Joe Conason still thinks if he calls his opponents "bigots" then his side will advance. So if you didn't want your children bused out of your neighborhood for the sake of school integration, you were a racist. Result: schools in the North are more segregated than ever. If you were against affirmative action in general, you were a racist. Result: affirmative action for a handful of Ivy Leaguers and suspicion of minorities elsewhere who actually make it on merit. If you would prefer the country not to maintain an ever growing huge number of illegal immigrants who show little inclination to assimilate, you're a racist. Result: remains to be seen. Keep going, Joe, the GOP needs some help if it's going to prevail in November.

...people who post knowing letters on the lifestyle crap that appears on salon.com. Wow, aren't they at least one or two notches up the sophistication ladder? I ask you! (Note: I didn't say people who post letters on the people who post letters....)

This guy says Ike's military industrial complex speech was in 1960. The whole point of the date of the speech was he made it just as he was leaving office, which was 1961. I take it the rest of this guy's "facts" are just as accurate, including his belief about the willingness of Japan to surrender before August 1945.

The poster who claimed hypocrisy because Singer only donates 20% of his earnings is correct, and is not refuted by the letter that says in effect, "well, at least Singer gives something." We can be sure that the 80% Singer keeps is way too much to equalize him with the suffering masses that apparently this year's Liberals are getting warmed up about. Singer does not practice what he preaches: denuding oneself to equalize suffering with the rest of the chickens, er, humans. This can be seen easily if one imagines 'ol Bill Gates giving away 20% of his $40 bil.+. I am not attacking Bill (Bill: please don't crash my Windows); he is just a handy illustration. Singer's Princeton salary could stretch way beyond a 20% deduction. Further: we all (or most of us) are taking a deduction for income taxes, which are supported by our elected representatives, who further support foreign aid. That's what we are all doing, and we should all take a bow. In honor of Singer and his supporters I am having one of a (lately rarely consumed) cheeseburger...with the works. As for your progressives who stay awake at night figuring up ways to get your mitts around the lifestyles of the rest of us: eat shit!

I wouldn't want to be in the same room as anybody who disagrees with one word of Maestro Conason's article, but really, not being naive, does he really think his finger-wagging means diddley shit to the black caucus? Why doesn't he lecture the KKK on racism -- a much more practical use of his talents? The black caucus is there for blacks, and they want to take discipline advice from a honky about as much as the Palestinians care for tips from the conference of major Jewish organizations. Joe, spend your time with people open to reason.

A letter below mildly compaining about Keillor's sneer at wrestling coaches misses he point: Keillor, like many leftie "progressives" is a snob. People who make cracks about wrestling coaches and other "lower" orders of human beings are snobs by definition. Go ahead, refute me, libs....explain how libs/progs do not make fun and constantly put down the folk in the heartland.

This slightly interesting piece was a round about way of saying that educated people, many liberal ("politically conscious") are schmucks, insecure assholes who spend most of their waking hours worrying about their status. What else is new? Check out New York magazine sometime, which has "upscale" "achievers" shitting over whether they bought the best stoller for their probably horrible offspring.

I can't find this NYTimes Aug 28 article on LEXIS quoted here...has anybody read it or found it? Does it exist?

Granted, Nick is rightfully ticked off by his 'weird' customers, but there is a larger issue. In Bedford Falls, Nick is a decent guy bartending at Martini's, but in Pottersville, he owns the bar (Nick's Bar) and has undergone a personality change for the worse. No apparent explanation. Is it a slam on capitalism?

I might have missed it, but I don't think the interview mentions television, which is the glue that unites our society. Maybe the interview/ee are above watching TV, but the fact remains that's what most Americans are involved in socially, so forget about TV and you can't talk about America.

Been watching the show since maybe the 50s,the Bob Hope hosting days, and I want to tell you (BH line), I couldn't take more than a few minutes of this. Not just the colorless movies (Little Miss Sunshine and the Departed in good years would be considered serviceable, not top 5 material), but the utter lack of glamor. Yes, the thrill and glory of the evening is glamor, and take away glamor (Ellen DeGeneris?!) and you've taken away the raison d'etre. DeCaprio, e.g., is a decent actor (The Departed), but no glamor, and that's what I like. If you just want acting chops, sounds good, but why watch this ceremony interminable? As for the people who think it's great the actors make "meaningful" statements, they (the people) are the American version of the Taliban.

Hope some prez sends the military to stop the slaughter in Darfur, and some good 'ol boys decide it's against their conscience to interfere....then we'll see what supporters of this soldier think of conscience...