This is republished with permission from the author. The original can be read at Racket News, “On Escaping This Horrible Era,” here. *** “Racket” readers may have noticed it’s quiet in here. There are three reasons, two temporary. I’ve been working on a book for two years and am in a home stretch. The second involves a breaking-type story that is a document-heavy slog, but coming. The third is more complicated. Call it an existential pileup. Whe…