Liking for the comments! (Funny stuff) - Abby Martin
I hope my son doesn't get into these new "family values." He's 14. Ahh, the fun of being a parent in today's world. - Robert Scoble
you know what is odd to me: why are they dressed like they are at a funeral in all black? - Ruth Ferguson
I wonder if buddy boy had to be shown how to tie his tie?? :) - Steven Hodson
Ruth, I wondered why they were all wearing black, too. - Trish R
that's hilarious...i can hear the PR people in his ear, "hold on to that hand. if you let go, we'll bury you in the vegas sand quicker than you got her prego" - Don Martelli
@Jason, I imagine any teenager would rather be anywhere than sitting in the front row of the convention of either party. I feel sorry for them. - Trish R
@Cecily and @Don made this image perfect for me. - Steve Spalding
I wonder how many minutes it'll be before someone Photoshops a shotgun toting Sarah in behind this couple? - Robert Scoble
Campaign commercial, Robert? Lets see, um, family values? - Roberto Bonini
I think they just showed the kid those caribou and moose hunting photos of Sarah and he was ready to rush to the altar. - Andrew Leyden
Once again, you folks demonstrate that you don't even know how to respond to to Palin. As a Republican, I'm so happy to know that the only thing you can think of is to flail against her children. You're only helping my side! - Jim Ierley
"What? You're pregnant??? Ok, listen. Instead of me killing your right here & now. Just get married to the dude for few years, mumble some stuff about family values, and I'd even through a new Dodge pickup to the deal! how'bout that?" - Eyal Hertzog
that'll work out, long-term. those relationships always do, right? - Bren
Jim Lerley, this is a reaction to so many years of having "family values" and cutbacks in sex education and profilactic funding shoved in our faces by the religious right, er, the Republican Party. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... is the way we should really respond, though. - Robert Scoble
Hello again, Robert... are you referring to the photoshopped Palin head on a chubby bikini woman on that page? Is that the right response? BTW, my last name starts with "I", not "L". - Jim Ierley
Well considering Obama was doing cocaine at 17...... - Spencer Scott
@Jim Ierley - yeah because when Republicans are campaigning or commenting on the Dems..they never nit pick crap that doesn't matter, focusing on it and beating it into the ground farther than it needs to go....lewinsky? My making fun of Palin's crap is more to be silly...bottom line is...every human being has some stupid crap going on in their personal life, in their family..so in the end who cares...no one has the Beaver Cleaver family....even that family was jacked. :-) - Rich Harris
My point is that Palin is driving the Left insane. It hurts your cause in the same manner that Republicans went nutzo over Bill Clinton with those stupid conspiracy theories. GWB was able to beat you guys precisely because of Bush Derangement Syndrome, so I'm content to let you all repeat history. - Jim Ierley
Did I accidentally stumble on to DailyKos? - Brian Newman
It'll all be fun to watch in November....like UFC and South Park. - Rich Harris
Do you remember what Obama said about not getting the children involved? Well, I guess some of his supporters don't even want to pay attention to what he said. - Molly
my intention for posting this was not to ridicule the kids. it was just an observation. the blog linked to, raises a legit concern about the conduct of the adults in the GOP who have preached one thing and when the situation hits home, the tune changes. Does not mean others don't do the same but given their treatment of folks over the years..... - Ruth Ferguson
his "supporters" weren't the ones who placed her and her issues on stage and in front of the camera for the world to scrutinize - Cee Bee
No one is having any problems with the special needs baby being publicized or the son in the military being deployed to Iraq highlighted in a campaign speech. They are her children, too, and she is the one making sure the press continues to focus on them. - Trish R
I think his blazer is navy, not black, though it is a little difficult to tell on this monitor. - Mattb4rd
I find it hilarious that the rabid liberals are trying to tell the Republicans how to behave. As if it wasn't obvious enough that they don't know what they're talking about! It just shows how little effort people make to actually attempt to *understand* an opposing point of view; they're willing to float along in willful ignorance pretending to know what's best. - Glen Campbell
Great speech but I wish he didn't do it in a football stadium. Only helps to perpetuate the notion among the swing voters that he is somehow "different" and is just a rockstar personality. - David
