...in a tired genre and the self-referential discipline of Child Development. As parents of three, we stopped with "what to expect when your expecting" and are thankfully blissfully ignorant of these trends. We have three beautiful complex people and not a drop of thought went into raising them.

The wedding becomes a club. No poor relatives need apply. Self-congratulatory professionals gathered in exotic locations to swear their love to each other in front of their socioeconomic peers (their true family).

Besides, any asshole who is thinking bitter thoughts on his wedding day is the antonym of graciousness. THere is ONLY ONE correct thing to say in that situation and that is, "I'm so sorry your husband couldn't make it." What a jerk. You don't need these people.

Did I just read that there is a bill to give the White House a line-item veto? Holy shit! I thought we were moving away from unchecked executive power.

Line-item veto is fundamentally unconstitutional along the same lines as executive signing statements. I hope that democrats are smart enough to forcefully stop the first and end the second.

Only a drastic and explicit rejection of these practices can save the balance of powers in the American system of government.

Do I trust Obama with these powers more than Bush...yes. But will there be another scary republican in the White House in the future...yes.

Folks...we may need some assault rifles after all.

The totalitarian urge in humans does not care about ideological details. This letter is evidence--albiet mild--that any movement, regardless of how well intentioned, can be the basis for gross inconsideration of other people. I can imagine this guy turning his wife in in a future environmentalist dystopia. Moderation in all things. Imagine a world grossly polluted with the decaying bodies of the hundreds of millions who did not want to stop using their dryers. Change comes slowly and only holds when it massages the culture and society it tries to change. Someday, people may not use dryers as much--or maybe the run on the hot air of extremists.

Wow, it is amazing that Groenhagen et al. (if indeed there is more than one of them) have a lot of time on their hands. Must be that Bush's plans worked out and they are now independently wealthy enough to spend all day pissing in the wind. Or maybe he/they are unemployed.

Oops, have to get back to work!

What a great synopsis of what I have always considered Cheney and friends' grand strategy--a massive heist of government funds for incompetent cronies. These people were never interested in doing a good job. Their conservative philosophy declared government to be bad and mismanaged, and they ensured that it would in fact be so. Now that they are gone, have gotten their friends another trillion dollar flood of money, and can retire to their beach houses on the now black-free Gulf Coast, these fuckers can loudly proclaim themselves the proud opposition to government excess.

It is simple thievery. To honor crooks with nefarious aims other than simple stealing is to miss their true culpability and the American people's lack of clarity in discerning the real issues and aims of the Bush (Cheney) Administration.

Torture, terror, detention, habeas, etc., were all fear-induced smokescreens to hide the bank job.

I have always been a fanatic; once I discover something I like, I tend to go overboard and become exclusive. I certainly discovered this tendency in me through reading Lewis' Narnia. I have read each one of these books at least twenty times a piece (and Magician's Nephew holds up as the coolest) including reading them to my own children. I can relate to Laura's sense of privacy and realism in her relationship with Narnia. This might explain my disappointment with the film versions of the books. The problem was not the portrayals themselves but the feeling of violation that I felt for me and my children. This world exists as a moral and creative well in each child regardless of the books' religious content. Thank's Lewis.

End of Discussion

"You think it's "impressive." Normal people see it as pretentious and presumptuous."

"Normal people", (do you mean right-wingers), think it is silly and pretentious and laugh at Palin's committee-written gag lines. But those who believe in Obama's message do not and I am willing to bet that the "uncommitted independent" does not either. I like to think I am above the "THREE WORD CHANT" level of political engagement but still think that many people who have not been passionate about politics were impressed at the sheer number of people the dems could bring in...and hopefully the new message and political strategy.