Profiling just doesn't work. First of all, anyone remember Timothy McVeigh? Or the German terrorists of the 70s? Or the Japanese ones of the 90s? Who will you profile?

Even if we come right and and say "Profile Arabs", how? National identity is easy, but what about Arab-Americans? My friend from Lebanon has cousins who are green-eyed and fair-skinned, thanks to some long ago Crusader blood. You'd never guess they were middle-eastern.

Finally, it's a horrible injustice to the literal millions of Arab-Americans, Muslims, and anyone else caught up in the profiling. I can think of no better way to encourage hatred and rage than for Ahmed to get the body cavity search while he watches a cracker like me walk right past security drinking a latte.

Yes, you can buy Polonium 210 readily on the internet. Here's one site who sells it for $69:

http://www.unitednuclear.com/isotopes.htm

The thing is, this is a tiny amount, used for testing radioactivity meters. By their estimates, you need to buy 15,000 of their kits to have a good chance of poisoning someone. And it would be technically very difficult to extract the polonium from 15,000 electroplated needles, and recombine it into a whole.

The only people who had the technological skill to pull off this poisoning are to be found among the nuclear powers, and probably only one or two of them at that.

First of all, Michael Vick. "Innocent until proven guilty" is a criminal law concept. It has nothing to do with the NFL, or with advertisers, or even with public opinion. I feel that being charged with Federal conspiracy charges is enough to warrant a suspension. If nothing else, Vick can use the time off to work on his defense of the charges.

If he's acquitted, then he can return to his $100 million job. In fact, how about that? We'll make a deal with Vick: if we're wrong, he gets his salary doubled for this year. But if he's convicted, he loses it all. Do you think he'll take that deal?

As far as the Tour goes, I initially agreed that this was it: it's all over for the Tour. How could it recover?

It recovered because the next three contenders put on a spectacular show, and ended up finishing just 30 seconds apart. That's never happened before. And it's not just that they were next in line; after those three was a 7 minute gap.

I think this year was the nadir, and the Tour is already heading higher. They proved this year that they really will throw anyone out of the Tour if they fail testing, even if they have the yellow jersey.

As far as being unfair to Rasmussen...Rasmussen lied about his whereabouts for over 2 months, and missed two scheduled drug tests in May and June. He claimed he was in Mexico, but was spotted in Italy, near the Dolomites, where a lot of illegal doping has gone on in the past.

gttim, thanks for the info. All I'd seen was that he missed those two tests, and the implication was that he was MIA for both months, i.e. almost 60 days out of contact. If that is not the case, then that is pretty slim for actually ejecting someone. Beyond slim.

The Senate should refuse to go on to any other business, and force the Republicans and their pet "Independent" to filibuster against habeas corpus.

Because without habeas corpus, we really have no other rights. There is no overstating how important this rule is to our system of law.

Without habeas corpus, you will never see a courtroom. How do you assert your constitutional rights when you never go before a judge? How do you present evidence that you are a citizen, and not a enemy non-combatant?

So, break out the cots, and let's have a real filibuster. Start talkin', Joe. Because it's not like you're doing anything of value anyway.

I think this was the worst fucking answer I have ever heard from Cary. Seriously.

These people are brainwashing his daughter to believe all unbelievers burn in hell, evolution is wrong, and homosexuality is a sin...and he should play along by attending church so she thinks it's ok?

Not a chance. I would avoid fighting over it, but I sure wouldn't back down from my beliefs. I would gently point out the giant, truck-sized holes in their belief system. She's only 13, so don't blast her like it's Hardball. Just make her think for herself a bit.

For instance: LW, ask her to indicate in the bible where Jesus said anything at all about homosexuals. They certainly existed in his day; so why does he never say word one about them, good or bad?

If LW is really interested in church, then find a reasonable, moderate one to attend. Or even a liberal one, with gay marriages. Show your daughter a different, tolerant, caring side of Christianity. One that Jesus would have liked.

Well, actually, he did."For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" (Matthew 15:19). Surely to his Jewish hearers homosexuality would have been included in "sexual immorality" without having to mention it explicitly.

Interestingly, my copy of the bible says "fornication" not "sexual immorality". Funny how you used a more vague term that fit your argument better.

Not to mention the entire chapter is all about the Pharisees criticizing his followers for not following the old ways of their elders (specifically, not washing their hands when they eat). Jesus rebukes them, saying that the traditions are not as important as what is inside.

What are some of those traditions? Why, they are those Jewish laws in Leviticus, such as condemnation of homosexuality.

So, in effect, Jesus is saying those laws don't apply to his followers. Any Jewish listener surely would understand that Jesus is saying that homosexuality is therefore no longer an abomination or a sin.