He's such a great speaker, and has great stories to tell. The crowd was cheering more than it ever would for the Broncos. - Jeremy Campbell via twhirl
David, it didn't seem to hurt Kennedy at the convention in 1960 when he gave his "New Frontier" speech. :-) - Karim
I really don't get the big deal over the venue. Guess what, a Presidential candidate is *bigger* than a rock star. Um, hello, leader of the free world? And how many *millions* watch on TV? So, what's the big to-do over having more people see him speak in person? Sounds like a backhand elitist comment. - AJ Kohn
I rather have americans engaged in a presidential campaign b/c his decisions impact the future of our country not the Jonas Brothers. ashame to see Americans criticized for caring - Ruth Ferguson
Everyone is missing the point of why he wanted to do it in a venue like that. He didn't want to limit it to the delegates and a few lucky supporters. He wanted to open it up to as many people as possible because WE'RE the ones who've made his campaign possible. It wasn't to be a rockstar. Whether he did it face to face with 85 thousand or 2 million via a television screen, IT DOESN'T MATTER. - ::Kristen::
Of course, those are the people who won the 2004 election for Dubya. - Jason Carreira
Yeah yeah, I know. But that combined with her pro-life stance would make me think - please GOD - that the pumas just couldn't pull that lever. - Carla Thompson
Thanks for the warning Jason, I won't bother to click...LOL - Ruth Ferguson
And Biden is pro-RIAA. They all have flaws. That's why we've got checks and balances. She doesn't make the law, Congress does. - Ben Parr
Oh Jason why'd you do that? I'm going to have to click. And it's going to make me nauseous. - Carla Thompson
Oh Jesus Mary. That's horrific. Don't go there, people. Do not click that link. - Carla Thompson
Just because a lot of people think something is a good idea, doesn't mean it is. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
If two thirds of America started sniffing glue, would you? I could go on and on. There's a reason why we don't elect the President based on a simple majority and why we have the checks and balances in place. The wants of the majority do not outweigh the needs of the minority. - AlexScoble(Robert'sBro)
Sorry about the link... It's really sad. I think given that there are those crazies, it's doubly important to get Hillary out there for Obama and calling this Palin pick what it is: pandering. - Jason Carreira
A lot of people thought Bush would be an effective leader too. If we're going to establish America as a theocracy, then let's toss the Constitution and start from scratch. I'm sure Iran could give us some helpful pointers on how to get started. - Carla Thompson
My reason for posting the NY Times link was to point out that she is not out of step with the voting public. Though we might be. - Sprague D
well you know it says "broad is the path to destruction" - Ruth Ferguson
I have to know, what's on that link? - Kamilah Gill
Creationist == anti-science luddite. That seems to be a much bigger national security risk than just about anything I hear being pushed by the dems. - Tad - just Tad
that link wrecked my day - I hope Hillary voters will take the time to learn her positions and then fight like hell to stop her! - JMaultasch
@Kamilah, the link is to a Hillary Clinton forum. Her supporters - at least the ones on there - are elated with Palin. - Carla Thompson
@Kamilah it's the hillary clinton forums where the bitter dregs of her supporters are crowing about Palin and how the Democrats are really the sexist party. The good thing is that there's really not that many of them. The sad thing is that there are any. - Jason Carreira
vomit vomit vomit. thank you. that's making me cringe without even looking - Kamilah Gill
if the republicans win, i'm leaving the country. Tahiti, Australia, and Antartica are on the top of my list. any other suggestions? - Chris Hollander
wow... you guys at US, will you ever get out from that dirt of last 8 years? just... wow :-o - silpol
I've always wanted to live in Ireland. Australia's nice too, I hear. - Carla Thompson
No, if the Republicans win I'm asking THEM to leave. Politely, of course. - Rod Bauer via twhirl
OK, if no one on this thread believes in God, let me ask you, who do you credit for your very existence and the existence of everything around you? When you see a tree, do you think that it just came from it's tree parent and that's it? Who designed the tree in the first place? I think science and a belief in God go together just fine. My opinion. Oh, and it would be awesome if we could keep the discussion civil for everyone's benefit, of course. :) - Josh Haley
