... Civilian National Security Force as strong as the military. Who is the enemy for this force? Anyone who disagrees with him [Obama] and his government? Whether your a liberal, conservative, Democrat, or Republican I believe all of this warrants concern

I had to run teh Google on this one. After filtering out the Glenn Beck hits, it turns this is an old idea from Obama. He wants to increase funding for stuff like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, which receive a pittance compared to military funding.

It seems to me that after training somebody to kick ass and take names, it's a little crazy to have them out building bridges and roads and training the locals about water sanitation. But that's part of clear and hold, and there's no one else around.

Personally, the prospect of some pimply post teen in Birckenstocks who still has a little idealism left in between moments of looking for bong hits and getting laid doesn't strike me as a personal safety issue. If there was an Army of them, I would place the Fridge under lock and key, and point them towards the nearest Taco Bell as any other good corporate citizen.

Pretty much agree with a few quibbles. Don't like what is happening with the erosion of the 4th amendment. I expect more from Obama on this. Policy makers such as Woo need to be held accountable for crossing way over the line as well.

Also, we are losing our post WWII economic and political dominance. Obama isn't really doing anything different from his predecessors, though his new ideas might actually change things for the better. That will take years.

The denial about our decades long slide is wearing off (massive unemployment is a good remedy for laissez-faire euphoria), and we are forced to admit we are in the dumpster. People have been rudely awoken from dreams of imminent prosperity, and they are pissed.

It's easier to blame the new guy (especially after you dehumanize him into the other with the various Nazi, illegal alien, communist, socialist, fascist schemes) instead of copping to being self-complict in a strategy to skim off the wealth of the middle and lower classes using global labor arbitrage.

Oh Noes, they promised we would all get rich!

I hate when that happens.

It's the hubris of man to think we control events or events merely control us. Which of us are masters or slaves or neither or both?

Will we reach for our higher nature, wallow in our lower ones, or simply go along for the ride? As Willy Wonka says, it will all come out in the wash.

The bottom line is common cause.

Mostly for my own amusement:

• Cool: Criticizing the government is free speech.
• Cool: Criticizing the words and deeds of others is also free speech (aka Censure)
• Uncool: Organizing and participating in the prevention of debate at Town Halls by yelling and screaming. That's suppression of free speech. (aka Censorship)
• Provocation: Bringing weapons to town hall meetings

Calling out the President or any other official when they appear to violate our laws is what makes the rule of law (instead of the rule of men) work. Otherwise we are no longer a constitutional republic. Treating politics like a team sport played on the school yard isn't really in a citizen's best long term interest. Saying that it is ok because the 'other side' does it is the rationalization of a chump.

Take care! Enjoyed the personable dialog, a welcome breath of fresh air.

If I remember correctly, Henry the VIII (King of England and etc) wanted a divorce from one of his wives (forgot which one of six), but the Pope said no way. So Henry told the Pope to pound sand and started his own branch of Christianity. The Anglicans arose out of that.

saw it again a few years back. Still had some zing.

Maybe I should sex it up by calling it post-modern noir.

It does seem to tie in directly to a lot of recent health care debate. To Wit:

Miller: A lot of people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch of unconnected incidences and things. They don't realize that there's this like lattice of coincidence that lays on top of everything. I'll Give you an example, show you what I mean. Suppose you thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly somebody will say like plate or shrimp or plate of shrimp out of the blue no explanation. No point in looking for one either. It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness.

Otto: You eat a lot of acid Miller, back in the hippie days?

Miller: I'll give you another instance. You know the way everybody's into weirdness right now. Books in all the supermarkets about Bermuda triangles, UFO's, how the Mayans invented television. That kind of thing.

Otto: I don't read them books.

Miller: Well the way I see it it's exactly the same. There ain't no difference between a flying saucer and a time machine. People get so hung up on specifics. They miss out on seeing the whole thing. Take South America for example. In South America thousands of people go missing every year. Nobody knows where they go. They just like disappear. But if you think about it for a minute, you realize something. There had to be a time when there was no people. Right?

Doesn't that sound like a lot of posters here lately?

"I blame society. Society did this to me" / "Bullshit — you're a white suburban punk, just like me."

Yeah, I really liked Pussycat as well. Maybe dolls had too much of that wink wink self-absorbed narcissistic hollywood vibe even while it was making fun of the whole fame experience. Gotta love the Shakespeare for dummies dialog though.

Been on something of a retro movie experience lately. Saw Eliot Gould in the Long Goodbye, speaking of 70's movies.