I think there's still a lot of room for discussion without any reference to politics of any kind. Or for that matter WHAT causes a need for a certain degree of self reliance for an extended (say, longer than a couple weeks) period. I'm interested here more in the hows (how can we muddle through this) than the whys (why did this happen - it's ALL[fill in the blank's] FAULT!!).

I think if everyone remains civil, and this does seem like a very very civil board - it should be fine.