By the simple fact of geography, the United States is the world's most isolated superpower. It is logistically impossible to invade for it is surrounded by oceans and there is nowhere to stage an opposing army. Yet the American people are not consciously aware of their isolated and protected status. They are easily frightened and heavily armed. They reach adulthood with almost no understanding of geopolitics and global economics, or of their unique and privileged place in these systems. These practical matters are not part of their public education.

The United States is not part of the rich and varied interconnected nations and land masses of the historic civilized world, which are concentrated entirely in the Eastern hemisphere. Americans can live a lifetime and never fully understand where they are in the world and what that truly means.

Is this the real reason our government lied to us about Russian hacking? To ensure complete control over the outcomes of future elections.

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday declared the electoral system as "critical infrastructure," the latest in a series of eleventh-hour responses to alleged Russian election-season hacks.

1. Create a meme that sounds plausible and has an element of truth to it. Governments hack other governments. We've known that for decades.