Yes, reading IS important. So are assumptions. I don't believe that America is "a crumbling edifice," but I do think it has serious problems. And racial antagonisms, stirred up by the Left with deliberate intent, are part of what's going on. Let's not be all doom and gloom, but let us not be foolishly Pollyannaish either. I think we both recognize the issue's complex and, yes, deeply rooted.