To do this right, Salon needs threaded discussions, moderators, clear rules of conduct and a big ol' shiny plonk button. And (are you listening, editors?) this would not substantially reduce page clicks. People would be more likely to stay and click around if they weren't forced to wade through page after page of filth.

I don't think the editors realize what a shitty reputation Salon has for harboring trolls. The Salon letters page is widely regarded as one of the nastiest on the internets. Portal of Evil News has more reasonable discussions on its comment boards than Salon does. POE NEWS. Land of endless articles about pet hoarders and two-headed babies, regular posters who find the word "fag" endlessly funny, and oh yeah, some of the most fair, intelligent political discussions out there.

To continue this way is just careless. Bad karma. It sucks.

To Ideahr- I think alot of people who read Salon remember the attacks on the Clintons in the 90's and on Kerry last time - which is why Obama is addressing the issues on Rev. Wright head on. I think what has been distressing to some of us who have always defended the Clintons (even though some allegations against the Clintons turned out to be true) is their Swiftboat like tactics used in this campaign. One of the 527 ads in Texas intimated that Obama said he would bomb Pakistan (just like McCain has said) - even though Obama never said that. Taken completely out of context. Fair? No? Business as usual? Yes -- but Clinton's strategy seems to be to fight fire with fire. Understandable given the past, but not healing or likely to move any important causes forward. It goes back to the context of the speech today - if someone criticizes Hillary or Obama - they are called Hillary or Obama haters- as opposed to just expressing an opinion. The Republicans have successully turned politics into an emotional - rather than intellectual medium - and they get some people to vote based on reactions to trumped up issues, rather than on reality. Thus you have people screwed by the Bush adminsitration supporting him because of gay marriage, even though it has no impact on their actual lives. Someone opined on here about Ferraro's comments being brought up by Obama after the fact (which they weren't - I saw them on many blogs immediately after she said them) - not to mention she kept revisiting and defending them (and nobody has addressed Ferraro saying women should vote for McCain if Obama is the candidate). The Wright speeches were from years ago. Nobody is immune --people can dig and dig and pretty much every candidate lookt tainted - but what does it accomplish? What's great about these blogs is that agree or disagree at least there are people taking an interest in trying to get to the truth -- what's more disheartening or all of those who make their decisions based solely on what they see on TV, etc.

There have been several responses to your repeated posts which say the same thing over and over. Frankly, you will find that most people are not as simple minded as you in claiming that the war on drugs is the cause for all racial inequality, or that ending the drug war, or legalizing drugs, or whatever it is you advocate, is the only answer, and that anyone who disagrees or doesn't mention it as the 1st order of business is a racist.

Drugs, prison, etc is a symptom of poverty, not the cause. Yes federal and state prosecutions and sentencing are carried out in racist ways. if you heard Obama's speech, he was talking about bigger things than that - opportunity, education, etc. Reforming drug laws? I also take issue with your statistics. 1 in 3 black males are not convicted felons.

I think most people ignore you because you are so far off shore, floating in your own silly world.

Yes I am but hold on now. You have to consider context. Unlike the Civil Rights era, the Obama campaign is not a movement no matter how hard some of his more ardent supporters wish it was one. Inspirational words are fine but there is a big difference between "I Have A Dream" so let's work together for racial equality and "Yes We Can" so vote for me.

...a lovely woman. Born in Talledega Alabama. Raised my mother in Tallahassee Florida (where I was also born). And she loved my black wife. Maybe more than she loved me. And when we talked around the table, all of the (white) faces would turn beet-red when she spoke of the "colored woman" she worked with so many years ago. A friend of hers, or as much a friend as whites and black in the deep south could be. I wonder if they ever visited one another's homes? I guess she told that story to prove to herself that she wasn't on the hateful side of the history she grew up in. And she told that story a lot. I found out later that this sad attempt to bridge a gap that was for so long a defining part of nanny's past had privately moved my wife to tears. At nanny's funeral, my wife related that story as we sat around the table recalling a life now extinguished. And how much it meant to her, and how much she loved her for it.

And for some reason, that reminds me of the story Barack recounts in "Dreams" about the differing reactions of himself and his mother to the film "Black Orpheus". How he was embarrassed by it, and how his mother was enthralled. And how he came to understand her reaction, and love her all the more for it.

redgti2000, my brother, you may be right that external threats are more important than this internal rift. But I propose that we may do well to fix our own wagon first, if only to clear our eyes and remind ourselves that we are in this together.