I am sick of hearing people complaining about the government when the services the government provides on a daily basis are the glue that binds the whole of our society together and makes life, liberty and the pusuit of profit possible, to begin with. Grassley is worse than a fool--he is a socially irresponsible fool who speaks nonsense...

God talking to a person? Psychosis.

We must never forget the lesson taught by the Mercury Theatre about the power of mass communications media to influence the credulous.

Painted cakes won't satisfy hunger, and breathless descriptions of Martian Death Panels won't kill anyone, either...

say, as opposed to:

Noun 1. ignorance - the lack of knowledge or education

That's what I like about science. I can run the experiment myself, and see if I get the same results...trust no one.

But this issue really hi-lights the differences between the two major political coalitions different philosophies about epistemology. To the side I am part of, facts rule. We use the scientific method to obtain more facts, better facts, more trustworthy and verifiable facts. The facts are weapons to be used to demolish false paradigms, myths, and mystifications from those who lay claim to authority.

It is just the opposite with the other side. They seek out bona fide authorities. People they can trust, to tell them how it is. In order to be recognized, you have to have the symbol of authority--but if you show it, they will submit to your authority without question, and will accept anything that you tell them. No amount of facts will change their convictions. Facts have no authority with them. Only if one of their recognized authorities say it is so will it be so. Their convictions are before the fact. Our opinions are after the fact. This is the whole thing in a nutshell.

The fact that so many of the Right's so-called authorities have asserted that their are problems with the 'birth' issue is the source of all of this doubt in the face of overwhelming legal evidence to the contrary.And until Rush Limbaugh or Dick Cheney assert Obama was born in Hawaii to an American citizen, the birthers will continue in their folly.