The left says "torture must stop" but the left must also believe that there are systemic reasons for torture. What systemic changes are being proposed by the left? And what is the mechanism for communicating this information to Obama?

like J. Lennon said: we'd all love to see the plan

when they just think I'm a dittohead

one instance of this hardly constitutes a disturbing new trend that requires the unleashing of hugely powerful forces of social sanction...or maybe it does

there was the Hungarian Cartoon Network and the Clay Channel and Boxing for Condoms...but I gave it all up and now I have more money to spend on gasoline

or something like that

I don't know why...they weren't a very good deal.

wow...I thought I was bitter

but his market is marginal...the internet as a whole may be wildly popular, but it's so fragmented that one might have better luck shouting on a street-corner.

The "blather" in this case is contained in those long, lawyerly blog entries that hope to go up against the simple-minded giants of the mass media.

"Excoriates" in your lead? News flash...most of the US population has not taken the GRE.

unfortunately, you also might get 1000 times the flack from hecklers!

I find that when people come and make comments like the one you just made, there is never any basis cited for the judgment.

My judgment is based on looking at the ads on Salon, and reading what people have to say on your blog.

Evidently I am wrong, and you have the reach and impact of, say, Anderson Cooper. Kudos.

A different person wrote:

I think Mr. Anderson has left the building in search of a less challenging street corner.

Sorry to deprive you of an hour's pie-throwing. I went outside. Do you remember "outside"?

2003: Clifford J. Levy, The New York Times, "for his vivid, brilliantly written series 'Broken Homes' that exposed the abuse of mentally ill adults in state-regulated homes."

I think it's more like seven...and the average guy is titillated by prostitution.

TV entertainment is rarely documentary in nature...the murders, rapes, and acts of larceny are just projections of our dark fantasies.

Enjoy!

As it happens, I'm involved in a situation with a lady that may or may not work out.

Aykroyd looks like he's ready to run for congress himself

Judging from the number of comments, nobody.

As the son of a Navy combat veteran of WWII, I can only imagine the man he might have been, without the military.

Why is the military accepting people with preexisting mental disorders?

Research (and common sense) would tell you that these people are not good choices for combat positions.

these people can do the job until they're killed or until they break, and then you can say they were already screwed up to begin with.

Are recruiters responsible for letting mentally ill people into the military? Maybe not...they might be psychotic.

I don't really have any ingrained opinions about my dad's treatment, since there wasn't any.

The problem here is that you're a consultant to the military, not the patient.

and they lost

Also, half of Americans believe that they are protected by guardian angels:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/19/half-of-americans-believe-in-angels/

that torture and capital punishment are abuses of state power.

glad to see that someone on salon appreciates the interconnected nature of our experience here on planet earth

maybe it's time to let the maintenance contract lapse

maybe he should get a job at the recycling center, crushing cans

women are just doing their part to keep us spending our money

was it first or second degree murder?

There are no style points that I'm aware of.

Maybe you should suggest that he see a psychiatrist.

things are moving along pretty well as they are

Roman needs to come home so he can be properly appreciated

but many of us feel only "Repulsion".

there are no mitigating circumstances when raping a 13 year old.

they have a section called "rap sheet" or something similar where various criminals and their crimes are listed, sometimes with pictures.

considering the number of teenagers and cellphones in the US...prosecution of "sexting" under porn laws doesn't seem like much of a trend.

If there was a trend, there would be significant numbers of people being prosecuted, with a significant increase in prosecutions over some predetermined time period.

If anything, two instances of prosecution would show that this is NOT a trend...if two instances were statistically significant. Which they probably aren't.

I think I have two or three in that shoebox over there.

Could you give us some names?