Let me ask you this: If you weren't here who would ask the question? Who was asking the question for the first 12 billion plus years? You start with a pre-defined end state and then wonder that it happened? Not very logical. - Jason Carreira
??? not being a creationist doesn't make you an atheist. I happen to *be* an atheist, but there are some people who are religious and yet accept that evolution happened - Kamilah Gill
This is so contrived on the part of the GOP - she's female, a kid going to iraq and a baby with downs. Way too stinky for me. - Cheryl Allin
I am religious and I accept that evolution does and did happen, just not to the scale that many people think. - Josh Haley
Josh: you can believe in God, heck you can be a Christian, and think Creationism is a hilariously awful worldview. Never mind scientific scrutiny, it doesn't hold up to theological or logical scrutiny. - Mark Trapp
Most Christians I know have no problem with evolution. I was brought up Christian and creationism was taught as a bible story, not as literal fact. - Tad - just Tad
A less than 6 month old baby with downs.. - Jason Carreira
Josh, but if God made Man, who made God? That argument is going nowhere. We're better off discussing the merits of the choices :-) - Sally Church
"not to the scale...". That doesn't make sense to me. but, ok. got too much other stuff to do - Kamilah Gill
one thing is for sure. Sarah Palin is no Hillary. Clinton is science-friendly - http://bit.ly/EtT3y - ~C4Chaos
@Kamillah - I understand if you don't wish to debate, but I will clarify: I do not believe that I am a descendant of what people would call apes. I believe that all animals and living things can mutate and evolve to adapt to their surroundings, sure. If you wear a pair of shoes that don't fit long enough, you develop callouses, for a very small example. Even as a Christian, who believes he is a child of God, I accept science enthusiastically. - Josh Haley
Josh: you're in good company. Scientists don't believe humans descended from apes, either, but that there is a common genetic ancestor between all primates. I guess if you have a misinformed view of evolution, it'd be pretty easy to discount it. - Mark Trapp
Josh, I don't really get your view of evolution as it relates to God's divine plan either: are you implying that God let evolution play out randomly in everything but humans? That's not exactly a Christian worldview: I don't know what that is. God doesn't leave things to chance: Christians who hold evolution to be fact still hold that God shapes evolutionary paths. - Mark Trapp
I think we're straying from the key point here though and that is that integrating a religious theory into public education goes against the basic tenets of America's founding. If we're going to do it, we should be ready and willing to, for example, begin teaching Islamic Sharia law in civics class or numerology alongside fractions. Well that last one's a bit of a stretch, but you get my point. - Carla Thompson
excellent point Carla, and it'd be a cold day in hell before most people in the US would be cool with Islamic teachings in schools, as much as some are clamoring for more "religion" (usually code for Christianity) in schools and society in general - Kamilah Gill
If McCain is trying to bait voters just because Palin is a woman, the GOP is dumber than I thought. HRC supporters who consider McCain will HATE her. Her policies and beliefs are the opposite of their own. - Glenn Batuyong via twhirl
From browsing through quite a few comments to political stories in MSM in the last few days, I'm convinced that most Hillary supporters are confusing a national election with American Idol. - Jody C
Actually I'm hearing the opposite from friends who supported HRC going for McCain-Palin. - Ernie Oporto
First of all, the pick is aimed at two groups, 1) Independent voters looking for an atypical, reform-minded team, and 2) the pro-life, limited-government base. They'll take HRC voters, but that is not the primary target. Second point, it seems quite hostile and bigoted to say that because someone holds to a religious teaching, they can't be a good public servant. - Jim Ierley
I describe myself on my Facebook profile as 50% atheist and 50% agnostic. That's a little bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's also 100% accurate. I received a moderately religious Jewish education as a child, and was taught that the Biblical creation story was a *metaphor.* I was taught this by religious people who understood how powerful metaphors are, how they are not lies or untruths but extremely useful tools for imparting understanding. Most of the Christians I know who are my age were taught the same thing. - Mitch Wagner
