnessed this spring.