You should really stick to the Cinema and lay off the economics and political history. The New Deal really did happen. Real change did happen during the Depression. Was Utopia achieved? No. It won't ever be, so that's a moot point. Also, efforts quickly began to dilute and dissipate its effects, as they always will.

I tend to agree that real change would become *possible* if we'd let the financial system collapse, but don't believe it would have been inevitable. The corporate interests have become too entrenched, been given too much time to rewrite the laws and build up overwhelming precedent. Hell, we've become so used to ignoring the law around these parts that we have an active, vibrant debate over whether we our government should respect laws on torture!

In my mind it's something like 50/50 whether we'll see a slow decline as the vampires continue to drain the host, or there'll be some sort of (psychological or actual) violent upheaval. I don't see the system getting fixed at this point, it's just too broken. Obama has pretty much proved that.

Then it won't cost $200/course. I just wish it was over-the-counter. Yes, that's sort of dangerous. People ought to be able to make their own choices in these things.

Of our time, anyhow.

Several points:

1. The people most suited to the armed forces will gravitate towards it.

2. The people least suited will also gravitate towards it, due to their psychological problems.

Neither of the above categories of people need a video game to impel them to apply.

3. People who really don't belong in the military due to temperment (aka the probability they'll end up PTSD'd and ruined, if not get their comrades killed) might well be pulled in by this.

4. If we were in a real national emergency, the draft'd be back quicker than you can say "civil liberties".

So, on balance I think the video game isn't such a great idea. On the other hand, we do have to keep a lot of people under arms these days, because:

a. We've pissed off half the world. Obama seems well positioned to continue this trend, despite his friendly speeches. Actions speak louder than words, especially when guns are involved.

b. There's been a long period of (relative to WWI/II and Korea) peace. Human history indicates this sort of state of affairs never lasts. Maybe I'm just being paranoid,and we've finally figured out how to coexist peacefully. Maybe.

--Final analysis: the military's under pressure to cheaply provide the most cost-effective, survivable soldiers in human history, and they do a reasonable job. Further, there are mitigating circumstances (see a and b above). I suggest cutting them a little slack on this particular issue. Salon has an anti-military slant that I personally consider a little myopic.

Book:

" and was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush's re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over."

Now:

"I was never pressured,"

Translation:

Book:

Well, this is what happened.

Now:

Gobble gobble gobble gobble gobble.

If we must, after it's been so conclusively demonstrated that the absolute dollar value isn't as important as its percentage of GDP (which is historically not terrible, see Krugman's many posts on this topic)...

Can we not discuss Iraq and Afghanistan? We piss away vast amounts of treasure monthly in those places. Before cutting things that might actually improve the economy, we should cut things that create absolutely no wealth and incidentally irritate the rest of the world.

but lack of education, or more accurately experience, precisely defines the word 'innocence'.

Here is why you're both wrong and pedantic:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/innocence

3. simplicity; absence of guile or cunning; naiveté.

4. lack of knowledge or understanding.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ignorance

the state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, learning, information, etc.

Innocence is in fact the more accurate descriptive word, due to the connotation of inexperience. Ignorance can persist in the very experienced. You may shut up now.

Wow, your experience is a pretty much a mirror image of my own. Neat. I think internet dating is an outstanding idea; it allows me to filter out people who are attractive but not interesting, saving vast amounts of wasted effort. Back when I was learning to be single again, I didn't even bother with the IRL approach. I ended up meeting a girl who is so unlike anyone I've ever met, finding her equivalent IRL would have been practically impossible.

It does all the standard whining about how much it will all cost. Amusing, because anyone familiar with technology knows that prototypes *always* cost a lot. Prices only come way, way down after you get good at the details. This trend will only be accelerated by economies of scale once we have enough industry in space to manufacture things. Having large power generation facilities up there is the first step on that road. Gambarinasai, Japanese kids! Take you some totoro and tentacles to the stars.

anyone who picks such a banner to march under ought to lose the right to vote, seriously.

A kid with his kind of money and spotlight at age 20 and with a history of abusing others.. probably not. I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but he really ought to go have a couple years of alone time to think about what he did.

I've gotten them, at least three times. For performance. Not for time served. I can hardly imagine the positions at the end of the bell curve-- 155% for cafeteria slop server, maybe?