I peruse a lot of news sites and blogs in the mornings. It's a habit I picked up working in DC, and one I've consciously continued, keeping abreast of policy and analysis in the areas of homeland security, national security, and international relations. One of my more off-kilter haunts is The Jawa Report, which tends to focus on the cyber-information-warfare portion of our current fight against Islamic extremism. They're rude, crass, and frequently post NSFW content (under a cut), but the regulars are definitely out there making a difference. I'm always appreciative of the fact that Rusty and crew don't mince words.

Checking things out this morning, I came across a post from Howie, "Toche Station vs Anchorhead & Mos Eisley", which discusses some exchanges between columnist Ezra Klein and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. Apparently, Klein started by posting "Why We Still Need Cities," at the Washington Post. In it, he skirted the issue of reducing rural subsidies, and pimped a book by Ed Glaeser called Why We Still Need Cities. Secretary Vilsack contacted Klein, and they had something of a rebuttal discussion, focussing on the necessity of rural life as a balance to urban life. It was an interesting discussion, with Vilsack emphasizing not only the agricultural necessities, but also the necessity of the moral and ethical code which exists in rural communities.

There was a lot of repetition in the second discussion, but it got me to thinking. ( Urban versus rural has been a hot topic of conversation for me lately... )