The two stones sit face to face. Neither move. It is a face off. Neither will back down. And, because they are both on level ground, there is little chance of either one accidentally withdrawing.

There is precious little time to get the new plan to work. The new season of American Idol is starting up and most of the country will be engaged in catty attacks on people who sing just about as well as everyone else in the country. Y'know, like going to Karaoke on Tuesday nights. Except this is better lit and everyone's actually sober.

Fragmented pieces of thought zoom to and fro. There are all of these answers, but they all seem to be wrong. Try to pick up the pieces, but they are ephemeral. They have no substance. The pieces float away on their weightlessness.

How cynical would it be to approve and implement a plan everyone knows won't work just to prove it won't work? Is that worth thousands more dying? Would you die so someone else--someone who doesn't even know you--could win a bet?

The Cold War was fought on both sides with the understanding of one thing: neither side wanted to die. A nuclear war would devastate all of man, especially those living in the two superpowers (and where, oh where, have our superpowers gone?). Nuclear bombs were planted and tended to all over the US and the USSR. Men sat in silos, running tests of courage (would they turn the key when the time came?) and playing lots of chess. Leaders of both countries talked tough and spent money like there was no tomorrow. And then, tomorrow came.

I don't know what it's like when the bank comes to repossess the government. It would be interesting, wouldn't it? Tow trucks picking up all of the official vehicles. Government personnel getting put out into the street, some trying to take records with them. Others throwing down their ties and running to the nearest pub to see if their credit cards are still working.

There was drinking. And loud rock n' roll. The drunkest one wanted to fight the doorman. Just because. It was about principle. Something about not backing down. The walk back to the car was blocks long. Lots of people downtown. When the police asked what happened, all three said, "He slipped and fell down." The leg didn't look right. And that snap didn't sound good. The ambulance was manned by women. He would be well taken care of. A splint secured the leg, a stretcher was necessary, but there was no need for sirens. There would, however, be need of a rod to be surgically implanted in the leg to fix the break.

The snow is beautiful when it just keeps falling. Stacking up on top of each other, the millions and trillions of snowflakes becoming one big white sheet covering the land. It makes you want to stay where you are and just watch. Of course, some people order out for pizza.

It wasn't simpler in the past. It was just different. But many similarities are overlooked because we want to feel like our time is more special (and important) than times past. There certainly are more people.

Almost 39 years ago, a man who thought it was about time the country lived up to that whole "all men are created equal" thing was shot and killed. Because some thought it was simpler in the past when all men weren't created equal. Everyone lost in this war. And then, somehow, everyone won. Or is the fight still raging?

We are entering a critical time in our history. A time when decisions will be made. A time when loud, obnoxious pontificating will occur. A time when everyone is so sure of everything, nothing will actually get accomplished.

But we won't give up the fight. Only pussies give up the fight. And we sure ain't pussies. Of course, most of "we" aren't actually doing the fighting.

The two stones still sit facing each other. They won't back down. No, they won't. Back. Down.

Matt Worley is trying to put the puzzle together, but some of the pieces seem to have gone missing.