Wrong. Karl Rove is a Nazi in the perjorative sense, if not the nominal. He is made and acts in the mold of Goebells, who defined the propaganda arm of the Nazi party.

Not a single reference to the Really Big Thing that is theoretically under our individual control, reversing the growth of the human population. If we lack the discipline to do this, what does it matter that we put off some consequences of our addiction to oil and coal for a generation or two? The population will inevitably climb to whatever level will counteract and overwhelm the fix.

The experiment of reducing population has another benefit. We already know the consequences. We have been there, done that. We only have to refer to history. We know there is no risk, because things worked just fine when there was only one billion of us.

So, do we have the gumption to make population control our first priority? Make things simple, make it our only priority. Do we have the courage to tell the truth to ourselves and act on it? To summon up the political and moral will?

Finally, this is by far the cheapest option. Even though expensive in nominal terms, the massive education and deployment of resources to reduce the human population would cost peanuts compared to spending on geo-engineering, defense, or any number of other projects. We can afford it. The results will be immediate and long-lasting. Do we have the will?

Leonard, you may be right about China's coming ascendancy, depending of course on the measure you take. In my opinion, by most economic measurements, it will be brief. There are simply not enough resources for it to last long, and there are endemic and systemic weaknesses in the new Chinese empire that are already leading to cracks; pollution, water supply, desertification, over-population, and so on. And, empires that we have records of seem to be lasting for shorter and shorter times. For example, Romans, 1500 years? The Brits, 150 years? Americans, 60 years? New Chinese, 20 years? One commonality is that all these were and are unsustainable looters of the earth's most easily reached surplus capital.

The coming difficulties will require quite different ways of thinking, including the concept of ascendancy.

Yes, John McCain, thank you for admitting that Ronald Reagan and the GOP negotiated the release of the hostages behind Carter's back, timing the release of the hostages for Reagan's inauguration. Later, Reagan illegally negotiated the Iran-Contra arms deal and lied about it to Congress.

So much for Saint Ronnie the appeaser!

Here’s a thought. We have vast, unwieldly bureaucracies, huge ‘black’ programs and accompanying unaccountable budgets. We have ever-changing political leaders to head the various departments. It is only a short step to create a private permanent political spying organization that swims submerged, doing its work and delivering results only to the top Republican party operatives only, whether the party is in office or not. The organization would be dedicated to furthering the political and economic aims of the party, or even of a interest group within the party. It would also be dedicated to defeating the political and financial aims of any opposition, thus giving a permanent advantage to Republicans.

Think of it. Few employees would have to know the ultimate purpose and destination of the gathered information; it would all be ‘national security’. There would be a culture of ‘need to know’ built-in, so few people could make the necessary connections. This family jewel could be passed on from political generation to generation, funded by the public, covering its tracks, using the information sparingly but intelligently at key points and on key people to avoid suspicion. The internal security could be very tight, using the usual tools of spycraft to catch leaks and weaknesses.

If the leaders managed to avoid hubris and over reach, we would never know.

So remind me again just how much the Clintons have actually accomplished for black people—be specific. Not counting feel–good speeches or visits to conventions. And for native Americans, again not counting visits. Actually accomplishments. Ground rule: just allowing the Civil Rights Act to work as designed doesn't count, though it feels like it should when one looks at the present administration, which actively throws up blocks whenever and wherever they can. What did the Clintons actualize that was new?

Mind your own business. The adopted parents have made their decision, why should you interfere? So what if your '40 years experience' leads you to 'believe' they have made a mistake, it's their mistake, not yours. And if you choose to inform their child 'anonymously', then you have replaced their 'lie' with your own, cowardly, kind.

postnoodz said,

"Apparently my grandmother received some literature from the local McCain campaign with a fake "payment due" notice. She was initially freaked out, since she is prompt on all bills, and had to check with her daughter-in-law to make sure she actually didn't owe anything to this sender.

I wonder how many other older Americans have been targeted with similar Republican fecal extrusions?".

This is possibly part of a Republican "suppress the Democratic vote" campaign; it is called 'caging', and it is illegal (but hard to prove). Here is just one way the scheme operates. The Rethugs mail a bunch of letters like this in districts where they wish to suppress Democratic votes. The letters are marked, "Do not forward". If they are returned, they are compiled into a 'caging list' and used by Rethugs to challenge absentee ballots. An example is areas with a significant proportion of black servicemen (more likely Democratic voters), for example those serving in Iraq or Afghanistan (hence the "Do not forward").