And yet for the past quarter-century, the U.S. flew back to the past on evolution, going back to the pre-scientific view that it was God what done it. I don't know why that is, but I know that the people leading the backwards charge are slickers in thousand-dollar suits, and that it has always served the needs of powerful people to have hordes of followers who are kept ignorant and stupid. - Mitch Wagner
"For example, if a site such as FriendFeed switched from polling feeds every 30 minutes to polling every 300 minutes (5 hours), and also monitored the appropriate SUP feed every 3 minutes, the total amount of feed polling would be reduced by about 90%, and new updates would typically appear 10 times as fast." - Paul Buchheit
That's a very interesting idea! I think that for the case of push-generated feeds it will show nice improvements over the current polling approach (which is definitely not scalable). I am wondering if there would be a way to employ the same idea for poll-generated feeds (feeds that are retrieved on request only) though. - Alex Popescu
That's correct Alex. SUP works very well for most common feeds, but it's not ideal for more dynamic feeds such as a search (e.g. http://friendfeed.com/search?q... ). However, the vast majority of the feeds consumed by FriendFeed and others map into the SUP model very easily. SUP does not solve all problems, but it provides a very simple solution that should work for 90% of feed publishers. - Paul Buchheit
Alex, a conditional GET applies only to a single URL. SUP allows feed consumers to simultaneously monitor many thousands of feeds with a single GET. - Paul Buchheit
I've told you I might not be fully functional :-). You're right SUP is a container for updated feeds. Should I post any other questions directly to the room? - Alex Popescu
Paul this SUP technology is HOT!! I am totally awed by this disruptive innovative idea.... very impressive and incredibly brilliant!! wow!! - Susan Beebe
Your welcome Paul, you guys inspire the heck out me...American techie dream in real time...neat! - Susan Beebe
my flickr upload appeared much faster just now... are you guys using XMPP for flickr? - Travis Parsons
and written in .py :)- but if we throttle "generate_sup_update(db, 120)" and "SUP feed:
{"since_time": "2008-08-12T01:44:49Z", "period": 120," [[..|..]]" , so if we take "120" and make it lets say "30", wont this make the load even more to both sides ? - Peter Dawson
It's nice to see FF innovating things... its what I miss about livejournal back when it was just danga interactive. - Dave Dash
just curious, how to read SUP? pronounce sap or soup or syoop? - huixing
'sup, like the shortened version of "what's up?" - Tudor Bosman
So, where's the "omg it's not XML you idiots" backlash? - ⓞnor
Atom streams look more effective performance-wise and just a little bit harder to implement on both sides. See SixApart's: http://updates.sixapart.com/ - Alex Kapranoff
More than a little bit harder! Dealing with never-ending XML streams is a massive pain (see: XMPP), and keeping connections open is trouble. Also, the sixapart updates stream is a firehose that gives you all of the content being posted, you have no opportunity to filter out only those feeds you care about. The FF design is pretty much totally more awesome. - ⓞnor
work with feedburner to give you a ping every time one of the feeds changes and you can replace 5h with 'whenever it occurs' ;) - Nicole Simon
I can't wait for a DUDE or YO companion protocol. - abacab
Nice idea, one thing to include would be the information if a resource (feed) has been deleted, whereby one can build a mirroring system over RSS. - Christian Sonntag
Christian: no need; "deleted" is a special case of "updated". If a feed is listed as modified in SUP, the feed consumer will try to refetch the feed, and notice that it no longer exists. - Tudor Bosman
there are a few PR firms that don't suck & are worth their weight in gold, however for the most part i couldn't agree more with this post by Jason. brilliant stuff, and he's a walking example. - dave mcclure via Bookmarklet
"The correct answer is at least four, located in Arizona, California and Virginia, according to his staff. Newsweek estimated this summer that the couple owns at least seven properties." - Dave Winer via Bookmarklet
HTF do you not know or forget how many houses you own? - Brian Sullivan
this is a classic mccain answer. obvious, dodging questions is par for the course when it comes to politics, but mccain will fail to answer questions as simple as "what's 2 + 2?" and he gets away with it. - eric mortensen
Brian, its called senility. Or, perhaps, just too rich (over $5m annual income) to care. :) - Jody C
You'd think that, Old Man Surge being Republican, he'd know exactly how many houses he has because he'd start railing about how much he spends on property taxes. - Steven Perez
The live background took a lot of heat on Twit - but frankly it is common these days for Twit to go off half cocked so it's not a big deal - Soulhuntre via twhirl
