Yeah, I saw the clip, "farnsworth," If you can glean all that detail from one half minute video, then you're quite the wizard.

My opinion of Kerry changed after his statement, which was weak and weasel-worded.

"And my "lazy cynicism" is based on a thorough reading of the responses"

So you can read the prejudice of posters from their responses? Again, I am stunned at your clairvoyance.

"Curiously those parts they left out were those that wouldn't have allowed them to make the points they wanted to make."

I'm betting those "parts they left out" are the parts only you can see through your sixth eye.

My only prejudice is that any one who would name themselves after a 150 year old mad scientist who creates doomsday devices is probably pretty silly. Ta-ta.

Fearful people blame the girl for "being stupid." They say we all should know not to cross any line that might make other fearful people over-react.

The not-fearful people are angry at the over-reacting, fearful cops, and at the cop's defensive pride that makes admitting error impossible.

I don't want to live in a nation of defensive cowards, I want a nation that's free and brave.

Free and brave people don't freak out like this.

Rosenkavalier, I did not call you a Nazi. I said you were advocating compliance with authority, like a Good German would.

Not all Good Germans were Nazis, but they were compliant.

farnsworth, you're right. I don't know that you've taken your name from Hugo Farnsworth. If not, my bad assumption.

Kerry might have been talking. He should have shouted "STOP!"

He didn't.

Too bad you both are so emotionally reactive.

Great work again!

I've always thought the MSM worship of Greenspan was absurd, he never made any sense. It takes Tom Tommorrow to see the real purpose behind the mumbo-jumbo.

"You're sort of a dick, aren't you?"

Sure, if you say so.

You can't talk to emotionally reactive people without saying something that demands an emotional reaction.

Normwasjohn is right-on. I know too many people who really think that irrational, intolerant religious fervor is forever banished. They don't know any fundamentalists, and presume the vast majority of Americans find the fundies ridiculous.

If that were only true.

This is an excellent point to bring up. Good article.

I'm trying to educate my kids about the dangers of religious intolerance. Too bad my best examples are extended family members who belong to various fundamentalist sects.

To be fair though, most fundies I know understand the need for state / church separation. All I need to do to convince them is to point out that the X denomination that approves of the doctrines they find heretical might be the Christians that get to make the laws. That usually does it.

Most of us here aren't close to mad enough to actually go to the streets, life is still pretty comfy.

What we need to do is prepare for more stressful circumstances.

At some point there will be plenty of angry people ready to "take to the street," but the trouble with mobs is they are easily misled.

We need to spread these ideas ( like Glenn's ) as widely as possible, inform as many non-KoolAid drinkers as possible about what's going on, so the mob knows better then to attack the wrong people.

But not "The Mob." :)

Gary, you didn't use the word, I did. And the word *is* extreme. But any problems in America sufficient to motivate people to 'take back the government" would be bad enough to make people so angry that a mob mentality would develop.

Perhaps we're both too old to take to the streets(*), but those who do will be looking for the reason for their pain. It's up to us to educate them beforehand, or risk having the general anger turned against the educated, enlightened liberals, a common pattern that mustn't be repeated here.

Gary, your recent posts have been spot-on, IMHO. So have RMP's, again IMHO.

*- age doesn't *have* to stop us. Look at Studs Terkel!

also, Gary, by the time any mobs might develop, FOX News and the rest of the MSM would have probably lost the power to influence the disaffected angry protesters.

The rest of the nation might still buy the propaganda. Oh well, I don't think there's much to be done about that. Every revolution, violet or non-violent, has a significant domestic opposition. I was surprised to learn that a majority of colonists remained loyal to the British crown at the time of our own Revolution.

I *don't* think we should worry too much about giving FOX and the MSM ammunition for their lies. They will find a way to twist anything into dishonest polemics. All that matters is that most people don't accept it, ( a process already well underway, ) and that the non-believers have a positive and truthful understanding of what's really going on.

That's *our* job, I figure, with a bit of help from Glenn and others. I'm working on my swing-voting, mushy-middle friends, FWIW.

"Imagine what would happen to Brooks fake smile when the hook was in his mouth." - RMP

And imagine Jim Lehrer's mild smirk turning into gaping amazement at having his beloved Brooks' disingenuous arguments effectively shredded on national television.

Jim Lehrer runs the show, and he's pretty conservative. I don't think there's any chance that he or his sugar-daddy A.D.M. would hire an effective counter to Brooks like Glenn.

It's a nice thought though :)

Brooks and Shields. I call em Stinky and Puddin-Head. It's great fun to hear my kids say "Daddy's watching Stinky and Puddin-Head."

Our oceans are turning into plastic dumps

I've stopped buying anything in plastic if possible. Feels good.

BTW, you don't really think of yourself as a "liberal wastrel," do you?

http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/travel-leisure/Our_oceans_are_turning_into_plastic_are_we.shtml