Mr. Keillor writes, "It is invigorating to realize you've been dead wrong about something. That's why we read history. It's an antidote to smug self-righteousness, which makes us insufferable.

It's not just reading history, it's keeping up with history. History changes constantly, and it seems to be changing more radically than it used to. Part is the huge shift in attitudes in the West, from the patriarchal, white Northern European orientation of the previous century. What you see depends on what you expect to see. Part is more research, better techniques for accessing and interpreting information. Yet more is due to having a much larger range of voices, from more socio-economic levels and from other cultures and countries.

People like Mr. Keillor are "invigorated" by this new enlightenment. People like the "dittoheads" are enraged. I know; I listened to a little Limbaugh in years past. Guys were always calling in who had a first-grader's view of American history. They had a white boy child's reminiscence of the 1950s (one of the more turbulent, unjust times in modern history, but a peaceful paradise to them.) They were furious that any other story was taught "these days" - it was some kind of subversiveness, obviously promulgated by them d*** "libruls" and "feminazis" and it threatened the "smug self-righteousness" that they'd felt was their due, as white guys and older men.

These are (largely) the people who gave us our current Republican regime, and who refuse to see that the Iraq Occupation is failing.

Mr. Keillor is right - we need to read history, and we need to keep on reading it. And David W. is right - you need to keep an eye on who's writing the books, to know if they're worth reading as actual history, or just ideological spin from ignorant hacks.

It's perfect, really. Republicans run for office on the platform that the government is feckless and corrupt. Once they're in office, they make sure this is the case. Then, at the next election, their platform is "See? The government is feckless and corrupt!" and people think, yeah, they're right about that; better vote for the smart guys. And when Democrats campaign by running on and on about what they'll have the government do to help you, voters just think the Democrats are really be out of it; anyone can see that the government is feckless and corrupt, so we keep on getting Republicans elected.

"And so it goes." Perfect!

It's not really necessary to call for people to register their guns. Anything purchased since about 2001 is being tracked by Your Government In Action. Every purchase from a gun store, every acquisition of ammunition, every visit to a shooting range, every hunting license, every purchase of "Guns & Ammo" or the NRA's rag. It's the "Total Information Access" -- er, "Terrorist Information" something -- program.

De-funded and shut down by Congress, it's apparently still up and running within the "black" bowels of the NSA.

Congress, under the Republicans, may make it illegal to collect gun purchase information, or to keep the information more than 1 business day - but the spy shop need not pay any attention to that.

Believe me - the government already knows if you have guns.

Mr. Tenet came out looking better in Richard Clarke's book, Against All Enemies. The fateful summer of 2001, Mr. Tenet was "running around with his hair on fire" trying to warn the Bush White House, to no avail. Last night, he was burning with righteous indignation on 60 Minutes.

But, as other writers have noted, where was he in late 2002, when the case for war against Iraq was being made, and Democrats slammed as treasonous dogs? Where was he during the Presidential campaign of 2004, when Mr. Bush could have been easily defeated by some long-overdue revelatons? For that matter, where was he in 2006?

If you must read his book, wait your turn at your local library.

Returning to Marylee, who voted for Bush because she believed him when he said that John Kerry was weak on national security. "'I was dumb,' she said. 'Now, granted, they came here and rammed bombs into us, but I am afraid we have gotten into something full scale which perhaps did not have to be.'"

She voted for Bush because she thinks the Iraqis bombed us. Well, that pretty much says it all.

It wasn't the Iraqis, it was al-Qaida, mainly Saudis, and it wasn't "bombs," it was cleverly redirected US airliners.

Personally, I put more blame on the pathetic TV "news" coverage and the way it was worked by the Republicans. On their endless linking of Saddam Hussein (personally) and 911. On the continuing lies about the occupation. On the "patriotism" card, and the way nobody in the media seems to realize what the Bill of Rights was all about, much less real patriotism.

Marylee is just fine with Bush, except for the little detail of getting tired of the war, because she's trapped in the echo chamber.

kickstarts opines that "You can't make negative comments about Glenn Beck when you're running an ad for the turd, it doesn't make sense" and seamus55 concurs.

Sure you can! ...if you aren't concerned about getting further advertising buys from Mr. Beck's sponsors. You can take money without selling out, and clearly Salon has done so in this case.

The flashing ads, by the way, made me feel even more annoyed with Mr. Beck and less inclined to view his program. I take it most of you agree. So CNN's money, it appears, was very poorly spent, making it more likely that they won't try this stunt again.

To make sure that this happens, you ought to contact CNN and complain. I know I will.