several people I know who have called me, out of the blue, recently.
Not to be alarmist, but the overall similarity with what you have posted here, and which is somewhat what the OP touches upon, is that this feels really big, and that this is why they so blithely continue on about their business: that the pain and suffering they've caused or contributed to is part of the sacrifice the masses have to endure in order to get to the end goal (Machiavellian, really as in 'the end justifies the means' and a kind of 'tough love' authoritarian aproach).
As for the goal, I can not even imagine, with the exception of various articles and books I've read, all of which have various goals, but all of which call for a huge change; a huge disrupt of status quo.
I can't help but feel that they think they are 'cleansing America' or 'cleansing the World' and that they've had a huge plan in the making for some time.
When I say 'they' by the way, I am referring to numerous groups that have had ample time to coalesce, including but not limited to the religious right fanatics, neo-cons, big corporations, elitists, etc. (for some info, see: Tentacles of Rage,
http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2004/Republican-Propaganda1sep04.htm , for what I'm getting at here--it's just one example of things I've read regarding the reach of Bush & Co.)
All that, coupled with others' speculation about Peak oil being the underlying motivation for a lot of what we are witnessing with this (mis)administration has left me feeling that there is something extremely large happening here, right now, with this.
As the OP pointed out, too, "dumb luck" on the part of Bush & Co.--but was their delay in responding purposeful here? Am I going nuts or are we just witnessing what kind of disastrous effects mother nature and inept administrations and 'pwesidents' are capable of having on the human race.
Do you have a link to your original thread or the particular article that your excerpts are referring to?