PlanetKansas

Your points are valid but the damage has already been done.

Those who read the Huffington Post and watch the Daily Show are not the same who listen to Rush Limbaugh or the CBS nightly news.

There will always be a segment that think Obama is a muslim and Saddam bombed the World Trade Center. There is nothing we can do to convince them otherwise.

Shrewd propagandists know this, a simple word used effectively will make voters in West Virginia think Barak Hussain Obama is somehow related to Osama and Sadaam. It is much easier to create this kind of ignorance than to eradicate it.

It would have been more effective to completely ignore GW's speech. Now new words are spreading like a virus and people will hear what they choose to understand. posted 05/16/2008 at 12:55:03

Obama needs either a Southerner or a Republican VP to make a winning ticket. Hillary as VP would be too radical of a ticket, a black and a woman will be too much for places like West Virginia.

There will always be a 28% base in favor of the Bush administration, and Obama will have to neutralize the opposition if he wants to make any progress at all. Anybody who thinks we can change the country in the first term is dreaming, it will be slow baby steps.

Edwards talent would be wasted on the VP but would make a terrific AG.

We may yet have an opportunity to prosecute the Bush Administration for war crimes, and Edwards would be the man. posted 05/15/2008 at 11:20:48

My condolences to the families of the 9-11 victims. My question is why the families of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing not similarly compensated? posted 05/14/2008 at 15:08:36

My wife was injured and disabled from a medical accident. Though the jury agreed that she was disabled, they held the doctor harmless because accidents happen, so there was no settlement. This man was inconvenienced for a few hours and will likely win a few million. posted 05/13/2008 at 11:00:51

There are two componants to a successful marriage, mutual respect and individual maturity. People seek affairs because they either don't find the respect they need at home or they are too immature to control their impulses or resolve their problems.

When a man treats a woman with respect, the sex will follow. Conversely, an immature spouse will create a disrespectful spouse, and sex becomes the weapon of choice. It is a cycle that either nourishes or deplenishes.

Both roles can be reversed, but the results are still the same, the sex is never good if one mistreats the other, and problems never go away unless they are resolved by two mature people.

Unfortunately, maturity is a product of parenting, and I believe less than 20% know how to think and act this way. The low probability of two mature people marrying means the majority of marriages are either doomed for failure, or resigned to lives of quiet desperation. posted 05/13/2008 at 15:39:15

Note that the audience didn't laugh at McCain's jokes, nor applaud his plattitudes. Tough crowd. He acted like a puppet and everything seemed canned and groomed.

Though it is sad to see a moderate like McCain now kissing the ass of the far right, it took real guts to go on the Daily Show, though I doubt it won him any new fans. posted 05/08/2008 at 11:43:46

Call me an elitist. I fit the stereotyped demographic of listening to NPR and Bill Moyers and recent surveys revealed that my types regularly watch Stewart and Colbert, which is true, I love these guys.

What worries me is their sophistication is lost on the typical Comedy Central viewer who strike me as knuckle dragging troglodytes who want jokes, not truth. Comedy Central is filled with juvenile programming in search of cheap frat boy yucks about poop and sex. The commercials aired during Colbert and Stewart, comic book movies, video games, baldness cures and insipid cars, reinforce who the real target audience they are playing to.

They are the best source of news out there, but I worry their intellegence is lost to the not-so-intellegent. posted 05/06/2008 at 11:54:31

How about a photo collage of all the hi-tech equipment we throw away? How many of us are willing to give up our televisions, I-Pods, computers and gadgets when they frizz out after their 3-year life span or are replaced by something newer and more fashionable?

There is too much profit in creating a disposable society and very few things are manufactured today that are meant to be repaired, maintained and even passed onto the next generation. The economy and jobs depend on it.

Plastic bags and water bottles is just a microcosm of all the waste we produce. posted 05/06/2008 at 18:25:19

The Pacific theatre was a demoralizing slog and Okinawa was was looking to be the worst of the campaign, with high US casualties, the Japanese army fighting to the death and civilians committing mass suicide. The US wasn't looking forward to the grimmer prospects of a mainland invasion, so the option of an atomic bomb was a final solution.

I'm not proud of bombing Hiroshima, but undersand the reasoning behind it. What I disapprove was the second bombing of Nagasaki, which used Plutonium instead of a Uranium based weapon. This seemed more like an unnecessary experiment on human subjects for mere research, when one bomb was probably enough. I hope the Japanese can forgive us. posted 05/07/2008 at 10:12:01

The entire segment on the Daily Show was a hoot, but no matter how repugnant abstinence programs and their promoters are, one needs a bit of perspective.

A billion $ is a lot of cash for any of us, but the entire Kansas education budget cost $3.4 billion in 2008, of which the feds contributed only about 10%.

Education is a state and local issue, and the federal government throws tidbits to the states mostly for political bragging rights, but in no way help out much financially. The biggest federal contributions to the states is Medicaid and Highways, not education. posted 04/30/2008 at 17:18:53

Don't drink the Kool-Aid.

