America is a great country.  Where else could I turn on the television this week and witness a serious debate about whether the televising of the Oscars last Sunday had adversely affected attendance at Nascar races that day?  It is difficult to be optimistic about the future of anything, be it democracy or church life, in a world where the only values worth discussing are those which can be measured in dollars and cents.   As Pascal memorably put it (and, before anyone complains, i'm just quoting here: `How full of merde humanity is.'