Sit in a traffic jam. Looks at the thousands of cars around you. Realize in every city on earth there are thousands, millions of cars all pooting a little bit of CO2. Think of the millions of factories, millions of power plants, thousands of sea vessels, all pooting their little bit of CO2. Then think that only a 0.1% increase in CO2 causes only a few degrees of temperature increase.

75% of the atmosphere is within 5 miles of the surface; it's not infinite.

Basic first-year physics and a bit of thought should be enough to conclude that humans can raise the temperature of earth.

But most deniers have neither. They feel "It's not my fault. I didn't do it!"

No you didn't. We all did.

But we will survive. No apocalypse, just a load of misery for many.

I for one am looking forward to both of these guys being room temperature. Tired of wading through the cultural garbage they exude.

One of Sirota's worst. Naive complaints about non-problems that most understand quite well.

Since the Democratic party is really a center-right party, it should do quite well in 2010.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair

Just lost a job, and didn't realize how much I didn't like it until it was gone. Fooled myself into thinking it could work out, I could learn to enjoy it. Truth is; that was all a lot of wishful thinking. And if the job hadn't disappeared, I would still be fooling myself.

Being an employee is a trap, a deceptive, seductive illusion of security and belonging.

I have a liberal friend, well educated and erudite, who visited the Middle East on two occasions and completely hates Arabs.

Hating a culture doesn't have to be the same as hating a race. And while I have no strong feelings about Arabian culture, I bet that the principle reason for the past 100 years of Western power screwing with the Middle East is because the upper classes of the West really hate the Arabs.

Well, that and the oil, of course.

( I bet even the Bushes hate the Saudis, even as they're kissing and holding hands :)

Now I don't have to waste head space trying to figure out what what these bizarre rantings are about.

American Fascist == YACT. ( yet another concern troll, or variant therof :)

Could someone please clean out the stables? Joan?

Who need "Ask a Conservative?" TT's got the real deal.

make a board so full of ugly and stupid comments that normal rapport is impossible.

There.

Now, I for one intend to start watching Letterman regularly, after not ever being much of a fan, just to support his right to insult right-wing nuts.

If Kerry unlocks his iPhone, he will be stealing Intellectual Property and damaging the Profit Motive, leading to the collapse of Free Market Capitalistic Efficiency and widespread Piracy which is Inefficient and Socialistic!

It's unlikely the same game will work. In the MSM lizard brain, Clinton was sleazy, whereas Obama isn't.

Joe, have you ever heard of the journalist George Seldes?

Larry David as an unlikable character? That isn't acting.

Public broadcast *used* to speak truth to power, but that was in the 70's. They've become dependent on corporate sponsorship and as dishonest as the rest of the MSM.

Except of course, the style is ever so calm and liberal.

But I'm not sure anyone here would really want to hear them.

A guy like Walken stirring things up is so much more entertaining, and entertaining is what keeps people coming back.

A eye-opening sober explanation that requires adjustment of long-held attitudes and perspectives would be great, but wouldn't keep people coming back, because it's no fun.

"No, conservatives believe in standards for everyone else who is not like them--they've proved this over and over. When it comes to them and theirs, they feel they are under no obligation to abide by anything but what they want to do."

If you're contrite and pledge allegiance to the same beliefs, you can be forgiven many times.

But if you reject the beliefs ( as normal people do, :) then you deserve no forgiveness.

Reading about Obamas occasional smokes got me, a recent quiter, thinking that I could be like Obama and have an occasional smoke.

All the things you said are absolutely true, and worse, I knew it. Damn, the urge to control one's urges is pernicious.

Anyhow, thanks for the timely reminder, greatly appreciated.

Zero, nada, zip.

It's really that good. :)

Better to be apolitical, this movie looks to be an education in the hell of occupation.

Being opposed to war isn't really a political position, it's a human one.

have some pretty sick minds.

MJ was great, but genius is pushing it. He was able to be cool and vulnerable at the same time, quite difficult to do. Amazing dancer, but not unique in that.

People care about MJ because he made people FEEL.

Wyman article best I've read yet.

Too many cheap shot letters.

The reason for using euphemistic language is to avoid triggering strong emotional associations. Sometimes there's a "good" reason to do so: to get people to think about a topic rather then simply react to the words.

But the Shepard case isn't an example of that.

This Taibbi piece explains the purpose:"taking controversial and explosive topics and trying to help rattled readers somehow navigate their way through them to yawns, lower heart rates, and states of benign unconcern."

http://trueslant.com/matttaibbi/2009/06/24/fareed-zakarias-manifesto/

For giving all the real Salon readers an opportunity to work on their polemics, which will go a long way to convincing their swing-voting co-workers of the problems with right wing policies.

Professional Winger Trolls: helping liberals win the public mind!

A nice change from the usual narrow-minded censure.