If you are referring to me regarding my equivalence of torture and 18 year old girls in porn, then don't. 18 year old girls (and boys) are often stupid, unsophisticated, ignorant, and clueless and get taken advantage of. Do I think that's a shame? Yes, of course. Do I think it's worse than torture? Of course not.

I realized we had lost America when there was no outcry over the very IDEA of the existence of Guantanamo. I couldn't believe there was no outcry. Incredulous. I wrote to everyone I knew, expecting cries of horror and outrage and got back...nothing. Ho hum. It was stunning to me. No one give two shits that our government was torturing. Stunning.

So, yup, torture is one of the worst things I can imagine a government doing out in the open.

I pretty much assumed everyone here (except Shooter, of course) agrees that torture is unforgivable. So I was discussing that theory being bruited by some, including Glenn, that 18-year-olds are mature enough to decide to go into business selling their bodies. Legally, yes. Emotionally and spiritually, absolutely not. Should government be involved? I don't think so, but I do think that selling your body should be frowned upon, especially with young people -- I don't think they understand what price they may be paying.

That's all. Am I a Victorian spinster?

I was wondering how Shooter would rationalize this behavior by his hero, the Great and Mighty Authority of the Great and Mighty U.S. of A. It didn't occur to me that "if you're incautious enough to travel, you should expect the government to transcribe your phone calls" would be it, tho.

Ha ha ha.

Yes, some of us still drink them. Probably a different "us" than the group that drinks pomtinis, tho.

About the only thing good about winter (aside from Christmas) is that it's cold enough to drink hot toddies and hot buttered rum.

Economy stinks. Iraq war stinks. McCain has run a dreadful campaign, appearing erratic and pancky. Obama has run a great campaign appearing calm and presidential. McCain pissed off the press. Blogs and Youtube got more power.

Combination? Americans are not happy and they are blaming the Repubs.

I also think the fact that Obama has felt comfortable hitting back and confronting McCain on the smear crap helps.

It's certainly interesting, isn't it?

After the campaign is over (less than a week to go!), I would love to hear from someone inside the McCain as to why they thought it was a good idea to demonize the press. Given how very much most members of the MSM really liked and wanted to continue to like John McCain, the decision to make the press the enemy seems really dumb.

As to the press being sycophants, well, yeah. Always have been, always will be. I think the only way to minimize that is to get rid of college level journalism degrees -- make it a trade school thing, or don't offer it all, dumbest degree in the world. And don't pay the top end people so much -- they become celebrities themselves and lose touch with the real world. Since neither of those things is going to happen, I think the evisceration of traditional news by alternate forms will continue.

I have known and been friends with one of the Palestinians' best scholars, not Khalidi or Said, and even he, I sadly concluded, could not look at Israel in any objective way. Said was a very cultured man and an elegant scholar, and supposedly a man of peace and reconciliation, until he was photographed throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers.

-- Lotus Feet

David? David Sugarman? Is that you?

I've been fairly confident that Obama is going to win this one comfortably, but the nerves have set in. Said a prayer with the black nurse who gave me my flue shot today and we both got teary.

Obama is not nearly libertarian enough in foreign policy for me and I am looking forward to criticizing the heck out of him come January. But, please God, do not let McCain/Palin win.

The only prize I want is to boot the Repubs out of office, especially the Oval Office. Repudiation is the goal.

I am looking forward to big repudiation of Bush/Cheney/Rove, not to mention Feith/Wolfowitz/Gonzalez and all the rest of the disgusting, loathsome, war-mongering, Constitution-shredding, vile little viper suckwits. I want serious schadenfreude. And I'd like to see the b-tards sent to prison for their crimes.

However, assuming (praying) that he wins, I do want Obama to reach out to McCain voters. I don't want them to be called traitors, un-American, etc. Obama SHOULD be the president of ALL Americans, not just his own voters. Not that his reaching out should include appointing Condi Rice to any positions,except exemplary prisoner of the week. But I am sick and tired of the "un-American" "not my president" crap. I would like a president to appeal to our better natures, not to our natural inclination to hate the Other.

Although I do plan to use "America, Love It or Leave It" as frequently as necessary. :)

...maybe we shouldn't extend the hand of friendship to swell guys like Jackoff.

Let's do a wait and see on that one.

I, too, saw Karl Rove spewing about the election being stolen by those horrible black (and liberal) people in Philadelphia, in their basements and stuff. Fox, of course, didn't mention that the Black Panther dude was a poll watcher and legal and everything.

Finally had to switch it off and put on Blitzer on CNN.

Will switch to Fox only when a win for Our Side is sure.

The butterflies are HUGE.