This is a free country, and if you want to believe that the world was created 10,000 years ago, I really don't care. Here's my concern though. In order for our society to function, we must be able to respond to that which is objectively real. If Sarah Palin becomes president some day, does her belief that witchcraft is an objective reality justify her utilizing the resources of the government to eradicate witchcraft from our society? Should she, for example, fund psychics to come up with counter-spells and exorcism rites in order to deal with the problem? Where do we draw the line? My concern is that the people who believe in the kind of things the author is talking about are actually voting for and supporting politicians who fully intend to enact laws that are based upon these beliefs. It's one thing to be opposed to abortion because your religion says it is wrong, but it is entirely another thing to fantisize that if we all pray hard enough, all the terrorists will disapper. If we all believe that God would never bake humankind on an overheated Earth, and therefore do nothing about Global Warming, then I hope you are enjoy it when pineapples start growing in Alaska. Thus far in our development the scientific method is the only technique that has been developed through which mankind can determine what is going on outside of his subjective shell. Let's please base out actions upon it's findings.

Elephantman writes:

In the very large urban swing-state midwestern city that I worked in, the populace was 90% or more African-American, and perhaps 95% or more Democratic. A Stalinist setting, politically speaking.

So African-Americans and Democrats are Stalinists? Then they must not be "truly" American, and your job was to see to it that the un-American African-Americans and Democrats did not get to vote? For this you were specially trained, and a lawyer, no less. A lawyer who is supposed to believe in the democratic principles our country was founded upon, but there you were, protecting the country against the rabble. It didn't matter to you that some of those people had been subjected to generations of discrimination, and had every right to demand that their government take their vote into consideration. No, they were all Stalinists, and you were protecting America from them.

Thanks for nothing!

VOTE for Obama!

NewyorkNY, you said:

"When Republicans go against the mandate their base gives them, they are punished at the ballot box. John McCain couldn't pick Joe Lieberman as his running mate because the Republican base wouldn't have stood for it."

Did you notice, McCain lost, mostly because he chose someone that was so far to the right,even the right-leaning moderates thought she was crazy and rejected her. Maybe if Obama had gone all the way to the left, he wouldn't have won the election. With all due respect to the extreme left (who admittedly did a great deal to get Obama elected), it was not them who are responsible for his success, but the millions of left of center moderates who did the grunt work. He could not possible have won the elections if the only ones who voted for him were the people at KOS. I say we give Obama a chance and see where he is going with all of this. He is choosing some extremely bright people for his cabinet and staff; if he calls the shots and holds them to loyalty and obediance, maybe we really will get the change he promised.

As far as the MSM is concerned, no matter what Obama does, they're going to criticize him. Now that the campaign is over, they need to make everyting sound like a war between the left, the moderated, and the right: it helps them with their ratings. Let's just wait and see what develops.

In the primaries, I voted for Clinton. My rationale was that she was far more acquainted with the ways of Washington, and would be more able to beat whoever her opponent would be in the general election. I believed that if elected, she would be more capable of getting her agenda passed.

I wound up voting for Obama, first of all because I thought that the McCain/Palin team was completely unacceptable, but also because what I was looking for was a president who would make his judgements based upon objectivity and reason. Also, I believed that Obama would level with the American People, would not play games with the Constitution, and would run his Administration without breaking the law. I did not want an ideologue in the White House, neither a liberal nor a conservative; I wanted someone who would base his judgements on what was good for the American People and the country in general, not someone who was so committed to an ideology that he would destroy the country to achieve it.

So far, I have been satisfied. Obama is as clever as he is wise. He seems to intend to operate as President to all Americans, not just to those who believe in a particular ideology. As far as I am concerned, his choices for the cabinet are stellar, and reflect his comprehension of the real world. Of course, I still want to see how this all works out before I give him my complete support, but at this point, I think he's doing just fine.