Dear Uncle Jim,

I know how Henry Kissenger's aids must have felt after submitting first drafts. It would be nice to have an editor. Initially, I wrote this piece to work out the distinction between information and knowledge because I am selling the latter in a world chasing the former. The original meaning of "religion" seemed an interesting way to illustrate the point. Your suggestions are very helpful and so I very much appreciate your suggestions and incite.

Do you find the difference between information and knowledge is worth making? Is the perspective on "religion" useful, or might its purpose in the paper be accomplished better in another way?

I suspect Clinton could use a little more "linking back" and less "lurching forward." They have hit the proverbial "wall" of management imploding on itself. When laws and standards proliferate, as in the past 50 years, every action, every initiative turns out to violate a politically correct standard. No matter which way you turn, someone can find something wrong. In one sense this is a natural result of denser populations. However, it is not clear that China and India who far exceed the density of the US, suffer comparably from this condition. The only apparent difference is in the rate of dissemination of information.

Speaking of HK, his new book Diplomacy warns about over reliance on pictures, as in CNN and other instant news media which drive diplomacy by reaction rather than contemplation. I am intrigued by his point that your generation was raised on reading and writing, which promotes deliberate analysis to construct ideas and then impressions. Whereas my generation and certainly those that followed are more often animated by strong impressions without being aware of the source of those beliefs. A picture of starving Somolians overwhelms the mind, spurring instant action. It permits no consideration of background, objectives, means and costs, as occurs in struggling to formulate a few paragraphs of text. Thus, the difference between knowledge and impression is part of the distinction between information and knowledge that concerns the paper on the NWO....

Sincerely,

Rod