The federal gasoline tax is $0.18 a gallon and is used exclusively for highway, and transportation. It is the rarest of federal taxes because the US Highway Fund is solvent and doesn't use deficit spending like the rest of the government.

The feds use a formula to redistribute the Highway Fund and fund up to 90% of the state highways, matched with their own state fuel taxes. This is a rare case of the tax matching the benefit, and we are getting a very good deal, and our transportation infrastructure actually needs more financing instead of tax cuts.

Saving $0.18 a gallon wil only reduce prices at the pump $2-$3 per fill-up. Gas prices went up this high in the past week! posted 04/29/2008 at 17:44:52

Jamie

I believe Disney, Miley and her handlers manufactured this stunt. She is now a product and brand name, and it must survive beyond her puberty or meet the fate of Menudo and Boys to Men.

Madonna perfected publicity stunt, gradually undressing and revealing more bits of herself through the years to generate the controversy and news that has kept her brand name alive for almost 30 years. Brittney and Brooke borrowed from the same book to help them transition from child to adult careers.

It is well known what happens to many child stars who have been robbed of their childhood, but our disapproval is misdirected when one realizes how many children today face far more harrowing circumstances than Miley Cirus.

I think the real tragedy is that our news media can be high jacked by these fake stories, when in fact they are just advertising disguised as information. It is rare that any story in the MSM today doesn't have some sort of product placement, book or movie deal in the back ground. posted 04/29/2008 at 11:44:51

The gear in the background is consumer level home recording and midi, and the monitor isn't even a flat panel. I doubt the real Miley would have anything that low end, much less even know what to do with it.

The second picture is a fake. posted 04/25/2008 at 15:47:15

It is an ugly and uncomfortable truth, but the reason why the Democrats no longer control the White House or Congress is because the Southern Dems defected to the Republican party after the passage of civil rights bill in 1967. Unless the Democrats can reverse these defections, they can no longer expect a return of control they enjoyed so much for 30 years. I am afraid the price of winning the South back will require flag lapel pins, gays back in the closet, prayer in the public schools and abortion illegal. The Republicans have all this appeal, and the Democrats are loath to go backwards.

It all makes sense when one sees that the Southern states are consistantly at the bottom of all national rankings on education, poverty and infant mortality, and like the Shiites and Sunnis, still haven't forgiven the North for the beating them in the civil wa 150 years ago. These are same people who will vote against elites and intellectuals, and will always choose a white man over any female or minority.

The Democrats have only one hope, and that is to get the 60% who never vote to particpate in the next election. I am afraid once a candidate is chosen, the bitterness between the Clinton and Obama camps will keep the other's supporters away from the polls, and McCain will walze into the next presidency. posted 04/21/2008 at 11:00:31

Tom Petty didn't let the fame go to his head, and gave his old friends a chance to share in his fortune.

I would see them in KC if they were playing someplace smaller. Great bar bands like this just don't sound as great in corporate basketball arenas. posted 04/21/2008 at 14:54:00

I can taste the plastic in any bottled water and I started using Nalgene because it left no aftertaste.

I wonder why the bottled water industry hasn't been questioned. posted 04/21/2008 at 15:22:50

Someone needs to start making planet earth lapel pins.

Of course, such a pin would suffer the from same irony as the flag wavers. It would be made in China, and feeds nobody except the ego driving a prius to commute from a 5,000 sq ft house in the suburbs. posted 04/18/2008 at 15:33:51

I think his most unique contribution was the keyboard bells he added to all of the Springsteen songs. Noone else does bells in rock and roll and it is more unique to the Springsteen sound than the saxophone.

RIP Danny posted 04/18/2008 at 10:07:10

The headline was misleading and should have included Edwards. I can think of no other news show that had all three candidates on at the same time, and that shows how much influence Colbert and Stewart have.

Edwards is not going to endorse either candidate, he has too much influence to lose prior to the convention and best hold his cards tight. By doing so, he can influence the platform, and if it is Obama that gets the nomination, he will have to adopt adopt some of Clinton's platform to integrate the party. There is a very strong chance of an Obama ticket with some of the Clinton Health Care platform. That is how politics is supposed to work. posted 04/18/2008 at 10:29:51

I can't believe noone has created a planet earth lapel pin. Maybe because those who would wear them wouldn't be wearing a suit with a lapel to pin it onto. posted 04/18/2008 at 13:41:10

I have 4 observations.

Yes, ABC should be ashamed for pursuing entertainment instead of content, but isn't all of television just that? There is no evil puppet master manupulating the strings but rather the pursuit of advertising that makes them stoop so low. It's about the money. The best cure is to turn the TV off.

Okay, I do make an exception and turn the TV on for Cobert and Stewart. I can hardly wait for their take on the debates tonight.

Even with the Huff Post, Cobert and Stewart, the majority of Americans hardly noticed, and won't remember anyway. Actual news, content and analysis is a bit deep for the typical voter.

