I can be a brat and recently, I went walking through a neighborhood of mansions.

A man came walking out of his garage and I said, "Hey, rich man!"

He was disturbed, as I knew he'd be, for in our culture, for whatever reasons, one doesn't verbally concede to being rich, even when stepping outside of one's mansion, which is a public declaration of wealth.

"Oh, I'm not rich," he twitched. "The rich people live over there."

He went back into his house, probably to sit and sulk in his own theater.

If you're pro-war and pro-military, you refuse the directive of Jesus: turn the other cheek.

Her god is Mars.

And I wish that a rich man had the moxie to sass me back, which would be, as you note, a lass-sass-back. Yep, I would love that. And I would, if offered, take that ride in a triple black 'vette. Hell, I'd take the matchsticks too, since winter is indeed coming.

Great comment about the phrase, "upper middle class," as if you're still middle class when you've got a three-car garage and a home theater, unless, of course, you're drowning in debt, in which case you're the "pretending poor."

Unless you're creative and famous, to be rich, you pretty much have to exploit the labor of others. So, you might have worked your ass off, but you also had others work their ass off too and your siphoned the outcomes of their sweat.

And there are many, many rich people who are idle and whose lives are utterly about consumption. I know of a woman with a fifth home in the tropics who scuba dives each day and kills far more than she needs. What makes it even worse is that she's a crappy shot and she wounds many fish that swim away, to bleed and die. And what she doesn't eat, she tosses.

When challenged, she rebutted, "Oh, the ocean is full of fish."

All the fundies love the Old Testament. That's where they get the justification for waging war (a time to kill) and blocking life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for gay citizens (an abomination). And yet they say that they love Jesus. They really picked the wrong god in that guy, who, as you note, is all about love, refusing wealth, and suffering gladly.

I read once that old school, money-lovin' Republicans loathe the book banning fundies, but view them as a necessary evil.

John McCain, who voted with Bush 95% of the time, and Palin, who's as homey and full of hate as Bush, are reformers? Now, I'm starting to think that we should put the Ten Commandments everywhere, since the neocons have obviously never read, "Thou shalt not lie."

I agree that this is only the beginning. I've been forecasting depression for years and warning friends and strangers to prepare accordingly, which means eliminating debt and living small. My hope is that the coming depression will reliberalize the country. It's hard to care about hating gay citizens when you're hungry.

I once held no antipathy for Republicans. I now think of them as the War and Torture Party. Of course, they torture for Jesus, that guy who was tortured.

Another way to prepare for the coming Republican Depression is to have financial fat here and there and not federal fat. I know people who are depending on SS. That's cat food, even if it's still there. The Republicans have twisted "Suffer the children." into "Let the children suffer."

For years, I suspected that many of the people in their mansions were just pretending. Unfortunately, I was right.

However, it is tempting to spend right now. In the finest auction houses, antiques are selling for a third of what they cost 30 years ago and I'm seeing land for under a thousand an acre where I live. I've tried to balance bargain buying with frugal living, upgrading a few antiques and starting a land-procurement fund with living simply. I've noted that my bank no longer calls me to offer me a line of credit. My credit score is close to perfect (837), but the country is broke.

The problem, RAM, is despite all the neocon prattle about Obama, the socialist, the Republicans are setting up the dynamics for socialism or communism or some sort of revolt. Sure, when it gets bad, they can kill gay people, but even if they eat them, that still only puts meat on the table for a few days. When you're hungry and homeless, you're disenfranchised and there's nothing more dangerous than a disenfranchised populace.

Why does he hate the financial freedom that Americans once enjoyed?

Jefferson weeps.

Let's attack Iran!

And Russia!

And...and...Canada!

If only the federal gov't would buy books instead of bombs.

I recently bought a 200-year old cherry drop-front desk, with inlays, French feet, and a dovetailed case for $700.

I asked the auctioneer, "Why?"

"Yours was the only bid," he said, "and we often only get one bid nowadays."

It was a great deal, but your deal with your kids is even better.

...is what the racist Palin calls Eskimos.

I want to be wherever Anne Lamott lives. And the wolves. I want to live with the wolves too, as does Anne, you silly, silly 3Catz. Now, you 3catz be careful when leaping off that high horse. We don't want you to bruize your 12pawz.

Why do Republicans hate our freedoms (of speech)?

Amen to that, sister. I once listened to some woman tell me how God wanted her to win a raffle. And then I listened to a once upon a time child tell me how it felt to be in those boxcars at Auschwitz, smelling the ash of the ovens, knowing what was coming and seeing the adults fall to their knees and beg for divine intervention. None came. There is no all-loving God.

One wins a raffle by chance and reaches Auschwitz by evil indifference.