Great article Glenn. Wanted to expound on it a bit.

I've noticed the level of discourse on blogs has taken to this theme of "acuse and bully" tactics. Some on the left want to think that the answer to many of our problems is just to do the exact opposite. Been some nasty blogwars on athiests who are angry over Fundie beliefs. Or Debates and threats on Pres. candidates on blogs who try to scream at readers that they are unAmerican,Un Democratic, or Un Gop for thier opinions.

Because GW has erroneously framed debated in black V white, good V evil-we tend to follow suit. It's a very simple-minded approach. Just yell louder. Louder wins. Louder, nastier, more arrogant, more slick...is not necessarily correct though, and that is the fault of many not doing their research and just instantly backing down from the fight. Unfortunately to be heard over these morons-we (okI) can ten to scream back just as loudly-thus solving nothing and not making our arguments persuasively.

I am very angry at people I stereotype(there ya happy?)as overachievers. I realized though, it's more than that.It's my taking a stance against fearmongering for my own sanity and peace of mind. Even against fellow party-members, I will callout for tryong to infect thier own beliefs and create chaos instead of reacting rationally with commonsense without hysteria.I have the right to my own peaceful existence without having dramaqueens on the RT and Left push thier fears on me. It makes me angry that my choices are being taken away from me-while someone jumping up and down gets more attention for an ignorant statement.So I will pushback. If someone wants to scream accusations,I'll shut them up 'casue I have just as much right to be heard as they do.Our govt. in the past has alwasy been the voice of reason-the commonsense pragmatist-only since GW has our govt. turned into a bunch of fearmongering cowards- acting like sissies and bullying the public into buying thier arguments.

No more for me thanks. take your drama elsewhere.

To hear him talk about Guantanomo or prison makes me wnat o go there on vacation. How idiotic this WH is to think the public buys any of the propaganda. Perhaps these are people who live for their "photo-op" moment (like the mission-accomplished aircraft carrier)-or maybe they are so riddled with guilt that this moronic eutopian illusion is a coping mechanism in making thier consciences obey. Who knows why people in the military lie to themselves-and keep telling themselves "We are absolutely winning"....These are people with blind trust, who don't question, who still have faith in govt.-because ignorance IS bliss.

I'll take the ability to question, the ability to think for myself, the ability to be accountable for my own actions,the ability to choose NOT to harm another human being....anyday.

Thanks also, for having the courage of your convictions to do the right and honorable thing for the American people.

You are a most underestimated American treasure.

Glenn you freak out sometimes about how we can be thinking about the same things. I just emailed Andrew sullivan about the Hitch and Sharpton debate on God-and God's existence. which I don't think Hitch proved. Hitch seems to go on the premise of an authoritarian model of God. As a Catholic I just don't feel I've been taught to think this way. I don't think God will strike me down with lightening in punishment of something I did.Hitch uses example of religions who do fall this way. That's not God's fault-that's the interpretation that was corrupted.It's the church leaders who want to make people fear God. This is where government has most definitely exploited this model of God to it's own end. Now even acting as a sole leader-much like some religious leaders who have thier own interpretation of the Bible-we have an executive branch interpretting laws to thier own end. I wrote Andrew that I don't think God minds us questioning his/her existence. Our faith gets tested many times in our lives and we end up with ourselves. This is the way I think about govt. also. I will question. I don't have blind faith. It is the reason God gave us brains.It is also the reason religion should be kept out of govt.-since all people have a different variation of what God they believe in-and it is not the FEd. govt. responsitbility to force this narrow version on constituents.

Didn't mean to get so meta-just between the 2 articles, I was thinkin on.

especially military families-when we find these erroneous stories are disproven. Seems fair that the anchorperson/reporter/pundit should be liable for what he says on air. any other person in any other field can be sued for not doing their job. In this case:"doing thier job" means giving the public the absolute most honest answer and covering all of the who,what,where,when,whys of journalism.

(another meta momnet Glen). I was thinking of the differences in integrity between say, a Joe Scarborough, Abrams, Limbaugh to nationally-loved newsmen like Cronkite, Murrow,maybe even Bob Schaeffer:the differences are that these latter examples did not insult thier viewers by intonating,enunciating,pointing out where they saw the flaws or leanings of a story. These were men who read the news with facts. You had faith in them to give you the truth. They were proud of that fact and never soldout to corporate lords.Personal integrity has now been replaced by puckered lips. Why even flaunt the fact of an ivy-league education now:an education intended to make a person self-reliant and free-thinking-when one is reduced to simply reading off cue cards like a monkey.

Perhaps monkeys will be the cheaper replacements to do the news in the future.