I'm amazed that no one has pointed out that the characters and social environment are drawn from parts of Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash", as was "Waterworld". The ambiguous morality is more a nod to that world than a reaction to "24" or the news. Hiro Nakamura is Hiro Protagonist, not Barack Obama.

I guess y'all hadn't noticed that, except for the cool vehicles, the "consumotechno" world that Stephenson predicted is about 3 years from fullfillment.

The thing to be envied is having more than just a couple in a house, or maybe being comfortable enough w/ some other folks that you all don't knock before coming in.

In Europe there are still families who share the same farm house their family has lived in for hundreds of years. Grandparents and siblings and children all sharing space.

I wouldn't want to share space w/ my actual sibs, but I have always liked living with more in the house than just a "nuclear" family. It can actually help keep the dynamics of a couple from becoming lopsided.

I don't know why there's any feminist outrage at a writer for remarking about Michelle O's appearance. I don't recall outrage over HRC exploiting her own when she posed for Vanity Fair back in her First Lady days. If I recall correctly she was in a close fitting black evening gown, supine on an expensive divan with an intentionally alluring expression on her face.

The First Lady doing her damndest to look sexy didn't elicit any feminist ire that I can recall. Somebody else talking about the particulars of Ms. Obama's countenance hardly seems innappropriate or precedent setting.