WHAT TURNING IS IT? Asparagirl has nightmares about her neighbors sleepwalking through history:

"In the past month, Islamic terrorists blew up a nightclub in Bali and killed hundreds of people, but it must have been because Australia is friendly with that evil pariah, America. Islamic terrorists blew up a French oil tanker in Yemen, but it must have been because France likes that evil pariah America...uh, wait, then it must have been an accident of some sort. Islamic terrorists have taken hundreds and hundreds of people in Russia hostage because...no, they're rebels, not terrorists. We will excise from all the media reports that they let all the Muslims in the audience go free. If we don't report it, it never happened. Islamic terrorists blew themselves up in Israel, killing many people, but it's Israel, so who gives a fuck, that happens there all the time, let's not waste our time there. A man with ties to radical Islam methodically killed people near the nation's capital from the backseat of his car, but as long as we don't know who he is, we will say he might be a terrorist and certainly nutters, but when we know who he is and who he has ties to, we will not say a thing and will refer to him by his former last name even if he does not. This is one month. This is quite normal.

"There is nothing to see here. And even if there were, if we pretend not to see it, surely it is not there. Every news conference will start with reassurances that you are safe, your community is safe, and please people, would you save your doubt and panic for those times when you wake up early in the morning and pretend it was the malted milk balls that are the problem." Meanwhile, the Institute for American Values seeks peaceful coexistence and reasoning together:

"In a world threatened by violence and injustice, made anxious by war and discussions of war, and facing the grim prospect of religious and even civilizational polarization, is any task facing us as intellectuals from East and West more important than finding a time and place to reason together, in the hope of finding common ground on the dignity of the human person and the basic conditions for human flourishing?

"We earnestly wish to be a part of such a dialogue, with you and with other intellectuals from the Muslim world. We recognize that the only preconditions for participating in such an initiative are good will, the recognition of our common humanity, and the willingness and freedom to engage in critical introspection as well as careful criticism of others' views."

Lest I mischaracterize the lengthy post, let me also quote,

"For example, speaking of those who murdered 3,000 innocent persons on September 11, you do not speak in your letter of perpetrators, but instead of "alleged perpetrators." These words sadden and disappoint us. Do you expect us to believe that you are not aware that 15 of the 19 murderers of September 11 were Saudis? Or that their leader, Osama bin Laden, was a Saudi? Or that their organization, al-Qa`ida, has for years received substantial financial support from sources in Saudi Arabia? Or that a high proportion of Qa`ida and Taliban fighters captured by U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan are Saudis? Or that the spread of violence by Islamist groups across the world, from Afghanistan to Indonesia to the United States, is clearly traceable, in part, to the ongoing financial, political, and religious support for such activities in your country?

"These facts are well known and are beyond empirical dispute. Yet your letter incorrectly suggests that these facts are not facts at all, but instead mere "allegations," and that this entire subject - who are these terrorists and who is supporting them? - is somehow irrelevant to the present crisis.

"We are aware of some of the possible reasons for your reluctance to discuss this issue. However, if we wrote to you suggesting that slavery was merely "alleged" to have once existed in our country, or that Native Americans only "allegedly" have been the victims of injustice, we suspect that you might reply, correctly, that such fundamental denials of reality render futile any attempt at honest communication. Accordingly, to continue productively our dialogue beyond this present letter, we ask you in good faith to address specifically your perspective on the important roles played by some members of your society in the attacks of September 11 and in the worldwide spread of violence perpetrated by groups citing Islamic sources as justification."

Not quite a fisking, but not an abject surrender either.

So what Turning is it? My World Almanac list of birthdates of prominent people isn't a lot of help confirming, but I conjecture that the median age of signers of the Institute's letter is a lot higher than mine, or Asparagirl's. The relevant paragraph from Fourth Turning is two bullets at p. 253.

"The elder Artists, now appearing less flexible than indecisive, begin impeding the Prophets' values agenda.

The midlife Prophets, now filled with righteousness of conviction, grow impatient to lead society toward ever-deeper spiritual conversion."

Not quite. The generational analysis in Fourth Turning breaks down, just a bit. There is a coalition of Silents and hippies (the latter being older Baby Boomers) insisting on talk, talk, talk, wait, wait, wait. There is a coalition of yuppies and preppies (younger Baby Boomers and older Thirteeners) posting most of the bellicose weblogs.