I have posted this elsewhere but it begs posting here:

"You might however consider whether you should not unfold as a background the great privilege of habeas corpus and trial by jury, which are the supreme protection invented by the English people for ordinary individuals against the state. The power of the Executive to cast a man in prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government, whether Nazi or Communist.

It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of bombing of German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror, though under other pretexts, should be reviewed." -Winston Churchill.

but they should not expect respect if they are not qualified to judge others.

or an agnostic, at least.

Please.

To do otherwise goes against what America is all about.

To do otherwise shows the world that there is no hope for the rule of law.

To do otherwise compromises our attempts to mediate conflict and maintain the moral high ground.

To do otherwise proves that our elected officials are above the law.

To do otherwise shows that our participation in treaties and agreements is subject to political whim.

To do otherwise will ensure that the future is not secured from rash decisions and lawbreaking.

What are you smoking?

Do not discount the power of voodoo. Republicans have using it effectively for years. They like to call it "free market" or "trickle-down" or "mortgage-backed securities" but it's all voodoo just the same.

I love to watch high school sports. Those young folks are in it for the game. They are influenced, however, by what the pros do. I remember that chewing tobacco use by major league baseball players has been all but eliminated mostly because of the horrible example set for younger players.

Steroids should be treated the same way. They are at least as harmful as tobacco and they pollute sports by introducing shortcuts to performance.

"If the GOP can come up with a persuasive agenda on the economy, on healthcare and on education, I think it has more than a fair shot at winning back the "Joe voters" once they become dissatisfied with the left-leaning overreach of Obama and the Democrats."

The GOP had their chance on the economy and their dislike of regulation and their worship of a "free market" have driven our economy into its present dtate.

Republicans have always fought against universal healthcare. Their primary interest was, and is, in how much profit that can be made by drug and insurance companies.

Public education is a mainstay of America. Private education ensures that folks with the money will get the best teachers, the best schools. We have to fix public education and it must, above all, be free and available, and effective.

is the mainstay of the corporate news world. A kidnapping in, say, Florida causes parents all over the country to fear for their child's safety. It is as if the risk factors for child abduction have suddenly jumped 300%.

If the statistics cited in the report are actual, we are all becoming puppets to the news industry. If bad news grabs our attention, more bad news will grab more attention and advertising revenues will increase accordingly.

My grandchildren are being raised in a paranoid household. They cannot play without adult supervision in a fully visible park and playground across the street from their house. They can't be in the sunshine without sunblock 5000 slathered on their bodies. They can't play on their own driveway without an adult nearby. They live in an upscale, new community with a nonexistent crime rate.

Their carseats are designed to accomodate safe travel in an intergalactic spaceship in an asteroid field. Their toys come equipped with a lawyers phone number in case of a scratch or injury caused by something on the toy that could cause a cut or a bruise if the child falls on it from a height of 10 feet or more.

I grew up in an age where we had metal dashboards, no seatbelts, homemade coasters, and we built forts in nearby empty lots by getting our hands dirty and cut and we didn't have 100% adult supervision.

We were allowed to grow up.

The GOP has got to get its meds right. Whatever they are using to numb their pain is having nasty side-effects.

To quote H.L. Mencken: I am SO glad I was not born a Republican.

they cannot be thumped on the chest when one wants to make a point. Nothing bolsters an argument like a good finger driven into a breastbone - not hard enough to do harm but certainly hard enough to get the person's attention and to appreciate the level of your seriousness.

is a powerful market driver and Obama has been very confident.

People like his style, think he is smart (he is, by the way) and realize that Obama's opposition is nothing more than rabble fighting amongst themselves.

but never mind the corruption in our government.

It is amazing how easily we are distracted from the real issues that pose real threats. It is painful to think that the country that leads the free world is beset with some of the same problems of a banana republic, but there it is.

We have seen blatant lawbreaking in too many Administrations. I believe that the penalties for the crimes committed have been far too lenient, or entirely nonexistent in some cases.

The Bush Administration drove the train off the rails with their constitutional abuses, torture, and faked threats leading to a disastrous war.

I do not seek revenge for these acts against our country, but I do seek justice.