“The War of Northern Aggression, or the Civil War, or the War Between the States — however you want to refer to it — was not about slavery, it was about states’ rights.”

Well, that's true.

As historians, social critics and writers (Orwell, C.S. Lewis) have shown time and time again, mixing a little truth with the lies makes the lies even stronger.

Anyone who thinks the "Civil War" was about slavery probably thinks the war with Iraq is about terrorism. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed SOUTHERN slaves.

This is certainly not to legitimise the political extremism of these people, but to point out that both sides occasionally get caught up in ideological rants that have nothing to do with truth.

They calling little boys frems now in your neighborhood?

Questions for macho-men Blumenthal and Neiwart:

1) On a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the highest), how do you rate Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals"?

2) Do you consider yourselves disciples of Alinsky?

3) Cry me a freaking river...How do you two explain that you're even more boring than Traister -- and that's saying a lot!

4) How do you justify writing this screwy screed absent any specific conclusion?

Wading through this pointless jumble of tripe is more difficult that nailing jello to a wall.

Why don't you two consider a manly trade, like plumbing or carpentry? Or do you feel more comfy writing with the girls?

Finally -- and most importantly -- Dr. Phil wants to see you both in his office...NOW!

A forum participant said "Is McCain going to drag us into war with every country in the world? No. Is Palin going to allow Alaska to secede and hand over the reigns of the government to witch hunters? No. Is Obama going to swear in on the Koran and hand the country over to socialists? No. The whole thing is ridiculous, but people can't stick to the issues. They just need that bitter, vitriolic emotional high of trying to show that the person they aren't voting for isn't just someone whose platforms they don't agree with. No, they have to prove that they are BAD that there is something horribly WRONG with them. It's juvenile."

There you go again with your moral equivalence. BZZZT sorry no cigar, but bringing up Obama's Ayers connection really is relevant to this election. Why? Because it calls attention to the fact that so much of what he proposes--universal government health care, expanding the government by $1 trillion of new domestic programs--is in lock step with the left. It's relevant because Obama has for a long time wanted to appear to be reasonable and moderate, when his proposals already constitute one of the biggest federal government power grabs in history. And imagine what he might do if the economy really tanks, and there is over 60% in Congress. The point is, Obama is a radical in a moderate's clothing. His proposals already make this clear but his associations make it even clearer.

But you're right about the completely unfair and silly smears of Palin and McCain, like this one in Salon. They really are irrelevant.

Winston Churchill said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it" but it was perhaps, Sinclair Lewis who said it best, "Fascism will come to America waving a flag and carrying a cross." That anyone is surprised that this happening in America is beyond me.

The Republican Party has been stoking the fires of hatred, fear and division for a generation and have used the fundamentalist fringe of American society just as Hilter and his hencemen stoked - and used - the Brownshirts to kill Communists and Socialists and muzzle all who disagreed with them. Let's not forget that their power only grew after the global economic collapse that started in 1929. The recent slaughter of Liberal churchgoers may have only been the beginning.

As German Pastor Martin Niemöller lamented after World War II, "When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I remained silent; I was not a trade unionist...When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out."

Be afraid of these people, America. Very afraid.

To the man from Berlin: This is what Churchill actually said pertaining to the fate of the western world: "From now on, ending a sentence in a preposition is something up with which I will not put."

George Santayana penned the famous poem you mistakenly attribute to Churchill.

Also, why did you omit, "...then they came for the Jews..." from the Niemoller quote?

I know -- you're not an antisemite -- you just like berliners (jelly doughnuts).

Dr. Phil wants to see you in his office...NOW!

Just enough, after reading 22,23 pages of this I'm sick to my stomach. Yes the Civil War was about Slavery, why because South Carolina believed that Lincoln would abolish guess what Slavery so yes the whole concept of it was to preserve slavery and the "Southern Way of Life". And those who say that it only became about slavery mid way through the war, look up the song John Brown's Body, its set to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and it concerns John Brown, and if you don't know who that is you are a failure.

Also I'm tired of anti-government types seeking office in government wtf is that about? To every one that calls Socialism a great evil, I hope you realize that a majority of the world runs on various socialist principals also if you have ever attended a Public School, don't you dare complain about socialism since well that is the kind of thing socialism provides.

To the AK loonies, how funny you state is abbreviated as such when that the "AK" is the very SOVIET tool you would use to enforce your will on people, its 4:48 am I'm too damn tired to make more points so I will just say this, go die in a fire please and do us all a favor. Boohoo most of Alaska's land is owned by the government can you honestly live on a glacier can you really build a community (hopefully you don't realize how close that is to communist). An Alaska as an independent nation would fail so hard as to be funny.

And you know what, I'm a Socialist, a proud one too, for I believe the virtues of Freedom,, Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood, L'Internatioale sera le genre humain. And I believe that resetting our policies to the way they were in the 1860s-1930s would be a terrible idea, just look at the history of trade unions in this country in that time period, look at how the majority lived, remember the book "How the other Half Live"? Or how about "The Jungle". That is a terrible thing to return to, conversely I'm not a Marxist Marx is out of date, the man's been dead for over 100 years we have to move on, 1848 was a long long time ago and the world of today has very little in common with that world. And if all else fails we must do what even the ancient Greeks learned and that is to turn to moderation to find the middle ground, for in the end that is what works with sane rational human beings. Republicans and the "Right"-Wing in general are the exact opposite of that so maybe we should give you a taste of the cattle cars that you would have us "Lefties" thrown into as soon as you could

And with that I bid you all a good day, and sorry for my inane rant.