The state of the State of the World Forum s good, we are delighted to report; it thrives; it flourishes. You may recall that the Forum is the project of New Age gadfly James Garrison and the otherwise unemployed Mikhail Gorbachev, who hope to create a "global brain trust." The first Forum, chronicled in our Oct. 16, 1995, issue, drew such heavy hitters as George P. Shultz and Jane Fonda, Zbigniew Brzezinski and John Denver, Ted Turner and (needless to say) Shirley MacLain. For three days each year, they "deliberate together concerning the great issues pertaining to the future of humanity." It's a giant wonkathon, in other words, for the pompous and the privileged -- the flotsam of the international celebrity-intellectual swamp. These people have way too much time on their hands.
This year's Forum -- to be held this fall, as always and where else, in San Francisco -- will begin with "A Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us," which the program describes as "a mile-long walk (one foot for each million years of time) to highlight the major events and themes of the evolution of life on earth." This will be followed by a "Guided Meditation on Interconnectedness," and then a dinner to discuss "The Sweep and Future of Human Civilization." All in a day's work! Looking through the program prospectus, we were most struck by the list of invited participants. You sort of expect Alan Cranston and Marian Wright Edelman, but Ed Feulner of the Heritage Foundation? (We are told he has declined.) Jesse Jackson, sure, but Lynne Cheney? Rob Reiner and George Gilder? And -- holy smokes! -- Georgia's own Newt Gingrich, whom the program lists as a dinner keynote speaker, divagating on "Priorities for U.S. Foreign Policy." We all know that Newt is engaging in vigorous outreach these days, but we hope he'll draw the line somewhere.