Some commenters made the following complaint (I'm paraphrasing here): I write letters. I vote. What else can I do?

This is what our establishment politicians want us to do. They have their "Accountability Moments", which they can buy, after which we, the great unwashed masses, are to butt out.

I hate to say this, because it is hard, requires commitment, and a great deal of courage, but the answer is simple: We must take to the streets.

It is said that a people should not fear their government, that the government should fear its people. This is true. We may laugh at the French, with their perpetual strikes and street demonstrations, but their government has some of that fear of its people. The French don't work like slaves, have a great health care system, 7 weeks of vacations, and on the whole are a happier lot than we are.

And here in the US? What ended the Vietnam War? What improved the civil rights of blacks? Our fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts took to the streets. They had sit-ins. They got into Authority's face.

There is really no other way. Accountability Moments will bring us at best only kinder gentler authoritarians and imperialists.

First things first: Neanderthals are variously classed as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis or Homo neanderthalensis; ether way they are humans. Sure they're animals, but only because we are as well, and not in the sense that seems to be implied by the writer. Perhaps Ms. Price meant that Neanderthal women weren't feminists because they didn't need to be? If they were co-equals with their men they didn't need to fight for lost rights.

But past that, in all predatory species the females hunt. For this theory to fly, it would need to apply to all predators who face similar dangers: lions, tigers, hyenas, toothed wales, polar bears, penguins, owls, eagles etc. etc. Does it? The fact that all these predators are quite successful (barring human depredation and habitat destruction) means that it probably does not.

I heard some of Diane Feinstein's comments on amnesty on a remarkably one-sided NPR report on the matter. In a sound-bite Feinstein was complaining about how unfair it was for the poor telcos, since everyone knows that they can't defend themselves in the civil suits because the evidence is secret! Well, that's a bald-faced lie. I wonder how the chairman of the Democratic Party of California feels about lies like that? Oh, I forgot. I just don't get the Big Picture.

The NPR also frontloaded the report with another sound-bite, this time Orrin Hatch complaining that those patriotic telcos wouldn't help us in the future if we didn't grant them amnesty. Could he be so simple, or does he think we're so simple? Warrants, as has been explained here and elsewhere, compel them to help when the courts issue them; when not used, they are not to help eavesdrop. That's the whole point!

The NPR report did play a sound-bite of Russ Feingold, but since Feingold's remarks did not address the two points above, and the reporter did not address them either, the report was worse than useless.

"We want our breasts to be as 'normal' and desexualized as men's, so that we too can pull off our shirts at football matches."

She may have been referring to the habit many male players have of whipping off their shirts after scoring a goal. Remember that Brandi Chastain gained notoriety for doing just this despite wearing a rather modest sports bra underneath her shirt. And yet most people would not remember any particular male player for doing the same. (The irony, if this is indeed the case, is that FIFA has since mandated that a yellow card be issued to the perpetrator--not for indecent exposure, but for delay of game.)

Of course they are.

This is pro sports, so their opponents shouldn't mind. But the fans will. The Pats are acting like a college team trying to get a Heisman Trophy for Tom Brady and trying to get the best BCS ranking. But as a fan, I'd rather watch Brett Favre any day of the week. It's simply more fun.

And all that running up of the score will make it just that much more fun if the Patsies lose in the Super Bowl.

Klein reminds me of the J. R. R. Tolkien character Grima "Wormtongue" who whispered poison in King Theoden's ear, thus rendering him impotent and weak.

Democrats need to reject such perfidy if We The People are to retain a voice in our government. If we wish for Republican foreign policy we can elect Republicans. But if Democrats act like Republicans the people will be robbed of a choice, which is of course the goal of Klein and his class. This sad state has already come to pass in England and is occurring now in France as the powerful elites are subverting the French Socialist party for their own ends.

"--and honest Republicans"

What are those? Aren't they as rare as Ivory-billed Woodpeckers?

And it's a mystery why the coach of the third-highest scoring team in the league didn't think his offense could gain six inches, instead opting for three points when the Packers needed at least 10 and probably more.

As a Packer's fan I have been pleasantly surprised by Mike McCarthy's play calling. It has been at times bold and unpredictable and quite effective. He has several times converted 4th downs when the situation required it. This is why I find it especially perplexing that he didn't go for the first down and maintain some control of the game. He shouldn't have been feeling any pressure to play it safe, since he had a ready-made excuse for the loss (Favre was knocked out of the game, after all). In fact, a conversion followed by a TD would have put the Cowboys under pressure. A little disappointing.