Than I saw the movie Rainman and how he could count all the toothpicks on the floor with just a glance. That's the type of attention to detail that would be needed to create a universe.

So now I'm a firm believer in idiot savant design.

You know, I'm not without a sense of humor. In fact, like many nerdy, skinny, small guys I was a class clown to make friends in high school. My wife and all subsequent relations said one of the reasons she liked me is I could always make her laugh. I'm known among my friends as a funny person with a weird and off beat sense of humor.

There's a way of looking at a stereotype and situation that shows us the harm and stupidity of the stereotype. We laugh at ourselves a bit for the ways we have believed it and it helps us to see the harm through our laughter. It moves us away from those beliefs.

There's other humor where we laugh at the stereotype in acceptance and belief in the message it conveys. We laugh at the black person, the gay man, the women as sex object or ditz. It confirms our preconceived notions and prejudices rather than helping us to grow beyond them.

Most of the prison rape jokes I've ever heard is harmful laughter. Its laughter of acceptance, even with a tinge of self satisfied revenge. It perpetuates the wrong rather than helping us to see the wrong and reject it. That's why I object to certain forms of humor.

Its very hard to define, I guess like Potter Stewart "I know it when I see it." Thanks to all those who have helped to clarify my vague comments.

When she quit her job with the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission she played the reformer and claimed she resigned because of numerous ethics violations of other members. Yet there was a lot of stories that she just didn't like the work and hated the commute. That the ethics violations was just the excuse she needed to resign from a jog she hated.

As to why they're bringing it up again. Yeah, probably to stir up fear of Iran to make some strike more acceptable.

No, I don't think we have anything near to a comprehensive account. We have several conflicting versions none of which tell the whole story. The only thing I think I can say for sure about the events is that whatever happened, arresting a president and shipping him out of the country was wrong. Clearly there were legal means, for example impeachment, to deal with any illegality that might have occurred.

There may be good reasons to defend the constitutionality of Zeleya's referendum but from what I've read the Honduran Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional and the congress agreed. I disagree with the reasoning that led to the Supreme Court appointing Bush president but I wouldn't have wanted Clinton to use his power to disobey it. I agree with the Supreme Court's decision in favor of the Cherokee Nation in 1832 and was not in favor of President Jackson disobeying it, reportedly saying, "The Supreme court has made its decision, Now let them enforce it."

I simply require much more information then supplied in this article and others I've read to justify Zeleya disobeying a Supreme Court ruling, especially in the manner he disobeyed. There is much more going on here and I don't think the full story is getting here yet.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/filmmore/ps_crisis.html

We faced as a nation a defining moment with two very different paths and when we chose to follow the false promises of Reagan I saw this moment, where we are now, in the midst of the oil wars with a failing economy. I've carried a bit of bitterness and anger since that day.

I'm a bleeding heart liberal and I wear that heart on my sleeve. I'm always shedding a tear over this song or that video or movie. I don't try to stop it. When I first saw this I felt my heart open up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

But I wouldn't let myself cry, to feel hope, to be inspired. Not for a politician. I would never allow myself to trust there. I hardened my heart and continued to work for Hillary until the bitter end. I'm not trying to refight the primary. I'd likely to be just as disappointed today in Hillary had she won.

But, you know, I did have hope, if only a fool's hope. Cynicism and bitterness is not a fun place to be even if its only my relationship to my government. I wanted to believe he would be different, that it was more than speeches and words.

Never let a crisis go to waste, its said. Obama had the biggest crisis served to him with no blame attached. With the threat of another great depression he could have done anything and the people would have gone along. A bold prescription for change, ask the people to sacrifice, to work together for a new paradigm, to fix bush's mess.

Instead he used his political capital to prop up the status quo and to pay off those who had precipitated and profited from the crisis. I knew then we would come away with nothing.

I still remember this though.

nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

I have no hope but I wish to god and with all my heart that millions would converge on Washington chanting

We want change.

As people get older most simply stop spending so much time paying attention to the new popular culture. When they listen to the radio its a classic rock station.

My guess David is you've simply stopped spending the time to sift out the 90% of pop culture that is trite and foolish to find the 10% that rises above. You're comparing your generations best 10% to whatever bit of current pop that randomly impinges onto your attention. And you think all that new shit sucks. Think about it, have you become your father?

(((also want to correct my typo above, obviously I meant, "While I don't understand that extreme reaction by a significant minority of any superstar's fan base I *wouldn't* call people idiots because of it.)))

As long as there is a market for drugs there will be suppliers. The drug profits will buy weapons and finance other criminal endeavors. Legalization takes the money out of the hands of criminals as well as lessening the need to fight over profitable locations or to expand their business's reach.

Second if a poor teenager or adult sees little hope of getting a legitimate job of course some will be drawn to gangs and criminal activity. We need some type of WPA with the government as the employer of last resort. People need to see a path out of their poverty and this could be a first step.

These are only the beginning. There needs to be more equity throughout society. These two steps would make a fundamental change in society but politicians won't even consider them.

As for submitting questions before hand, I can see it in an in depth interview. But only if it was understood that there might be follow up questions based on the answers given. A press conference is not an in depth interview. I would hope anyone who is deeply involved in the legislation being discussed or aware of current events would have sufficient knowledge to answer a few questions on these topics. If they can't that itself is news and something the public should know.

For several days the demonstrations were almost totally free of violence from the demonstrators. There are videos of police in riot gear attacking peaceful demonstrators doing nothing more than chanting slogans. No stones being thrown nor any in evidence in anyone's hand. People being brutally beaten by police for nothing more than gathering peacefully.

I'm truly in awe of the Iranians. Rarely has any protest been so peaceful in America. There are videos of hundreds of thousands peacefully marching in near silence at times. Others where demonstrators sit down when confronted by the police.

The Iranian government faced a choice but not about how to deal with rioters. The choice was how to deal with peaceful demonstrations calling for change. This was the same choice the government officials had to make in Montgomery, AL during the peaceful marches for civil rights. The Iranian government made the same choice that was made in Montgomery, brutal repression. In Montgomery fortunately there was a higher power, the Federal government that moved in to protect the rights of the demonstrators against the actions of the local and state government. In Iran it is the federal government that has assaulted and murdered its own citizens.

Yes, now one can claim there are riots, people have fought back, picked up stones and started fires. But those rioters are government created. Violence tends to beget violence and peaceful demonstrations can become violent confrontations in the face of government brutality.

That wasn't abortion, it was infanticide. Typical republican. No fetus must die, but once its born who gives a fuck what happens to it.