I find it interesting that Doug Jehl was the guy mentioned -- because I have experience with him, and understanding that gives insight into the current mess.

During the fight over the saving roadless areas on our National Forests, that resulted in the Clinton Roadless Initiative, Jehl was the lead reporter sent to Idaho. He had built up the issue in the classic 'loggers/millworkers vs. enviros' framework, with the idea that this was some battle of East Coast elites vs. the 'poor working people' of Idaho. Nothing was further than the truth.

Jehl called Orofino, ID, 'Ground Zero' in the battle, and came to report on a public hearing there. He wanted screaming timber workers, but what he got was a majority of folks that supported saving our roadless lands.

He didn't end up writing on that -- because it went against his cultural meme that he was trying to promote. Instead, he finally found some conflict that matched his prior perception of the story, and wrote about that. The venue was in (I believe) Nampa, a suburb of Boise, where Boise-Cascade had bussed in and organized workers. Instead of crusty lumberjacks, though, my friends that were there told me that many were Mexican, probably temporary workers.

Jehl, and others like him, serve to promote upper-middle-class memes of stories, rather than doing real reportage and challenging perceptions. It's no surprise that they're doing this with Iraq and torture, because we have to remember that the upper-middle-class, represented by the Senators, were for this war, simply because it seemed like the expedient thing to do at the time, it matched the story, and importantly, THEY do not have children in the military, by and large.

I don't think Jehl is unique. In fact, he's emblematic.

Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't. Why anyone would believe the Jerusalem Post on stories of Iranian atrocities is beyond me.

But here's the sad truth about America.

Back during the Ivory Coast 'chopping off of hands' incidents back in the early '90s, the toll of children that this happened to was in the 80K range. Later, it was found to be around 4K.

It's still unclear if the famous Kurd town of Halabja was gassed by Saddam, or if it wasn't the unlucky victim of a cross-chemical attack during the Iran-Iraq war.

Here's the facts, though. Children in the Ivory Coast were brutalized. Kurds have been persecuted and killed by both Iraqis and Iranians and Turks for the last 200 years. BUT in order to get on OUR radar screens, a particular level of atrocity has to happen-- something that shocks our senses enough to pay attention, even if it isn't true, or maybe only happened to one unfortunate, undeserving, innocent person. We've been directly responsible for 1M deaths in Iraq, and that never really got on our minds.

Sounds to me like more shock-o-meter stuff. How else can we stand by while Jerusalem nukes Tehran?

In Afghanistan, the demographics are that some 65% of the country are women -- meaning two women for every man.

Actually marrying two women requires money -- more easy to marry one, and consider that some would be branded 'sneaky'.

Someone want to tell me how all that's gonna work?

It's NEVER the responsibility for the children of alcoholics to 'raise' the alcoholic.

That's where everything goes south.

It's just that simple -- speaking as one that has raised an alcoholic parent.

I'm recently divorced, and am now having a lot of fun with the on-line dating scene. I live in a rural area, but often work in a metropolitan area, and am going over there in a week. I have three dates in a row, and I am really looking forward to all three. What I've found is that in this society (White America) your friends won't set you up unless they think of whom their setting you up with as their favorite charity case. With on-line dating, at least I now have a chance to meet an equal.

I've gotten a ton of negative feedback from my best friends that are long-married, unhappy, and tell me that I'm making a huge mistake by doing such. I tell them to screw themselves. Minus waking up in a hotel room without a kidney, I just don't see how any of these women can really hurt me more than my ex-wife. At least with some of these women, I might get laid, and they certainly won't be able to take me for half a million bucks.

What if we just boiled it down to the facts?

"Dear Cary,

I've gotten fat and lost all my hair. I feel like shit and throw up a lot. My boyfriend is going through early male menopause.

I just don't understand why the asshole doesn't want to screw me.

Plus, what's up with that asshole and the housework?"

Sheesh. Why is reality a different planet than where 99.99999% of people live?