fine. But I think the key difference between the US and Venezuela is that in the US the problem is not Bush it's the people who voted for him. In Venezuela it's the head guy. I think that people who equate a one man rule authoriarian rule by decree for life 'president' with even the worst of all the democratically elected US presidents are possibly dreaming of an apocalypse they'd like to see happen. Ever live in a country like that? They're not real fun.

If you want to put on your $30 Che T-shirt and worship a one man caudillo for life fascist, that's fine. I don't take it personally, I don't even take your namecalling personally. It's what your're good at. In either case, I entreat you to go live in a place ruled by a guy like that, literally. Makes no which never mind to me. It's easy I suppose to say what a concentration camp the US is from the comfort of the US. Imagine if you will what would happen if you decided what would happen to you if you lived in Caracas and started saying those things about Chavez?

Who asserted that for the sceptic no amount of proof is sufficient and for the faithful no amount of proof is necessary. Hitchens takes a utilitarian view of faith in that he asserts, where it serves no obvious utilitarian good it must be a complete waste of time. Which is a little like asking Jeremy Bentham what the value of a butterfly is. Now if one takes the somewhat narrow view that relgion isn't evil, just its followers are, then one could the same thing as the Marxists and Communists that Hitchens followed in his youth. So what's left? Nihilism? Believe in nothing so as not to be smeared with the ethics of dangerous beliefs? Seems shallow to me. Anyway, never mind, I'm the evil one around here. Please carry on.

And anyone who claims I did is a liar. Just about the only thing most of you are any good at is name calling and lying about it. So be it, chalk it up to the inexperience of youth.

In related news on NPR this evening it was announced that Salon's hero and uber strongman Hugo Chavez is shutting down RCTV one of the 4 Venezuelan TV channels for saying things about him he didn't like. Actually it's for broadcasting scenes from the anti Chavez coup a few years ago and then refusing to broadcast scenes from the counter coup a few days later.

I really want to hear you folks lining up to support that. I want to hear the liberals and well wishers tell about how wonderful the end of the 1st ammendment is. I won't hold it against you or yell at you or call you names like you do to me. I just to hear a quick cheer from all the folks here who support that. Especially the people who breathlessly tell me how living in the US is akin to living in a Soviet Gulag.

Seriously, have it, give me your best shot. And if you think this is trolling you're being childish.

Ok we agree. In one breath most of you scream that the media is a bunch of pussies laying down and in the next you start marching to the windmill with your pitchforks and torches to slay the monster who is the mirror image of your guy.

Ok, it's your monster. I'm sure everyone's snarky paper throwing antics will change the world. See it's just TV. Anyone who stakes their egos on this crap needs to revisit the life decisions they've taken that lead them thus.

Just let out your racist rage already. We know you're holding it in and we're not fooled and it can't be doing you much good either. I really think some well wisher here needs to seriously mount an effort to bar Jews from the Democratic party. You know you want to.

Half of you sound dangerously close to a party purge. A dekulakification if you will. Look just tell me where to put the giant propaganda statue, ok?

Ask her why she does what she does. She will probably tell that at home Women are not allowed to be surgeons, so if they want to practice that they become OBGYNs and do a lot of C-Sections.

She used to give that hussy Diana.

I mean the second one, in the 90's where Islamic fundamentalists bent on instituting Taleban style Sharia were denied their role in government and then proceeded to fight a civil war in which 150,000 died on both sides? I suppose getting rids of the priests accomplished something but that something seems to be a mixed bag. On the other hand, what would the western well wishing liberals conclude with a brutal theocratic regime like what the Algerians had planned?

That's actually a trick question, there's no right answer and like all good liberals I agree we should let them all fester and splash in the abattoir of their own destiny. Far be it for us to try to stop them from unwinding the social clock a thousand years. Let them bring back polygamy, outlaw education for women, reinstitute slavery, sexual mutiliation and enforced Islam unto pain of death. I'm with you on that one. Hell Algeria is one big goddamned desert and they could continue to use for nuclear testing like the French did for all I care.

10 more? A hundred? My belief that they will do anything at all is dropping by the day. I guess I'll go blog about it now. Grrrrrrr !

.....what again? That rule of law thing just won't go away, will it?