Try this sometime, separate what you know to be fact from that which you assume to be fact. The second column will be much longer than the first. Then ask yourself why you make these assumptions and how has it benefited you to make them. Once you begin to sort things out for yourself, you're thinking, and once you're thinking you become curious, and curiosity is the true fountain of youth.

This could be the reason that I found George W. Bush beneath contempt - it was obvious the first time I heard him open his mouth that he had no intellectual curiosity and, if you continually have trouble putting a sentence together, you are having trouble mustering a clear thought. Starting a war with no plan is unforgivable.

Having a lot of ignorant people isn't anything new and it didn't start with the advent of pop culture, film, radio, television, or social network websites. I know a lot of people who couldn't make the distinction between the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, couldn't tell you what the various branches of government are and why they exist, or what the term Fourth Estate means let alone understand its roll.

They make a living, raise families, and live for leisure time and activities. Not much different than what thinking people do. I can't even say that the thinking people I know have a higher level of satisfaction with their lives than the unquestioning folks. I do have a difficult time being around them and become bored very quickly. Sometimes I hate myself for not being able to feign interest or to successfully steer the conversation in a direction where we might find common ground.

But I'll also make a distinction between ignorance and politics. I'm interested in a wide range of subjects, including politics. Not all thinking people I know are interested in politics or could discuss in depth current policies and political events. In fact, I suspect some of them vote with the same level of information as the ignorant people.

I do know this: True freedom is knowledge. The more you know how to handle on your own, the less you need to rely on others. I also know that no one knows everything and our lives are all made richer by others - whether they can tell you how the Italian letter factored into the propaganda generation in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq, or not.

It is clear that George W. Bush never learned how to govern. Given that the real power in Texas is in the hands of the attorney general rather than the governor allowed him to pose in the role. I don't think he has ever realized there is a difference.

The Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights are an abstraction to him. To really understand the document you should understand the history of its creation. I'm confident he couldn't tell you much about it or the signers.

Tonight, I'm grateful for the five justices who formed the majority in this opinion. The president let us down, congress let us down, and four justices let us down.

What in the hell is everybody afraid of? Seriously - tell me.

I thought Olbermann went over the top on his special comment about Hillary, Chris Matthews needs to dial it down a notch or two, and Dan Abrams could stand to be a bit less strident.

Other than that, I'm sticking with MSNBC and CNN. Fox disseminates too much misinformation.

Tim Russert will be missed. The quality I liked in him was that he didn't try to act hip or sarcastic. He may have not grilled Cheney to my satisfaction, but Walter Cronkite didn't always go after Johnson and Nixon to my satisfaction, either.

While Democratic leaning 527's out spent Republican leaning 527's in 2004, it was the reprehensible Swift Boat ads that proved most effective.

In an election season unlike any other I can remember, I don't put as much faith in the crystal ball gazers who report that the Swift Boater 527's don't appear to be materializing as you do - be they from the New York Times or elsewhere.

Also, when campaign finance reform legislation was written, no one could foresee the impact of the internet. If you want the truth, here it is: Obama's campaign is being financed by ordinary people and it doesn't get any more fair than that.

Yeah, what an illusion that "I can have a beer with this guy" was. Give Junior a beer and he'll pee in your sink and f*** your cat.

One of the reasons I supported Obama over Clinton was her failure to show up for the Senate vote to strip immunity from telecom companies that cooperated with the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretap program. Obama voted against immunity and I voted for him.

This isn't a liberal vs. conservative issue. It's a Constitutional issue and my sincerest hope is that Obama won't vote for the House bill "compromise", either.

could someone please tell me what Ralph Nader has been doing since 2000? He's a perennial presidential candidate and that's about it. He burps up these issues every four years, accusing other candidates of doing nothing, yet I don't hear anything about him fighting on the front lines of poverty or any other issue for that matter.

WTF, Ralph? You accepted help from Citizens for a Sound Economy in 2004 and now you're telling the world that Obama is talking white? You live in a house your sister owns, you don't date but you're expert on the hood?

Why do you think you need to be president to raise awareness and demand action on these issues? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying that you were most effective when you weren't running for president.

Good grief, man, you're not going to win this year and you know it. That doesn't mean you don't have a voice.