Pretty amazing piece about how to get thru security without identification, and how our gov't tracks citizen movements. (in particular, love the part where the author puts puppy dog stickers over top of the normal hacker stickers on their PC ;) - dave mcclure via Bookmarklet
Sounds like a good way to get a cavity search too. The odd nail out hits the most snags and gets hammered harder than the rest. - Josh Lowensohn
This just reinforces the whole TSA = Security Theater idea. No one is actually safer. I long for the pre-9/11 days when you could buy unused airline tickets out of the want ads, since you never had to prove you were the person on the ticket. - Dave Roth
Most of government is knee-jerk reactions and warm, fuzzy-feeling theater. Remember the days of walking right up to the gate to meet arriving passengers? - Mark Foundos
I like that she never lied about her wallet. She never said "I lost it", but rather said "I don't know where it is", which was true -- she didn't know exactly what FedEx had done with it by that time. - Tudor Bosman
Nooooooooo! This is either ironic or...that other thing...either way....FAIL!!! - Rahsheen
Amen, Charlie. search on "alot" in Google and it says there are 142 MILLION instances of it. Thankfully only 35+ million instances of "definately" : ) - Robert Seidman
I'm guilty of typing "qualtiy" in a process document, so I can't cast stones. - Ontario Emperor via fftogo
The op-ed might hold water if McCain's opponent had a better understanding of the US economy than McCain does. However, since Obama is nothing short of a Socialist and might even lean toward Communism, then the op-ed is a useless piece of political fodder and presents nothing more than a straw man. - Gregory Pittman
Yep. Just yesterday, in fact, I saw a hammer and sickle tattoo on Obama's neck. He's a Communist alright, just like I'm Napoleon. - David Worrell
@Gregory Do you realize that there is way too much commonality between free market fundamentalists and communists than saner people like Obama. - Krishnan Hussein Subraman
David, one of Obama's greatest influences in politics, by his own admission, is a Communist. He writes about it at length in his book. And when you study his resource redistribution plans, they match very well what one would expect from that end of the political spectrum. I have no idealogical or moral dilemma calling Obama a Communist. Because he is. - Gregory Pittman
Krish, "sane" is not a word I would use to describe Obama. Deluded, deceiving, opportunistic, etc., maybe, but not sane. - Gregory Pittman
Gregory Roosevelt was a Socialist was his economic policy so dire? - Fred Grott
Gregory, when you start redefining words to mean whatever you want them to mean, eventually they lose all meaning. You might as well call him a ham sandwich. - David Worrell
David, I'm not redefining words. I'm using Obama's own. But, he does redefine words at will, so you may have a point. - Gregory Pittman
Fred, Oh my goodness, yes! Roosevelt's New Deal is the very reason we have such a government-dependent society today. He ushered in an era of teaching us to lean on government rather taking responsibility for our own actions. The result decades later is a country strapped with debt, not because we buy oil from other countries (as Obama likes to argue), but because we make too many people dependent on an ever-growing government welfare system. Roosevelt is responsible in many for this country's downfall. - Gregory Pittman
Good Christ -- talk radio talking points on Friendfeed. - Sean McBride
Are you reading all of that off cue cards Gregory? Way to stick to the far right party line! - Tad - just Tad
Gregory do you think for yourself at any point in a debate or conversation? Cost of Oil imports plus war cost is significantly higher than Social Security cost - Fred Grott
Tad: arguing with guys like Gregory never helps anything. But I guess he would be happy to spend hundreds of billions to kill Iraquis but wouldn't like to spend that money helping the poor at home. And people wonder why our country is so screwed up... - Robert Scoble
Gregory, how the fuck is Obama a Socialist? Cut the absurd hyperbole. - Alexander Carlill
Ah well. Another addition to the block list I guess. - Alexander Carlill
Gregory: have you thought very much about the negative social and economic impacts of corrupt oligarchies, plutocracies and monopolies, crony and vulture capitalism, welfare state institutions for the military-industrial complex, no-bid contracts, predatory nepotocracies and the like? There's a great deal of fine scholarly research out there on these subjects. I approach these issues as a progressive libertarian and fan of creative capitalism, by the way, not as a "leftist" or, God forbid, a "Marxist." - Sean McBride
