Always the crypto-fascist spin, hey NOB. FARC is very bad, right on a par with the Colombian government and the right wing paras, both supported by the U.S. When all of the parties are evil SOBs, you stay away. Then, if Chavez is interfering, you might have something to say. Otherwise, there is no good guy in that fight.

Wrong. You are probably correct about LSD but not about heroin. Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, William S. Burroughs and many others have performed at a very high level while being heroin addicts. If you can afford the drug, it is possible to do OK even though addicted. I wouldn't recommend going that way but your premise is flawed.

On another matter, I did take acid in the 60s but I still don't understand the appeal of the Dead or Phish. They suck. I was more of a Doors kind of guy.

In a public forum (and privately most of the time), I am reluctant to call people names or be deliberately mean, but, based on your post, I am certainly tempted.

First, I am an old atheist. I was raised that way and remain such at age 62. Most atheists that I know have no respect for Hitchens for precisely the reasons you mention so where do you get off implying that he isn't held 'accountable' by atheists? Also, to my knowledge, Dawkins did not ever say what you indicate. He said that teaching religion to children is 'child abuse'. That's bad enough, but he did not mention Sunday School teachers or molestation. I've read most of Dawkins' books but, if you have eveidence of the statement you reference, I would love to see it. BTW, I'm not a fan of Dawkins or Sam Harris for that matter. We don't have very good atheist writers.

I was raised to respect the religious even if I find their beliefs to be ludicrous. I expect the same in return.

I live in France 5 months per year, although near the Atlantic and Spain not near the Med. On the Atlantic beaches, there are plenty of topless women of all ages. French men in their tiny speedos are far more grotesque. Also, I'm 62 years old and topless women in their 50s and 60s are attractive to me not a turnoff. Part of it is that the average French woman is far slimmer than American ones.

I attended an Ivy League college which cost a fortune, but they promised us absolutely nothing.

Nice handle. From the film or the restaurant in NY?

I got mine. Only I made myself 35 instead of 62. LOL

Wow, I guess that I couldn't possibly disagree with you more. Meryl Streep is the finest actor of her generation of either gender. While I love Hepburn, she was part of the star system and was always just Hepburn. Narrow range of character types, always was just herself. Streep becomes someone else - what you call mechanical acting - it isn't mechanical, it's actual acting. She walks, talks, has mannerisms, etc. for each character. Watch 20 Hepburn films, and she is always the same. BTW, I was a professional stage actor and director for 10 years. I saw Meryl Streep for the first time in 1972 in the 'Idiots Karamazov' at Yale Drama School.

I don't think you mean the 'Thermidore'. There really was no such thing. Thermidor was the 10th or 11th month on the revolutionary calendar, and it was the Jacobins, led by Robespierre, that were the monsters. It was the Thermidorian Reaction in July 1794 that ended the terror of the Jacobins, deradicalized the revoluition and paved the way for Napoleon.

is euthanasia mentioned in the subtitle? It is not mentioned in the article and no one is proposing to make it legal. Oregon's law (now also Washington) is not euthanasia. Don't get that.

Susan Stamberg was the best reporter on the radio for years with NPR. I don't know what she looks like, but I also don't care. She's good

It leaves us nowhere, David. After 41 years, I am done with the Democratic Party for good. I have no place to go, but I'm done with them.

OK. But who should we progressives have supported? Hillary Clinton is leass progressive and more corporate than Obama. No one else had a remote chance of winning

but I do not use paper towels, I bought a house that cost less than 1/2 what my approved mortgage was, I have a small hybrid SUV that I drive 3000 miles per year, I cook at least 5 days a week even though I can afford to go out every day, I make all my own stocks and on and on. I spend my money on the things I really like to do - kayaking and dogsledding for example. My one vice is clothing and grooming, and it is a major vice. Straight razor shaves with hot towels every week, manicures every two weeks, expensive Itlaian suits, etc. But never on credit.

I am a guy, I have breast cancer and, guess what, I've never had an abortion. These people truly are loony tunes.

Mostly right, but not completely. Gruss Gott is very common in Bavaria. But, yes, for a hochdeutsch speaker, the Austrian dialect can be difficult. The Swiss German dialect is even more difficult.

Also, someone mentioned the German-speaking parts of Austria. To my knowledge, German is the only language spoken in Austria or Germany. The Italians have a German speaking are (Alto Addige) and a French speaking area (Aosta). The Swiss have four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansch.

Oh yeah. I live in Portland - Beervana in the forest republic of Cascadia.

The Wingerati have gone completely bat sh*& insane

Try 1 tablespoon salt per 3 quarts water - worksd for vegetables and pasta. Use sea salt or Kosher salt not the granulated stuff