Then What…? James Howard Kunstler The strange demeanor of CNN’s news readers is telling us something: check out Erin Burnett in the seven o’clock time slot. No affect, like she is on drugs, in a kind of trance… or just going through the motions against her will. Same thing with Kate Bolduan, a sort of permanent half-scowl, as if she’s been told to carry out a detested chore, like cleaning the carpet where hubbie’s old dog had another “accident.” Is it, perhaps, that they just don’t believe the bullshit they are serving up to anxious viewers anymore? Or is it something even darker? That would be my guess. Next thing you know, their heads will start rotating 360 degrees, projectile vomiting pea soup at the cameras. I surf through all the major cable news channels, of course, to detect the textures, flavors, and odors of the American zeitgeist — the spirit of the times. It’s a harsh, sour thing these days, with overtones of dead skunk wrapped in a used diaper and dipped in vinegar, almost