Cheney will announce his running for president soon after the news saturation of his utterances reaches a peak. After remaining in the shadows during the past eight years Cheney has emerged as a celebrity, with reporters slavering for photo ops and the sweeping statements of virtual facts that Cheney is known for.

Praying for disaster to befall the Obama Administration and praying for another terrorist attack on US soil, Cheney will have fertile ground to plow if things go his way.

There is some speculation that another attack here would actually be planned and paid for not by Osama bin Laden, but by the Cheney In 2012 Campaign.

Rush Limbaugh, endorsed by Cheney, has expressed interest in the VP slot, as Colin Powell is no longer considered a Republican Rush is a shoo-in for the job.

It is the Democratic Party, not the Democrat Party. Your inability to grasp that fact taints your entire argument as one that is inspired not by thought and consideration but by one who grabs the closest Republican talking points and accepts them as the true utterances of the God Dick Cheney and his lacky, Rush Limbaugh who, by the way, appeals to a fringe element in American society that meets twice-monthly to pull the wings off of flies while squatting in dark corners.

The damage that Cheney has done to the GOP has been apparent to all except Fox News and a few folks in mental institutions.

The losses incurred by Republicans in recent national elections prove that the Bush/Cheney doctrine has taken us down the wrong path.

This little dustup over Pelosi knowing/not knowing about torture does not alter the criminality of Cheney's acts. I think most people understand this.

Cheney is dirt under America's fingernails and he has been marginalized by his own actions. The sooner he is dragged into court, the better.

Contrary to what seems to be common scientific knowledge, we do not know the size or the age of the Universe.

We do not know what other intelligent life is present in the Universe.

We propose that our existence on Earth is to "serve God" but we do not know what god is. We can only believe, or disbelieve, what we are told about God. Contrary to religous dogma, belief in God is a highly personal matter, not to be defined by the Pope, or the church.

We can assume simply by observing the natural world, that every single living thing has but one basic purpose - to survive. I suggest that humans are not immune to this law of nature.

Human survival requires an understanding of what contributes to, or detracts from, the continuation of life. Overpopulation, starvation, and disease are present in vast human populations. Survival is tenuous and these populations are in danger of becoming extinct.

Overpopulation stresses food and water supplies and promotes disease. Absent effective birth control, what can be done to control excessive population growth? Clearly, efforts to promote a religious solution have failed. As long as human life is promoted as "sacred", real-world solutions are very difficult to use.

Nobody likes abortion. We adopted two children. My adopted daughter became pregnant when she was too young to marry or to care for the baby so she gave the infant up for adoption. Abortion was never considered. Fortunately we have been able to remain in touch with the family that adopted the child and all is well.

I think abortion should be considered only if the mother's life is in danger (from carrying the baby to term and giving birth) or if the child will be born with severe health problems.

If society promotes responsibility and offers effective support for unwanted children and single mothers, that would go a long way towards reducing elective abortions. At the same time, effective birth control must be promoted at all levels for all ages. This requires that the fundies and the medieval-thinking Catholic Church give up their outmoded support for abstention-based birth control and get on board with what works.

Are there any MDs here? Hello? Helloooooo?

It would be nice to get a doctors perspective on this issue. Surely, folks in the medical profession have opinions as to what is workable and what is not, health care system-wise.

Human population of the Earth is doomed to a very short time period. As we chronicle the effect of man upon this planet we see the wanton use of poisons and a supreme ignorance of the natural world.

As proof of this, does anyone actually believe that this planet will not be fatally affected by the use and misuse of billions of tons of man-made chemicals?

It works for seniors. Granted, it is a combined government/private program but it works and it can be improved where necessary.

The private companies offering the Medicare Advantage (Part B)component must be under some form of cost-control, whereby they are not allowed to raise premiums or reduce coverages unless an audit reveals the absolute necessity of such an action.

And don't let anyone tell us that we "can't afford it". We're spending over a trillion dollars on an unecessary war, spending billions on space exploration, losing billions of dollars of tax revenue from off-shore tax evaders, giving billions to foreign countries, maintaining troops in Korea and Europe, and wasting millions on inefficient emergency-room hospital services for the uninsured.

Unless the burial of the GOP is one of the Solutions. I am not aware of a single GOP Solution for the Future.

We are led by advertising gimmicks, brain-dead lying politicians, Bible-thumping idiots, Fox News commentators, profit-at-any-cost industry, home loan scam artists, and fear-mongering at every level of government.

A few (very few) bright lights shine, such as GG's columns, but the vast political discourse lacks intelligence, forthought, and common-sense.

Our prisons house some of the worst threats to society imaginable but mention that an alleged terrorist will be housed in the same facility as our home-grown monsters like Charles Manson, and grown men wet their pants.