Not only is this "gas tax holiday" lame political pandering, but it would ironically be potentially harmful to the exact people it purports to help. By giving a tax break on gas prices would go down in the short term, but this would encourage people to use more gas thus increasing demand. In the long run, higher demand would increase gas prices.

I appears that McCain and Clinton are betting that potential voters are too stupid to understand basic economics. The harsh reality is that the sane and responsible thing to do would be to actually increase gas taxes. This would prove to be a powerful message to the market that alternative energy sources are needed. It would also force people to plan their lives more wisely and think about how they drive. Of course, this position is politically untenable. on a broader level most of the problems we face today require sacrifice by all of us. Basically we've all got to take a bite out of this shit sandwich in order to get rid of it. Not exactly a slogan to win a campaign on is it?

This is interesting and heady stuff, although I can help but think I've heard all this before. It seems to me that Robert Persig covered a lot of this terrain with his metaphysics of Quality. Wilber's rational and trans-rational sound an awful lot like Persig's Cassical(rational) and Romantic(gestalt or esoteric experience) dichotomy as well as his articulation of Static and Dynamic Quality.

I am only dimly aware of Ken Wilber, primarily through the music of Stuart Davis (whether or not you agree with Wilber's ideas, Stuart Davis is a wholly original and brilliant singer-songwriter totally deserving of a wider audience).

I am guilty of sometimes being one of those male Dylan dorks that Stephanie writes about about in the first paragraph. The truth hurts! But I look forward to reading this book. From what I understand, Suze (and her family) were much smarter and socially aware than the (at the time) provincial Dylan, acting as teachers and mentors to the young singer. Anyway I like these kind of intimate first hand accounts of history.

For those interested, I would highly recommend David Hajdu's "Positively 4th Street" as a broader picture of the times. Suze Rotolo's book actually makes a perfect companion piece. In addition to Dylan Hajdu's book also focuses on Joan Baez as well as Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina. It really gets into the dynamics of the relationships and conflicts between these talented and artistic people.

For me, Richard Farina was perhaps the most interesting character from that era. Farina was an insanely gifted artist (at the time Dylan both admired and was jealous of Farina--both in art and love); not everyone has Thomas Pynchon write a forward to their novel.

Of course Floyd Brown and others of his ilk are scumbags, but what is sad and frightening is how they use the MSM to disseminate their message. I believe Glen Greenwald has written about this again and again. Brown and others like him create these ads and they become "news" only because the MSM deems it "newsworthy." They play the ads for free, and "debate" the pieces as if there actually might be something there. What's left is a vague and false meme that unsophisticated voters internalize, i.e. Dukais is a crime coddling wussy, the Clintons are socialist pagan murderers, Kerry is weak effeminate idiot who lied about his war record, and, now, Obama is a terrorist sympathizing America hater. Again, the news (especially the 24 hour news channels) discuss these canards as if there might be a there, there.

So I don't really blame Brown and his type for being assholes. Hey a rattlesnake is a rattlesnake, and will bite you if given a chance. I blame the so-called news media for validating their existence, for actually giving their ideas the time of day. It is akin to a journalist getting a "man on the street" opinion from the schizophrenic homeless guy who shits himself and believes alien insects have infected his body then presenting it as conventional wisdom.

This, of course, begs the question: Why are MSM journalists, reporters, and anchors so stupid and lazy? Do they know they are being used? Do they care?

So, I think I see what you are trying to say, and I agree that we should all be vigilant against hive mentality and continuously pressure and criticize our government. Your point might prove a bit more effective, however, if you toned down the shrill hyperbole, and slowly back down from your cynical and nihilistic propaganda. If you're not careful, you will pass out from the loss of oxygen to the brain at those dizzying heights atop your ivory tower. I suppose it's convenient and safe for you to look at the military abstractly, never getting to know individuals,and only looking at us as a faceless group of Neanderthals. After all, there's no point in complicating your naive and foolish black and white view of the world.

Look man, most enlisted men and women in the Navy are looking to learn a trade or earn money to go to college or trade school. They don't make policy decisions. They are, for the most part, lower and middle class folks trying to make their lives better. Your smug and cynical pose betrays a life of comfort and privilege; you have met the enemy, and he is you.

Uh, this documentary does not appear to be a propaganda piece. It looks like is documenting the good and bad about living on a ship, as well as taking a closer look at the individual sailors. You know, it might be useful to actually read the article before jumping on your smug and self-righteous soap boxes.

You want to know why many in the military scorn liberals and progressives? Well, look in a mirror fellas.