The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Frank:

kid- I apreciate where you are coming from here, but it is not within our powers to bring back comity. Until the Republicans abandon scorched earth tactics for themselves we will continue to be stuck with the scorched earth.

It would be a mistake to think that we can avoid rancour now. Vile partisanship might even get the media to notice our congressional hearings. Trying to maintain comity will just let them chump us again, not only that but it will make voters wonder if there is any point to showing up to vote for the Democrats.

I think the most important thing to remember here is that if we let them the John Yoo's, Norquists etc will be back and may not willingly relinquish power again, assuming they do so this time. I'd at least like for the people who lied us into the war and their enablers to pay some kind of price for it.

Not too long ago Christine Whitman was on Bill Maher's show and she was as usual treated as one of the "reasonable" ones. I don't buy it. In the aftermath of 9-11 she said the air was safe to breath, she lied, and people are now dying as a result. There needs to be justice for these people, even if that means crushing them or driving them before us.

The problem is that there aren't any
decent Republicans left. They all already
left the party over torture. By definition
anyone who stuck with the party after that
is not decent.

the upper management of the traditional media are part of a closed social group with upper management of other corporations

Six degrees of Lois Weisberg here: http://www.gladwell.com/1999/1999_01_11_a_weisberg.htm

Tucker Carlson-

His father was a longtime anchorman on local news in Los Angeles and San Diego, who later in his career served as Director of Voice of America in Europe, and then as President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Prior to his hiring at MSNBC, Carlson wrote for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Policy Review, and The Weekly Standard, and came at issues "from the right" on CNN's Crossfire.

Father: Richard W. Carlson (Los Angeles news anchorman, later VOA Director)
Mother: Patricia Caroline Swanson (stepmother, heir to the Swanson frozen-food fortune)
Brother: Buckley Carlson (Executive VP, right-wing PR firm McCarthy Communications)
Wife: Susan Andrews Carlson

High School: St. George's School, Newport, RI (1987)
University: History, Trinity College, Hartford, CT (attended, no degree)

Hi. I don't usually comment here but I lurk pretty regularly. I'm always interested in this topic. I read a diary at Kos a couple of days ago (I really love the diary rescue entries.) that sheds some light on why the MSM has gotten so bad http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/25/1756/87486

It was called White Privilege, Social Networks, and the Traditional Media. There was also more on the sociology here: http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/

The people at the top of the media world all belong to the same class, and in order to get an ifluential job in the media you have to see the world the way they do. Thats the best I can summarize the argument quickly.

I haven't been paying much attention to music lately.

I know this is kinda spammy, but if you feel like taking a minute to answer, I'd apreciate it.

Currently I have Sprint as my provider and an old samsung n400 as my phone. My contract is up and I am considering switching. I thought I would ask for some advice. I don't get Verizon here unfortunately. What cell provider do you use and why? What phone do you use and why? How much should I expect to pay?

I only need regular phone service, but I am thinking about trying something more exotic, like a high bandwith modem capable cell, or some other fun techno-toy. Thanks

Oops the link to my blog is on my name. So you don't clutter Making Light.

John Kelsey- I agree with you that it is a big step.

And

Graydon- I agree with you that it is better than leaving these guys in power.

But Civil war requires that someone fight them. I don't see any sign that that is going to happen.

Barry- You say that I am being blackmailed by the current system, and maybe you are right. Maybe I hang out with a bad crowd too, but most of the discussions about the criminal justice system that I see or hear involve as their main component jokes about anal sex, homosexual rape, or sexual slavery. At least the death penalty makes some people take justice seriously.

I usually lurk here. But I've been thinking about the death penalty for the past couple of days, and while I'm not usually a wingnut, on this subject I am.

I respect the compassion of those who are against the death penalty. A phrase that has stuck in my mind is "I don't want to live in a society that...", something to the effect of: kills people with premeditation.

And really I agree with that. I wish America were a better place. I'm even willing to work towards that, but I think stopping the death penalty would be a counterproductive measure at this time.

One possible advantage of the death penalty is the additional scrutiny it brings to the criminal justice system. Earlier in the thread there is a list of comparative costs between cases involving the death penalty and those that don't. I don't know how to block quote, so I won't put it in this post, but most of those costs involve more seriously looking at the case against the suspect/convict. In addition outside the justice system people look much more closely at death penalty cases. I don't think we would have heard about Cory Maye if he had 'merely' been sentenced to life in prison.

OOps all I can say is that I must have repressed my knowledge of Gore's running mate from my mind.

I don't know that 9-11 would have happened but they would have found or made up some reason to get rid of him.

Except that Gore and Edwards would have both been impeached for jaywalking or something by now. I'm not so sure that President Hasturt would have stayed out of Iraq.

Offtopic: I was wondering where I could get information on the failure of the levees in N.O. My google fu is weak. I have seen in a couple of places that the 17th street levee failed at the most recently constructed concrete sections, and that the rest of the levees are made of packed earth. Also I wondered if they could have skipped the rebar in the concrete to save money.

It seems to me that the question of why the levees failed hasn't really been settled, and that you guys would be good people to ask. Thanks.

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