Pittman... that's not an argument. And it's without foundation. - Michael Markman
Robert, I think the war in Iraq has been mishandled in as many ways as you do, most likely. I'm terribly sorry I ever voted for GWB in 2000; so much so that I didn't vote for him in 04. Alexander, Obama's wealth redistribution (taking from the rich and buying the votes of the poor) is straight out of the Socialist manual. And, again, Obama himself has said one of his most significant political influences was a Communist. I'm not making that up; the great Obama said it. - Gregory Pittman
Tad, I might have listened to a total of three or four hours of talk radio in the last decade. No exaggeration there. But why is it that I have to hold the same opinions you do in order to have a discussion? If I don't, I'm the problem with America. I'm not so sure I'm the one reading the cue cards. - Gregory Pittman
Gregory: during the last two terms, under the most fiscally irresponsible and anti-conservative administration in my memory, we have witnessed a massive transfer of wealth from the middle class to a small oligarchy which in many cases hasn't earned the pelf by creative and productive labor. Trends like this invariably lead to social breakdowns and disasters, sometimes even revolutions. One doesn't have to be a "socialist" to notice. - Sean McBride
Sean, I absolutely agree with you. Bush has been completely fiscally irresponsible and anti-conservative. And therein lies the problem. But, you must be pretty young because Carter was the worst President on both counts in US history (really trying to avoid hyperbole there, but I think it's true); thankfully the country was relieved of his damage after just one term. Obama could easily strip Carter of that title, however. In fact, I'm almost certain he will. - Gregory Pittman
You have to wonder about economic ability of anyone who thinks you increase govt. Revenue by raising taxes. A study of history shows the opposite to be true. - Robert Hafer
Gregory: I'd be more comfortable voting for Obama if he were a Socialist, but he's not. I grew up under Thatcher, was born at the end of Callaghan's tenure and was witness to the end of British manufacturing under the iron lady. NOTHING was accomplished and whole communities in northern England were stripped of their livelihood. If you are in favour of this and think this is a great idea, you need to tell the coal miners that; see what their lives have become. - Prolific Programmer
Gregory: perhaps we can find a bit of common ground. I don't know what Obama is really about, and I am certainly not an Obama true believer. What I do know for certain, however, is that the neoconservative policies of military aggression in the Mideast which McCain clearly intends to pursue will bankrupt and destroy the United States as an economic superpower. He's drunk the neocon Kool-Aid to the dregs. We're running out of trillions of dollars to fund these wars against "Islamofascism." - Sean McBride
this thread shows the difficulty of even talking about economy, let alone having a plan ... let's see, which one of these guys here above should i pick for my advisor? .... - Gregory Lent
and finally, an article about an issue, instead of a poll or a gaffe, wonder if there will be more? - Gregory Lent
Sean, again, very little argument from my end. Provided we can secure our own borders properly so that we stop potential attacks on our soil, I'm all for putting an end to a proactive use of our military. I wonder if we truly can secure our borders, but that's another issue. I am, however, all for a military response in the case of attack. And I doubt you'll ever find me arguing on behalf of a McCain presidency. - Gregory Pittman
Gregory: I share your views about a strong military. So does the American military establishment -- that is why it strongly opposes expanding the Iraq War to Iran, a policy which would severely damage the United States in every possible dimension. A policy which McCain's advisers are pushing hard, and which, I see, you reject. I think, however, you need to refine your rhetorical attacks on Obama. You're over the top, imo. - Sean McBride
Good gracious, Gregory. Someone "connected" enough to use FriendFeed should know that "closing our borders" isn't at the top of the list of priorities to fix. Cyber-terrorism is certainly number 1 and port security and the joke that is the TSA are much bigger priorities. And what's more socialist than using my tax dollars to bail out Fannie and Freddie? - JonathanJoseph
I would like to point out that "neo-con" has long been a left-wing code word, first meaning conservative Jew sand evoling into a general derogative for non-liberals - Robert Hafer
