THURSDAY NEWS: * Twenty-one years after the start of the decline of the American empire. * David Weigel notes that no one knows what to do about jobs . * New government mission to contain violent extremism here at home. * Senator Kerry speaks out in defense of foreign aid . * How the Tea Party is a product of Southern conservatism . * The Mexican government turns to cartoons to get out its message about the drug war. * A different take on SlutWalk in India . * Makeshift schools an important step in rebuilding Joplin . * New report speculates that Earth originally had two moons .