Have you ever read "Crime and Punishment", or did you put it down after the first chapter because Raskolinkov didn't deserve your attention?

About as funny as a Leno joke about the Clenis and insightful as a Factor Report.

I wonder if these sites give too much credence to traffic generated by the trivial stories. I have to admit that, while I'd prefer that there be no dumb stories about Obama's bowling score, etc., I find myself clicking on the link in the same manner that passersby rubberneck at a traffic accident. I can tell myself that my curiosity is warranted simply because I know that whatever stupid story they're selling will be around for a few news cycles. But nonetheless, perhaps I'm contributing to that fact?

Dan, Boston

Glen,

I agree with you at the gut level and whole-heartedly endorse your call for debates that truly separate the candidates. But I just don't know how we're going to do this. The MSM would rather bloviate for days about about the pregnant daughter and the appropriateness of covering the issue, then delve into how Palin's own position on the issue might be relevant.

The current meme is that Palin is a tough reformer. How tough was it for her to head up a 527 organization with the name "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service"?

The media, as usual, won't even think of that question, let alone ask it. And we're sadly left with the same crap.

I know they control a lot of minds with their am radio shows, but those are not minds that we'll ever change. Fuck 'em, a better approach to limiting their influence would be civics test at the polls, but those have been ruled unconstitutional. I'm serious and I'm joking. Because I don't know how to disenfranchise Rush's audience without disenfranchising an equal number of democratic voters. I guess the bottom line is that there are uninformed voters on both sides, and even though I generally agree with the uninformed voters on the left, they are still, at the end of the day, uninformed voters.

Don't get me wrong, I fully believe that the top levels of government are accountable, but if Holder's quasi-investigation starts out by hauling in little fish, it could escalate to hauling in the prizes. I served as a Marine and swore to uphold the constitution - if my superiors had held up a John Yoo memo to me and cited it as authority to waterboard, I would have had no choice but to refuse to carry out an unlawful order. Accordingly, I don't see what shielding the lower echelons from the full brunt of the law advances. Let the prosecutions at all levels begin.

* Only registered Democrats, but not registered Republicans, shall be eligible for unemployment benefits.

* Any individual belonging or contributing to the NRA shall be permanently barred from government employment....

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