And when it is our turn to shrug off our corrupt corporate rulers, will we show the courage of the Poles, Chinese and Persians? Somehow, I seriously doubt it. We all stood by and allowed W. to steal two elections and we still don't seem to show any inclination to bend our elected representatives to our will; there is always money for war and billionaire bankers, but education, health care, renewable energy and jobs just never seem to be quite important enough. I am immensely proud of my Persian brothers and sisters for their valiant efforts. Whether they succeed or not they put us Americans to shame with their courage and I hope some of us can find inspiration in their attempt and begin to rescue our land from our home-grown scofflaws.

The last ones I bought from someone who also told be about the faked moon landing turned out to be painted bricks. Good golly, you just can't trust anyone these days.

Bush's first recession started in March, 2001, two months after Clinton left office. Admittedly, the stock market had started its decline prior to Clinton's departure, but the onset of the recession seemed to be the moment Greenspan said massive tax cuts for the wealthy would be a good thing since we would not want to pay off the national debt too fast. That was something like 10 trillion dollars ago.

This recession started 13 months BEFORE Obama took office. How can anyone argue Obama "owns" this one?

As long as it does not involve raping people, molesting children or scaring the horses I really couldn't care less about anyone's sex or reproductive life. Why the hell is this considered news worth reporting? I think we can all accept that most Americans cheat on their spouses/significant others so let's just get over it.

Please note that those civilized american football players do not grunt or even talk while the quarterback is under center. It is a penalty to "jam" the snap count. It is also against the rules to do something to distract one's opponent in tennis and it is high time that the rule is enforced. Warn the grunters and then penalize or forfeit them.

How the hell does a relatively dynamic, reasonably educated state like NY end up with an almost even split between Neanderthals and Democrats in its State Senate? Do large numbers of NY voters still think there is such a thing as a Rockefeller Republican?

where all the fossil fuel went during our lifetimes. It sure feels good to know that we are being such good stewards and investing the energy resources of millions of years in such a wise fashion.

Maybe he has come to his senses and is leaving the country to avoid further embarrassing his state.

If everyone lost their job on day one, then that would be the peak of jobless claims, but obviously would not be the end of the recession. Of course this is outrageously extreme, but in this case it is instructive. We previously watched the slow-motion loss of middle-class jobs that involve actually making things instead of providing services or manipulating capital. During the past one and one-half years we have seen enormous job losses as the manipulation of real-estate trough has been shown to be empty. The REAL unemployment (U6) is pushing towards 20%. Soon, most of the people who are losing their jobs will not bother to file for unemployment since they will be ineligible (one has to have worked in the previous 5 quarters to be eligible to receive any benefits).

Maybe the labor indicator of the end of this recession will be prosecutions of the underground economy. I know of many unemployed people who are staying afloat by working under the table in various otherwise legal and some explicitly illegal endeavors.

This is clearly a different type of recession/depression than we have seen in a long time. Japan came out of the "lost decade" by harnessing the U.S. consumer. How will we get out? Are we going to learn to make something for China and India? We don't even make things for ourselves.

In the hopes of some future bill that has more substance and the rather small market-driven incentives for some industries to reduce their GHG emissions, what have we given up? Just the ability of the EPA to rapidly make use of the known science to immediately force much larger reductions in GHG emissions by the coal, car, import and cattle industries. I feel as enriched as if someone had robbed me of my wallet and then tossed me a fiver for the trouble.

Still, our hopes for a future depend on enough American individuals finding it in their heart to do what is necessary to leave a living planet for their children. Will we stop purchasing high CO2-embodied crap from Asia? Will we stop driving everyplace we go? Will we insulate our buildings and use fewer cubic feet per person? Can we relearn that the temperature does not have to be between 70 and 74 F in order to be comfortable? If we don't lead, why should the political class follow?

They actually think that Americans might be willing to do the right thing. Haven't they learned? We will only endure discomfort while killing people. Take WWII, for example. We rationed sugar, flour and gasoline. Could this obese nation with epidemics of diabetes, heart disease and cancer ration gasoline just to allow the planet to survive? No way! Rationing is strictly a wartime thing.

Come to think of it, we are at war here, and this time we are winning. Yessiree Bob. America is winning the war on the environment.