I then watched as the Bush Administration invaded Afghanistan, killing thouands of innocent civilians, then invaded Iraq, consequently inspiring hundreds of thousands of people within the Muslin world to rush to join Bin Laden's network. I further watched as the international reputation of American fell into ruin, with the vast majority of the world (including America's longest and best allies) adopting a fearful and distrustful attitude toward the U.S. -- exactly at a time when sympathy for the U.S. should have been at a historical high.

As CIA analyst, Michael Scheuer, has observed after performing a lengthy and in-depth study of the consequences of Bush's policy following 9/11, "U.S. forces and policies are completing the radicalization of the Islamic world, something Osama bin Laden has been trying to do with substantial but incomplete success since the early 1990s. As a result, I think it fair to conclude that the United States of America remains bin Laden's only indispensable ally."

I also thought of how the U.S. gov't and the mainstream media would very quickly announce who the "enemy" was, and there would be an outcry to attack that enemy, regardless of the effects that might have on others or, for that matter, the U.S.

I then thought that anyone who deviated in the slightest from the lockstep doctrine announced by our Dear Leader would be denounced as a traitor, unAmerican, a terrorist, someone who hates the United States, an atheist, a marxist, a bad man, etc.

How was I feeling on 9/12? Well, the first thing I felt was sadness that many people had been murdered and the murderers needed to be discovered and brought to justice under the rule of law.

Of course, not only did I "feel" certain things on 9/11, I also THOUGHT certain things. (Isn't that the beauty of being a rational human being? That we can feel things, and also think about how and why we react to things the way we do?)

I thought of how the attack on the WTC would surely be exploited by the U.S. gov't and by the mainstream media as a pretext for whipping up support for totalitarian gov't policies.

I then thought of how the mainstream press would milk the WTC attacks for days on end, with maudlin and pornographic attention to every detail, and would decry the horrible crimes of the attack, while ignoring a discussion of the root causes behind the attacks.

dcvaughn wrote: "Instead of bashing everything people are talking about, why don't you post some solutions. How about some positive input on your ideas on what we can do to fix the problems this country faces?"

Uh, I wasn't "bashing" "everything" "people are talking about." As for solutions and positive input . . . What say we start by encouraging people like Karen to stop wasting our time by posting cartoonish desiderata about how "We are the greatest nation on earth", etc. As my series of posts plainly demonstrated, Karen's proposals are hopelessly useless. Moreover, propositions such as an English-only amendment merely distract from grave concerns that are real and immediate.

Who am I to say that "gain is wrong"? Who is anybody to say anything? I mean, what kind of a question is that? We all have the right to take positions on the issues.

That said, "gain is wrong" (to adopt your phrase) when "gain" is predicated on an economic system that confers fabulous wealth and power on huge financial institutions, and at the expense of tens of millions of hard working Americans who are ignored by the very gov't that is intended to serve the public good.

Like Jesus, I happen to believe that riches beyond the dreams of avarice is immoral in the face of want. But then, I suppose Jesus was a Marxist-Leninist who was "jealous" of the rich and powerful, right?

Don't know what "bonuses" have to do with my post. Never mentioned that word. Please re-read.

The assertion that "either we are free or we are not" really clarifies nothing because the proposition is so absurdly general as to be functionally useless. Taken literally, everyone should be "free" to drive as fast or as slow as everyone wants to anywhere and at anytime.

Please explain how a community that agrees to capping earnings beyond an agreed upon number (say, 100% tax on every penny of income generated via speculative investment pegged to changes in currency valuation, above $10 million per year) takes food from the mouths' of the children of the person whose speculative practices generate the income?

Read. Think. Then post. Thanks.

Dear december 51,

You are welcome. I decided to put "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins in 1861. Prior to that time, I just did not think that it was necessary to have my name on all the money, since I created everything in the beginning, and therefore all the money is mine, anyway.

But then, right around the time I was watching the North and South kille each other by the tens of thousands, I thought, "better be safe than sorry", and so I decided I better make sure that "In God We Trust" is on U.S. currency -- just in case anyone got any funny notions.

So, you are WELCOME!

Love,

God.

I have a problem with limitations on how much one can earn. Of course, this has nothing to do with capping millions that accrue to the super-duper wealthy as a result of interest on their riches. That's not "earning" money. "Earning" money means working. Moving bits and pieces of one's furtune around in order to exploit miniscule gains and losses on speculative investment is not "earning" jack.

So, perhaps you should think -- THINK -- before opening your cake-hole and mouthing sanctimonious pieties and striking heroic poses. Anyone who believes that mere "common sense" only can solve complicated problems in an exceedingly complex national and international context is, frankly, living in a dream world. Please, wake up. Or, if you insist on remaining asleep, please do so quietly. The rest of us are trying to work to reclaim our country.

As a result of his "common sense", hundreds of billions of dollars went missing, gov't contracts were given away on no-competition bids, over a million refugees were created in Iraq, tens of thousands of Iraqis have died or been killed, and thousands of Americans have been killed or injured. (That's okay, though. Our "common sense" leader told us the war was necessary to protect us from WMDs . . . I mean, to defeat an evil dictator . . . I mean, to promote democracy . . . I mean, to fight terrorism . . . )

Our "no experience", "common sense" leader then ran up a huge national deficit, while ignoring the decline of U.S. infrastructure, and giving tax breaks to the super-duper wealthy, while leaving the upper-middle, middle and lower classes to fall behind. For the first time in American History, the next generation is worse off than the generation before it.