As long as the US retains it's imperialist dreams. The only real issue that lies between the US and Iran is the 1979 revolution which simultaneously threw the US out of the strategically important country and exposed on-going US meddling in the country to what should have been our deep embarrassment.

Unfortunately, Iran/US relations are symptomatic of changes in a world that is finally emerging from the orgy of destruction known as WWII. For decades and decades after the end of the war, the US was the prime source of wealth and assistance for countries shattered by the war as well as for backward countries seeking to develop themselves. Just as a welfare recipient can't refuse to let the inspectors come look in their apartment or change the conditions attached to their aid, countries couldn't tell Washington to go to hell. Indeed, many of these countries were ruled by US installed dictators (like Iran) who were actively conspiring with the US for their own benefit. Americans got the idea that the world worked that way. America could meddle, threaten, and coerce with impunity.

The world has changed and we haven't changed with it. We are no longer the only source of assistance or technically advanced equipment. Not only that but we're not a terribly reliable supplier. Boeing has to get permission to sell spare parts for the Boeing jetliners that Iran bought. If you were Iran, would you buy more Boeing jetliners or would you buy Airbus or Russian jetliners where you can buy spare parts without getting down on bended glympus members and begging? Nicaragua, stymied by Washington from buying military transport aircraft from Airbus because of Washington's refusal to allow Airbus to use some American made parts, bought Russian aircraft.

The countries of the world have more choices and resources than the US. The more that we insist on control, the more our influence and stature will diminish.

What exactly does the sex offender have to have for this system to work? The SO has to have something that's transmitting for this system to detect (and, no, bad vibes won't work). I freely admit to being pretty clueless about SOs and what is required of them but they have to be carrying a transmitter, in a pocket, on a wrist or ankle, or, and here's someplace I really don't think we want to go, have an RFID embedded in them.

I don't think that the government should be in the business of helping individuals who have gotten themselves in trouble. Having said that, when you have a problem as large and dangerous as the sub-prime blow out, only the government can help. Unfortunately for the United States, The Current Occupant is doing what he does best - helping his buddies in industry who created this problem in the first place and screwing the average Joe.

This latest performance by the Shrubbites should come as no surprise to anyone.

When Mike Huckabee says: he'll stick with God because science changes and God doesn't, there's a reason why science changes. It's actually trying to discover truth. As much as the religious types would like truth to be provided in blinding flashes, it doesn't work that way.

Every time that some sort of faith based interpretation of the bible has gone up against science, science has won. These guys can believe any fruitcake thing they want as long as they are making decisions based on reality. So when this guy says that his faith drives his decisions, he's really saying that he has a faith based reality instead of objective reality. We've already had 7 years of faith based reality and we don't need any more of it.