Yes, Goering, Hess, Kaltenbrunner, and all the top Nazi brass convicted at Nuremburg in 1946 claimed their trials for war crimes were a sham of justice, that what was really happening was the victor grinding the faces of the defeated into the muck, that there would have been just as much justification for Hitler and Mussolini trying Churchill, Truman, and Stalin if the war had gone in the other direction. So it looks to me that Mr. Keillor's reasoning is that there should be no penalties imposed upon the officers of government whose job it is to enforce that law if they choose from time to time to break it. Well, there is a word for government conducted according to the perceived expediences and whims of the ruling elite: TYRANNY.

It is critical at this time to invoke the equal protection under the law clause of our Constitution and insist on equal liability for violations. To do otherwise is to invite recurrences of these deplorable practices.

"For the eleven year study period, a total of 260,814 (95% CI: 201,011-290,556) deaths was attributed to influenza, corresponding to an annual average of 23,710, or 0.91% of all deaths."

Revised estimates of influenza-associated excess mortality, United States, 1995 through 2005

by: Ivo Foppa, Md

Emerging Themes in Epidemiology, Vol. 5, No. 1. (2008)

So, on average, about 65 people a day die of influenza in the United State, doubtless more in winter and fewer in summer. In light of there being only one death in the United States attributed to swine flu in the past two weeks, questions may be legitimately raised about the motivation behind the media hype. Those of us who have antennae tuned to the use of fear by power elites see this as a most transparent and egregious use of what was once a free press to spread fear among the people. Fearful people are always less critical of leadership, who can then exploit the human resources thus made available for enterprises they find expedient but could not otherwise marshal due to legal and ethical constraints. The history of the both Bush Administration show exactly how this is accomplished.

we could always use some more talented teachers (known for their predilection for torturing adolescents with dull lectures and homework). Also, there should be openings for bright and talented bread truck drivers and plumbers. Point being, if you can't do the job ethically and serve the public interest as well as your own, find a different occupation. And stop whining!!

The few times that someone has condescended to respond to my humble assertions in a negative fashion, I have tried to gauge their level of interest in the issue at hand before responding. If the offered critique is rich in scatological vocabulary and the functions and products of the lower abdominal organs in general have become the slings and arrows for puncturing my facts or logic, I have judged it best to yield the filling septic tank to he who would bathe therein. If the comments are to the point, they may be worthy of a respectful rejoinder.

I myself am a great admirer and supporter of Dr. Ron Paul, not because he is always right, but because he stands on principle far more than any other politician I have observed in my multitude of decades on the planet. The principles upon which he stands are admirable as well: thrift, individual liberty, nonaggression, and the rule of law, all supposedly bedrock values of our Republic. Dr. Paul is articulate in defense of his positions and factually well prepared.

On the issue of the Federal Reserve System, I support not only auditing the institution, but also actively investigating alternatives for "coining" the currency and regulating the value thereof. Nearly a hundred years of letting the fox guard the hen house has not been beneficial to the American people. The Federal Reserve System's monopoly on issuing currency appears to me to be an occasion of the Congress subcontracting out one of its Constitutional mandates, an act taken under some as-yet-undiscovered Constitutional provision, in other words a violation of the Constitution itself.

Most fifth graders can figure out that they are better off having a little bit more than what they intend to spend in the piggy bank, at least they did back in my day. A few months ago I recall seeing a statement attributed to our now-President to the effect that deficits don't matter. Like Hell they don't matter! Decade-by-decade we have watched greater and greater percentages of the federal budget devoted to "servicing" the debt, that is, paying the interest on it. Currently, the percentage of "debt service" is about 7 times larger than it was in the 1960's. This is money that is collected from taxpayers and then given to bankers and investors, with no current advantages accruing to the public. Much of it is now shipped directly overseas, mostly to China and the oil-producing dictatorships of the Middle East. While having foreigners owning much of our debt tends to give them an interest in not destabilizing our economy unduly or attacking us militarily, it certainly infringes on our once-vaunted "independence".