The flip-flopping hypocrisy of the Republican party never fails to stun me. Less than a year ago, the Republicans in this country were itching to bomb the hell out of Iran and murder thousands of civilians. They were using every trick they could to attempt to declare war- classifying the Iranian Republican Guard as a terrorist organization, and using constant, unsubstantiated assertions that Iran was providing Iraqi insurgents with weaponry and training.

Now they stand in faux solidarity with Iranian protesters- people they would have gleefully bombed to pieces mere months ago.

This reminds me of the first Iraqi elections, when brave Republican Congress-critters dipped their pudgy fingers in purple ink and waved them around during Herr Bush's State of the Union. They looked like a bunch of braying asses, climbing over each other in a desperate lunge for the spotlight. I see that nothing has changed.

That was a wonderful response, and a great bit of wind in my personal sails as well.

To the LW:

One year is just a start. One year is still getting used to where you live. One year is just figuring out where the good bars are, where the public transit runs and where a good place to find food is.

Artistically, one year in and you're probably still more like the person you were back home. Believe me, you have to stick with it. I have a similar experience as you in some ways, moved to NY for visual arts. And it is tough. What "they" don't tell you is that moving to a new city- no matter how talented you were back home and how much you honed your craft- is EXACTLY like starting over from scratch. You have to build networks one person at a time, you have to discover the tenor of your industry through entry-level jobs, often outside your field. You will have to work relentlessly at your creative work on your free time. It will be like having two jobs.

But it is worth it. Your work will grow and change in unimaginable ways if you stick to it. The work I'm doing now is far beyond what I ever would have been capable of, or even thought of "back home". In fact, I destroyed the majority of the work I did my first year after my move here, because it wasn't an accurate representation of what I have learned in the interim. Keep at it.

Acknowledging the situation without vitrol or condemnation or demands is the correct response to the situation in Iran.

I sincerely believe that events are being set into motion in Iran that will have a more powerful, and ultimately positive influence on the Iranian people than any interference from outside nations and powers ever could. We are witnessing a change in Iran. One that had to happen indigenously and not through outside force.

McCain and the Republicans calling for force are delusional, and on the wrong side of history. They are so blind and narrow minded that they believe the only solution to any problem is through interference and violence. These are extremely delicate times. The last thing needed is warmongering and ultra-nationalism. McCain and his ilk should shut up and sit down.

Maybe Wall Street wouldn't have such a pariah status had they not screwed the global economy due to their blind arrogance and feckless greed.

We just collectively pissed $14 TRILLION dollars down the drain with absolutely nothing to show for it- there are NO new jobs out there, lending has frozen, no one is buying houses, and wages remain flat. We're flat broke and it's all due to these jackals, who used the economic collapse as just one more opportunity to siphon money out of the Community Chest and stash it in offshore accounts.

Fuck them. I think we should grab some pitchforks.

What if we would have just taken that $14 Trillion and divided it by 300 million- and sent every taxpaying citizen in this country a check?

Yes, it's a crazy idea, and far-fetched. But I imagine it would have had a more positive effect upon our economy than just handing more cash over to the leeches.

Pretending that the millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States doesn't have a negative impact upon our economy is just naive.

It's a problem that does need to be solved. I'm certain that Obama will be able to find a middle ground on this issue. It's not just red-meat Republicans who realize the immigration issue needs a solution.

I couldn't agree more.

So much of American society (which is tied exclusively to the values of materialism and capitalism- wealth and money) is based upon the idea of getting rich, without the realism that you stated about wealth in America.

So many "get rich quick" schemes are just that- schemes, which benefit no one but those who are running them. I can't count how many times I've seen infomercials and talk show hosts, or their guests, espousing the idea that "Wealth is just around the corner! For you! For anybody!" It's nothing more than hucksterism and feel-good empty rhetoric. Wealth is often little more than the luck of birth, or the mindset to capitalize upon the work of others. Actual "hard work" has nothing to do with it- if it did, day laborers would be among the most wealthy people in America.

We're tied into an economic system that is predicated upon consumerism- and not just consumerism- but perpetually increasing consumerism. How can we realistically expect the majority of Americans to be able to afford their own homes, when most of us make $40,000 a year, or less? It requires people to take a massive gamble, and often get over their heads on a mortgage they can barely afford.

Add this to what other posters have mentioned- stagnant wages, a poor educational system, extensive consumer debt, and hugely insecure and transitory employment situations even for "hard workers" - and you can see what a mess this situation is.