I have to agree that I don't see what all the fuss is about.

But to the people who think that it's gross and/or just disturbing, they need to get over themselves. There are many things I find gross and disturbing and my "rights" are not inherently stronger than their's are. The belly roll hanging out over too low pants, unwashed hair, ill fitting clothes, offensive sayings on t-shirts, loud grating laughter, etc. These people are not doing any of these things to annoy me...it's not about me at all, just like the breast feeding woman isn't trying to upset you.

My old roommate was a teacher and she had the choice of her salary being paid for 9 months or being distributed over 12.

She didn't just work the hours the kids were in school either, though I imagine there might be a crappy teacher or two (out of thousands) that do.

Thanks Berkeley, teachers are much more beneficial to society than a hedge fund manager.

As bloggers get more readers, the message gets spread. Information is always a good thing. If GG was on the street screaming about DiFi, at most he'd get tazed, at worst he'd get ignored. Then what?

Colbert's arguments could be turned aound against himself. He's a great satirist, and thank goodness he has an audience, but exactly how is he changing the power structure here in my home state of California?

Attorney General Gonzales would still be very happy as the attorney general if the BLOGS (not the MSM) hadn't been the force they were in showing how bad the US attorney firing's were.

It's a trickle to be sure, but Rush Limbaugh was laughed at in the beginning, too, and he turned his little AM radio rants into quite the political power.

I used to work for one the companies owned by Feinstein's husband in the early 90's.

I was amused to see how concerned she was about the environment and cleaning up Nevada's test sites. Our company was up high on the list of people who would have gotten that contract. We may even have gotten it, I wasn't in the environmental engineering group. We did get the clean up of many sites in Eastern Europe funded by US tax dollars.

We also got the Pentagon remodel, sweet.

She was also very concerned about the student loan program. It used to be a pretty good deal, very low interest rates, etc. Wells Fargo is one of the largest student loan providers in the country...now with strong government backing that she strongly endorsed. She and Blum have very strong interests there, too.

Dianne appears to have an intense interest in liberal causes when there are $$$ to be made. Otherwise, not so much.

I used to work for one the companies owned by Feinstein's husband in the early 90's.

I was amused to see how concerned she was about the environment and cleaning up Nevada's test sites. Our company was up high on the list of people who would have gotten that contract. We may even have gotten it, I wasn't in the environmental engineering group. We did get the clean up of many sites in Eastern Europe funded by US tax dollars.

We also got the Pentagon remodel, sweet.

She was also very concerned about the student loan program. It used to be a pretty good deal, very low interest rates, etc. Wells Fargo is one of the largest student loan providers in the country...now with strong government backing that she strongly endorsed. She and Blum have very strong interests there, too.

Dianne appears to have an intense interest in liberal causes when there are $$$ to be made. Otherwise, not so much.

Like tc, I'm not a Feinstein supporter. That being said, I have voted for her over the reactionary Repubs that always seem to get the nomination on the other side in the general election.

In the primaries I have always voted my heart and my head.

We all develop differently, and someone letting me know her foibles (sexual and not) into getting to where she is does not diminish her whatsoever in my view.

"But I can't help but wonder if the US, rather than adopting national healthcare or mandating real fuel-efficiency, will, instead, opt for a bailout of the not-so-Big Three, instead, kind of like what Bush did with the airlines after 9/11, or with the protections levied at the steel industry, which will allow them to continue to screw things up."

Funny that you mention the steel industry and airlines in this...the other industries that used to have strong unions and that have been decimated.

American Airlines didn't apply for any aid/assistance after 9/11 and United didn't "qualify" for it, even though they were the only two airlines that lost airplanes and crews. United's employees had there pensions dumped on the government, it was considered underfunded in part because of projections based on ridiculously low interest rates.

The steel industry managed to renege on all of it's obligations to their retirees, too.

I'm sensing a common thread here. Good look Union Guy.

Well, there is just no "profit" in the actual military. We are being forced to watch the privatization of war.

And like most things under the Bush Administration we publicize the cost, privatize the profit.

I've always enjoyed reading David Sedaris's essays and his also include some very awkward, personal, and not always funny, situations.

Our sexuality is a part of who we are.

It seems the Chinese readers of his blog at least understand that one freaky chick (and her family) with a computer does not speak to any sort of movement. It looks like he posted it more out of bemusement than anything else.

Now if only our friends at Fox News could just understand that random comments on open discussions at liberal leaning websites do not define a movement either....

Those are cool emoticons.