Robert -- "neoconservative" is a term that neoconservatives coined themselves to describe themselves. It originates in the Commentary culture developed by Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz since the 1970s. Not only is it a perfectly legitimate term, but it is the most appropriate term to describe the political bloc which has dominated the Bush 43 administration. Do an Amazon search on the term and you will be inundated by respectable, high-quality books on the subject. You might start by reading Jacob Heilbrunn's They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons http://tinyurl.com/5newez - Sean McBride
Robert: further note: most Jews are anti-neoconservative and many neoconservatives are not Jewish. "Neoconservative" is a shifty, dishonest term: neoconservatives are anti-conservative (and anti-liberal). Arguably they are also anti-American: witness their assault on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Most of them are closely associated with Israel's Likud Party. They have a distinctly messianic and totalitarian bent, and are driven by raw ethnic and religious xenophobia. - Sean McBride
Another fine book on the neocons: Fred Kaplan: Daydream Believers: How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power http://tinyurl.com/6rzz9s There are dozens of fine books to choose from to get a handle on the neocons. - Sean McBride
It is interesting, at least to me, how change and evolve. Sean, thanks for references - Robert Hafer
wow I thought the last 8 years made people like Gregory extinct. You know, Freedom Fries Jack Bower freaks. That you can see your desire realized, see it fail, and still show up to the party with the same talking points sounds itself like something out of Communist history. Your time is over; these ideas have failed. - Brandon Werner
Brandon, I agree that Bush's ideas have failed. They haven't failed as miserably as you would like to think they have. But they have failed. But true conservative principles always work. Bush isn't a conservative. Neither is McCain. And "people like Gregory" aren't nearly extinct. Not by a long shot. - Gregory Pittman via twhirl
Gregory: Bush doesn't traffic in "ideas"; he wouldn't know what an "idea" was if it bit him. Bush's script, which he could barely read, was written by neoconservatives at think tanks like the AEI (American Enterprise Institute). This same political bloc goes by the name "neoliberals" in the Democratic Party, on the left, and is making every effort to take control of Barack Obama as we speak. America is no longer controlled by either conservatives or liberals -- that's an antique and false dichotomy. - Sean McBride
@gregory You can be a socialist or communist than being a dumb free market fundamentalist. In my opinion, free market fundamentalists are dumber compared to even religious fundamentalist. So Obama is much better than folks on the side of free market fundamentalists. Unlike the free market fundamentalist group, Obama has real brain not a stupid belief system. - Krishnan Hussein Subraman
Free market fundamentalism is invariably exploited by criminal oligopolies, monopolies, oligarchies, plutocracies and the like to build fascist dictatorships that are as oppressive as communist dictatorships. That is why I am a *progressive* libertarian. Too much wealth and power in too few public OR private hands is unhealthy. - Sean McBride
Anyone who thinks markets as the only solution (free market fundamentalists) or government as the only solution (communists) are no different than religious fundamentalists (who believe that god is the only solution). Essentially, they have difficulty in putting their brain to work. A saner person will use market solution for problems that need market solutions and govt. solution for problems that need govt. solutions. Obama falls in this category and definitely saner, in spite of what you want to 'believe' - Krishnan Hussein Subraman
Fundamentalists inhabit every field of human activity, religious and secular, on the right and left. Their common trait: they hate to THINK. They are attracted to simple-minded ideologies that supposedly solve everything. They are allergic to nuance and uncertainty. They drive on automatic pilot -- that's how they roll. - Sean McBride
Words of Wisdom from a typical free market fundamentalist - "Bush failed us, Republican Senate failed us, Republican Congress failed us, Economy failed us, Markets failed us, Enron failed us, Freedie Mac and Fannie Mae failed us. So what? We have the American DREAM. - Krishnan Hussein Subraman
Meanwhile, Americans' approval of Connecticut voters for reelecting the idiot have dropped to 20%. It might have been slightly higher, but 25% of survey respondents didn't believe there was actually a state called Connecticut. - Rick Klau
being a resident of the republic of connecticut - i like this comment rick :-p - mike "glemak" dunn
