You mean except for the high speed rail that's already in existence?

it would take hundreds of years to buy up a line of property stretching hundreds or thousands of miles.

And how long would it take to acquire the property already owned by rail lines that currently cover these routes? It isn't like this is starting from scratch. They would likely need to widen some routes, but that's minor.

Well if it's so easy then why not yet?

1) I didn't say it would be easy, just not as impossible as you made it sound

2) Why not yet? Because the conditions that are making it more likely/possible are just starting to fall into place and politics moves slowly.

It's your suggestion that all of the obstacles to massive rail construction can be waived away.

It is not. It is my suggestion that there are solutions to the obstacles, this is not the same as "waiving them away".

You seem to imagine that all land in the US is magically vacant of people property and ownership

Again, no. You seem to imagine every square foot is owned by someone that isn't a railroad. There are already rail corridors all over the country.

Did you know that 100 million people live in a hundred mile corridor from DC to Boston

No, there aren't. The total population of the states Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts plus the District of Columbia don't exceed 70 million.

Where are you going to find those rights of way?

Lets see, how about where the trains already run?

See it's not so easy in practice. Othewise it would have happened.

Except for the fact that the cost motivators weren't there, the energy motivators, the newer technologies, etc.... Then you throw in the fact that Congress has habitually underfunded Amtrack and rail infrastructure while heavily subsidizing air and road travel and you have your reasons. If Congress threw the same kind of money at rail that they throw at roads and air travel, you'd have private companies providing decent rail travel.

Ah, the non-sequiter answer. Always good for a laugh with no content.

Eminent Domain, private companies and restoration of fallow track counter most of your objections. And slow freight co-existed with passenger traffic back in the heyday of rail, with computerized scheduling it'll be even easier today.

increasingly, we're not really a nation of citizens that have a commonly accepted group of facts that we're debating

Increasingly? Not only doesn't he know history, he bases this on two small fringe groups that have little to do with the larger groups he's trying to characterize. He's probably a "gonzo journalist" because he doesn't want to do the work of being a real journalist. Few do these days.

It is amusing to see that he thinks the only way to cover the passage of an appropriations bill is to sit in the gallery. Like it isn't published. As though no-one pours over it in days to come, ferreting out small details one would surely miss if they simply sat in the gallery as it was passed. Of course, that'd involve research and work, not just listening to people talk about a few parts and vote. I'm sure it isn't as exciting or as much fun as "infiltrating" or making shit up.

They should save time and just put his book into recycling bins right off the press.

Clearly, for travel over distances of more then 500 miles the airplane is the answer and travellers will need to simply pay and put up with it

In the short term, perhaps, but trains could make a comeback in the US. And even for trips over 500 miles, if you allocate a little more time then driving isn't so bad. I used to take trips from Columbus, OH to Albuquerque, NM (1470 miles) and I'd drive. Or from Parsippany, NJ to Chicago, IL (770 miles). You have more travel time, but that can be pleasant too.

I used to know quite a few people that would drive to FL from NJ, 1200 or 1300 miles each way. One of my favorite trips was NJ to FL to NM to NJ. A trip of around 5000 miles, not including local driving done at destinations. Sure, this was when gas was cheaper, but it isn't like this kind of trip is impossible. Heck, NJ to NM is only a 2 day drive.

Barry Sanders did it and never came back, Jim Brown did it too. Funny now reporters were the ones constantly saying "He'll be back" and pestering them with questions about it, just like they're doing to Favre.

Hey King, show some equal time here. Go pester these two athletes (Sorenstam and Henin) about when they're coming back. Then you can pretend they're the ones talking about it instead of you asking them questions about it and chide them for not making up their minds.

But the rate of acceptance for gay marriage has risen significantly, since all the commotion died down

as sorenreport mentioned, there's been a huge shift in attitude in MA. One prominent Republican in the state who'd been vehemently against Gay Marriage stated that he'd been wrong. All the things he'd predicted would happen, didn't.

And in the end, all something like this does is drive up turnout. I doubt it'll drive it up enough to help McCain enough in the fall.

liberals want so badly for the US to go down

So you're saying you've never met or spoken to a liberal? Interesting. What else has Fox told you to think?

You're about as wrong as wrong can be. Liberals want this to be a great country, we just reject the idea that that means a bunch of rich white guys lording it over everyone else.

I mean sure, it is probably a little more motivating for some people than their normal workout, but if you really want to motivate people

Send the first group out 5 minutes ahead, mixed sex, give the second, also mixed sex group, axes and send them out. Tell the second group there's a $1000 bounty per head. Plus immunity.

Get the right mix of people in that second group and everyone is motivated!

Other estimates place that date at 20 years, says Patrick Hogan, a solutions fellow at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

So it'll be ready around the same time Fusion power is? Fusion power has been 20 years away for 60 years.

Ironically, it may actually happen in the next decade as they've finally created reactions that produce more energy than they take. If Fusion does come on-line in the next decade and clean coal follows a similar timeline, we'll hear about it being 20 years away for the next 60 years. By then, we won't need it.

Those of you saying "I don't get it"

Isn't this a standard statement made by people in that situation? Look at it from the wife's point of view. Her husband comes home like that and that's his excuse? Wouldn't it be funny if he really didn't know what happened and it was because he's a brain in a jar and this is what really happened?

They can't do that! What would they pat when someone has a good play?

Huh, here in Boston as soon as the Bruins got knocked out, so did hockey coverage.

of "No Dogs or Irish" signs on the door.

Those who long for the past have no idea what the past was like.