I live in Idaho, possibly the most Republican state in the US. However, the NW US plus British Columbia and Alberta and Alaska would make a very viable country. Lots of oil left in AK, and the tar sands in Alberta have more oil in them than Arabia ever dreamed of. It just costs a lot to extract it, and there are a "few" environmental issues to solve. Anyway, the above grouping should tell the rest of the US and Canada to shove it. Especially the American South including those assholes in Texas. They can have their hurricanes, their religion, and all those new car plants. However, since the major oil companies are using some of their "obscene" profits in building up the infrastructure to extract the Alberta oil, the Texas oligarchs will still control our forseeable energy future. And since the Saudi family are major investors in the oil giants, they will have a fallback position when Osama kicks them out of Arabia. A lot of you "liberal" assholes will have to get your hands dirty and get real jobs working in the Alberta oilfields, instead of the cushy white collar jobs you now have. It will all be very interesting, in the Chinese sense.

I used to be completely pro-choice, but in the broad scheme of life maximizing genetic variation is a positive good. A friend of mine had an affair with a woman who already had two children, who had never been married. Her intent was to have a number of children by different men. She dumped my friend soon after having the baby. She recieves child support from three men, or maybe more by now. In the broad scheme of things she is a genetic winner. She reduced her risk of genetic problems by having at least three men be the father of her children. They win by having a child with their genes. We have a basic drive to have children, which is the ultimate purpose of sex. So let's have them, but make sure that those who benefit pay for the children. That should include sperm donors, too. No opting out for any reason. Bastardy is a positive good.

My wife had some problems in getting hot enough to orgasm. She started taking 25 mg DHEA every day. Voila, problem went away. Screw the psychological stuff, it's always chemistry.

The public knows very well that the Democrats are just as corrupt as the Republicans, or the Republicans are just as corrupt as the Democrats were when they controlled the government. The Democratic opposition to Health Saving Acounts particularly galls me. It is based on the fact that unions who control many health insurance plans will lose 3/4 of their cash flow when the money remains in the control of the insured. A lot that money now goes to supporting Democratic politicians. One example of many.

The abortion issue turned the fundamentalists into Republicans. They will never leave Bush as long the issue exists. As much as I am pro-choice, it cannot be forced down peoples throats. That 35% approval rating would be a lot lower if the abortion issue did not exist. It is time to accept that this is a very diverse country and allow the states to go their own way on many issues. The president is not the only one surrounded by lickspittles. Cheney and his cabal are a direct result of the lefts inability to accept reality. A plague on both parties. Between them they are destroying the country.

Bush and Cheney are in full self-destruct mode. The Republican Party has followed them down the garden path much further than they should have. Let's let them finish the job, without the bitterness and division that an impeachment trial will bring about. Being a libertarian I like a couple of things that Bush is doing-like HSA's, and elimination of defined benefit retirement plans, and the destruction of the educational establishment. The Democrats are not yet ready to give up their love of socialistic solutions, but they might be by 2008. The war was instigated to further enrich Bush's family, his Texas oligarch friends, and the Saudis who bankroll the Bush family. Let's let that scenario become become common knowledge even among die-hard Republicans without short-circuiting it with impeachment.

Sorry Tad, but for many decades you haven't had many hurricanes to be protected against. For many future decades, you will. Since many of them could be Cat 4 or 5 it will be extemely expensive and difficult to protect the low-lying areas. Get out while the gettin's good. The country will quickly tire of rebuilding every few years.