It's no coincidence that the Family's membership roster is comprised of the biggest assholes in Washington.

These kooks need to defend their association with this bizarre cult's perversion of Christianity during their next attempt at re-election -- and the next National Prayer Breakfast should be met with anti-cult demonstrations.

At the very least, as a political organization the Family's tax-exempt status should be revoked.

Any special interest with $50-100 million to spend can literally buy our Congress and write its own legislation affecting trillions of dollars. We've seen this with the banksters and with the current health care debate -- the public interest is of secondary interest, if considered at all.

Since the Republican Supreme Court has enshrined the principle that "money equals free speech," our system of legalized bribery can only be fixed by a constitutional amendment mandating public financing, free media time and standardized balloting for federal elections.

Sentences of life in prison for what is now a common practice by our elected representatives would also be appropriate.

The old Vaudeville stage hook should be used to unceremoniously remove serial liars and nutjobs when they begin their verbal diarrhea on "mainstream news" shows.

In CNN's case, they should begin with one of their own -- Lou Dobbs -- who seems to be embracing "Birther" lunacy.

"On CNN, Lou is an independent reporter who covers stories that people are talking about, and often showcases issues that aren’t being covered by the mainstream media."

CNN: Masters of understatement.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Cronkite's era and today is that reporters have become self-interested social climbers eager to suck-up to the powerful, and spin doctors have have had another 20 years to develop propaganda and media-management techniques.

As a result, we no longer have "journalism," but "infotainment." Instead of an adversarial Fourth Estate, we have celebrated media whores like Tim Russert, David Gregory and other news media royalty explicitly offering politicians "safe" environments where they can get their talking points disseminated on national TV free from critical questioning.

Walter Cronkeit has been replaced by Ron Burgundy. How can our democracy survive in such a valueless, fact-free, information vacuum?

The difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Republicans attempt (and have been surprisingly successful) to convince their voters that their disastrous, crazy-ass policies are actually good for them.

The Democrats play a good game at election time, but once elected, we see them electing "leaders" like Harry Reid who might as well be a potted plant (if not a Republican mole) -- allowing the corporate-owned Blue Dogs to control the agenda. With Democrats like that, who needs Republicans?

Our current two-party paradigm, with bat-shit crazy Republicans and feckless Democrats, has basically forced us into supporting the Dems by default.

It's like being a "prison bitch." We can be fucked by one criminal who says he will protect us from the gang-bangers, or we can take our chances with the lunatic gang-bangers. By being forced to support the Democrats, we're still being fucked.

Either the Democrats need to start acting like a real political party like the Republicans do (they are never contemptuous of their "base" -- as nutty as they are), or we need a new party.

When Senate Democrats elect a feckless weakling like Harry Reid as their "leader," it proves they are utterly disinterested in accomplishing a political agenda.

They are a political party in name only.

Wouldn't the "disorderly conduct," if indeed there was any by Prof. Gates, have ended at the moment the police (should have) left his property?

Prof. Gates' crime was his mistaken belief that he was "secure in his person, house, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures."

It's the proud know-nothingism combined with a casual, "Well, just kill 'em all," solution for everything that is about to drive me to abandoning the house and job and heading North.

I mean, Governor Rick fucking Perry?

If feeling like a Jew in Germany just before Kristalnacht must have felt sounds appealing, come on down.

1. Manufacturing is the only means of generating national wealth.

2. Only the government -- not the market -- can secure the the "public interest."

3. Our country is more than just a vast labor pool and market for goods and services. It is a national community.

4. To really "love America" is to love our fellow Americans and to actually care about their welfare.

To prevent disruptions at townhall meetings, Democrats should require attendees to be from zip codes within their districts by presenting IDs, require attendees to sign a sign-in sheet agreeing to abide by the posted rules as a condition for admission -- and have cops on duty to eject and/or arrest those who disrupt the proceedings. All it would take is a table, one volunteer and a couple of rent-a-cops who can call for backup if necessary.

Jesus, Dems, man up! It shouldn't be difficult to control those corporate-sponsored goons.

The Republicans and their easily manipulated dupes seem to be attempting to undo the results of the 2006 and 2008 elections through the intimidation of mob action.

These tactics have been explicitly endorsed by Republican congressional leaders.

If President Obama and the Democrats don't realize by now that bipartisanship and cooperation is impossible with radical zealots willing to resort to such sleazy tactics, they are hopelessly naive and doomed to failure.

I realized that Palin's shrewdly timed metaphor spoke directly to the electorate's unease with the prospect of shadowy, unelected government figures controlling our lives.

Paglia is a political schitzophrenic -- perhaps as a result of listening to too much Rush Limbaugh.

When she can rationalize -- and therefore defends -- Palin's "death panels" comment, Paglia reveals that she's lost all contact with objective reality.