BRidiocy

Country collectively shoots self in foot. Consequences to follow. 

Nothing's worse than the morning after the night before. A big bender. Judgement, discretion, and reason go out the window. You do and say things you'd  never do or say while sober. Then, regret creeps in with the dawn's early light. You wonder if you behaved like an ass. How many friends did you offend? Should you call everyone you know and offer a blanket apology? Maybe post an apology on your FB page. You desperately want to relive the night before and make things right. But you can't.

 That's how many Brexit Leave voters feel today. 'What have we done?'

Thursday's vote showed the world that it's not only American voters who are willfully (or naturally) ignorant and gullible. They're everywhere. They're making noises now in the Netherlands and France. It also showed that anything that politicians say ... anything ... should be treated with a heapin' helpin' of skepticism. The morning after the vote, a windswept Trump alighted in Scotland and Tweeted that the country was going wild about the outcome to leave the EU. A kind cohort of Tweeters reminded The Donald that Scotland overwhelmingly voted Remain.

And then there's Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). He assured Britons that the £350 million the UK pays to the EU every week (actually only half that after rebates) will be invested in the National Health Service and in education once the UK is free of the EU straight jacket. Many voters cast their ballots based on that assertion. But wait! Oh! That was a mistake. Too late now.

Some consequences of the vote were immediate. The Pound dropped to its lowest point in 31 years. One Brit posted a tweet showing the post-referendum price of breakfast pastries.

That's about $38 for you and me.

And so it goes. A spasm of nationalism, isolationism, and xenophobia fueled by misinformation and rage. The EU was built to prevent the kind of insanity that tore Europe apart and damn near killed it in the 20th century. It ain't perfect but it's better than the alternative: mutual distrust, hate, fear, and anger among peoples and their countries. The kind of stew that more often than not results in bloodshed. Lots of bloodshed.