after all, only a dozen or so asked for consideration. not much of a pool from which to draw.

some day americans will grow up, i hope, and draw their wisdom and insight from a pool of many millions, acting together through discussion leading to referenda as citizens in a democracy.

until then, participating in 'leader' selection by election will continue to put megalomaniacs, psychopaths, and simple incompetents at the head of the marine corps and sac. the people who put them there will profit from it at the public expense, and people like keilor will assure everyone that the system works, as long as his choice is elected. it would be funny, if it weren't tragic on a world-destroying scale.

mike gravel. his 'initiative for democracy' site makes the case for real democracy in america.

not only does citizen initiative power bring the pollies to heel, it also makes it worthwhile for people to participate in politics, for their opinions will count on 'referendum day'.

now, since government is a matter for 'them', many people pay it no attention. this disaffected group is bought at election time with lies and empty promises and is large enough to swing the election to who ever can spend the most.

ms didion is unhappy about amnesia, but gravel knows where it comes from and what to do about it. people who complain about the system are valuable, but people who have a better system are more valuable. i wonder what ms didion thinks about democracy. i wonder if she even knows what it is.

for those who think america is a democracy. more myterious still for those who think an election has anything to do with truth.

poor gg!

people who defend their nation deserve the respect and support of those who stay home.

but the men and women in the u. s. military are not defending the nation. iraq is no threat to the usa, nor ever was. they are the pawns of the would-be alexanders in the bush cabinet, the gun-fodder of imperial ambitions. when they get shot, i'm inclined to think they are just on the losing end of the risk/reward equation of a professional soldier.

so how do you encourage people to go out and kill foreigners for a living? glorify the military and conflate the defense of the nation with imperial aggression.

the fundamental problem is that many, perhaps most, are in the military because they have no other career path that supplies training and a decent living. they are not 'professional' because they intend to get out when they have acquired a trade. when these people get torn up they deserve sympathy as a gundog does not. the sentiment they inspire is troop worship: a mix of 'bad luck!' and 'better you than me', buried in smarmy hypocrisy.

then too, america spends more money on munitions than the rest of the world together. 'troop worship' helps justify the expense.

for holding up a mirror to sleazy journalism. one small quibble, though- the resulting image is sleazy journalism. not surprising, i hope. would hate to think you were dumb, as well as morally challenged.

i suppose you're making a living from this sleaze churning, and it can't be easy generating shock jock copy, week after week.

why not do something useful? talk about mike gravel's citizen initiative plan, or similar attempts to bring democracy to the home of the brave(but ill-educated, unhealthy, impoverished, and maybe simply dumb).

that would naturally require you to demonstrate some qualities of intellect, education and public spirit which have not yet been in evidence. can it be, that you are what happens when the 'national enquirer' sort of newspaper finds you surplus to requirements?

"this attack was not the result of american foreign policy", nothing colin powell says should be viewed as anything but politically expedient.

perhaps he imagines he can be reborn as a responsible national leader by shooting the discredited party in the head and stepping aboard the new winner. he is probably right, callous hypocrisy is a virtue in party politics. i hope his reward is just a higher fee on the lecture circuit where he explains endlessly how supporting the bush regime was the patriotic thing to do.

as a tactical matter, he's too late to make much difference. the high point of his career was explaining the necessity of invading iraq. he says now that he didn't make much difference then, it was going to happen. if we include his career in vietnam, we can sum up colin powell like this: "i didn't make much difference, so why not take the money?"

if you concern yourself with people like colin powell, you vote for people like dubya, and are amazed when he turns out to be the jerk that he shows the world, he is without artifice. powell is only a little more difficult.

if you imagined generals are fundamentally different in character than politicians, well, not so.

but a distinguished* military career has taught our colin when to attack:

"with a single bound, our hero is revealed" as a closet democrat. this will raise his fee, that's all.

*distinguished, not 'honorable'

nothing.

that's the weakness of living in an oligarchy- only the 'few' can set policy, enact laws. oh, you can beg your representatives to save the planet, but the mechanics of getting elected preclude long term green policies.

or you can sign up for democracy. the citizen of a democracy can participate in direct law making through citizen initiative. this is the way to get long term policy that benefits most people. 'benefits' means save the planet nowadays- and the human race, possibly.