Finally, take a good hard look at yourself and read the following article in the NYT about a study that examines whether people really can be neutral and unbiased.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/opinion/17kristof.html?em&ex=1208577600&en=40babad0d05af188&ei=5087%0A posted 04/17/2008 at 17:57:49

I watched the interview with baited breath because Stephen usually approaches his interviews like the 3 Stooges meet South Park. The running gag is whether his guests realize if he is serious or joking. A savvy guest allows him his jokes and stays above the fray, and Michelle Obama played him with class and cool. That is why Stephen ended up behaving himself. Imagine that same confident and disarming approach in a banquet with world leaders. When people want experience for the job, we just got glimpse of what she can do.

She will be an amazing first lady, I was very impressed. posted 04/16/2008 at 13:14:04

Virginia Tech, Columbine, 9-11 and Oklahoma City get all of the press, but everyday, someone dies tragically and inexplicably, while the living agonize to find an explaination or a cure. There are no laws that will prevent another madman, a terrorist, a drunk driver or natural disaster from taking another life. It will happen again. The victim's only fault is simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My condolences all of the families affected. posted 04/16/2008 at 12:58:01

You raise an interesting point FdeBear.

Because third world countries lack the business model of formal government services, they depend on their large extended families for retirement and welfare. That is one of the reasons why population control has failed there, because these people see no other system that can protect them. We can accuse them of patrimony, but the chances of creating government services in Somalia are pretty distant, so they will continue with the old ways, no matter how brutal it may appear to us.

That we are having such a difficult time selling the American way to Iraq and Afganistan is part of our cultural arrogance that refuses to even understand a distant culture before imposing our own values on them.

Only 100 years ago, women in America were under similar circumstances, they couldn't vote, covered their heads and bodies, had few employment options, and marriage was the only means for a widow to support herself and children. The industrial revolution has changed all that, and we are still dealing with the social implications and changes that have resulted.

My point is not to defend polygamy in America, but to put it into a larger world context that Pandu began in this string. posted 04/16/2008 at 11:54:22

Actually, Pandu has a point. Polygamy is the cultural norm in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. and it is monagamy that is the minority practice worldwide.

Look it up in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy

I recall a story about the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran which killed over 70,000 people. When Western countries arrived to assist, they were surprised to discover that there was no need for Western social services, only food, sanitation and rescue aid was wanted. The extended families from all over the Middle East showed up and absorbed the widows and orphans into their own. It is common for a man to marry his brother's widow and children into his own family, and this social obligation continued all the way through the distant reletives until everyone was placed. It is difficult to label these multiple wives end up as victims, but in their cultures, few women have the option of getting jobs to support themselves. Those not so lucky end up as prostitutes.

Is our own system for foster care and welfare better than the arab world's marrying off widows and placing children with distant relatives?

It is our total lack of understanding how other cultures think that led us into underestimating Viet Nam, Iraq and Afganistan. America does not have the correct solution for all, and taking the time to understand could keep us out of the next unnecessary war. posted 04/15/2008 at 17:47:36

The christians have their rapture, the Shiites have the return of the second Iman, the greens have global warming, the nationalists and politicians are willing to go to war to keep what is theirs.

They are all variations on apocalypse myths, an in-bred evolutionary fear of our own extinction, and we have a lot to be afraid of.

I side with the greens. Overpopulation drives competition for limited resources, the resulting imbalances force changes in the environment, and extinctions occur until a new balance is reached. On a geological scale, mass extinctions are common, yet ours is unique in that it is entirely man-made. To presume we can manage our way out of our dilemma by inventing a perpetual motion machine is delusional, particularly since consumption has long outstripped energy production. To save ourselves will require a much more modest lifestyle, and perhaps 1/10th of the world's current population to relieve all of the stress we have imposed on our planet. Are we willing to return to the horse and buggy in order to save the world from ourselves?

Of course, political, economic, and national self interests will interfere with any rational global solution, and in the end, nature will enforce the equilibrium anyway, at her own pace, and indifferent to our protests. posted 04/14/2008 at 10:26:07

Sting made all of his money by himself, with his own talent, just like any successful business owner that started from scratch. He has places all over the world because he actually tours and works planet wide.

If it makes one feel better, criticise the wealthy people who didn't earn it like actors, news anchors and MSM celebrities. I am amazed that people like Katie Couric, Barbera Walters, Chris Matthews and Bill O'Reilly are paid just to show up and talk. Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts can be paid millions for their movies, yet do no actual creative work themselves. They have paid writers and producers that make them what they are today, and were merely born attractive and/or lucky. I hope the writers got what they wanted from their strike, because their efforts is what makes these talking heads their millions. posted 04/13/2008 at 14:39:34

Heather was Paul's Pogo Ono. posted 04/11/2008 at 14:41:50

Erica, I couldn't agree more.

I saw Madeliene Albright on Steven Colbert the other night, and she stood very well on her own merits and accomplishments without tarting up or showing leg.

The media coverage of famous American females now include anorexia and facelift watches, and the few over 50 role models we stil have are surgically enhanced, in soft focus, starved into size 1 mini skirts and still reveal cleavage at age 70. Madonna still prances around dressed like she did 30 years ago, but that is an unfair standard everyone somehow expects of our famous and powerful women.

Men are not immune from the ridicule as we too are scrutinized for man-boobs, bald spots, comb overs, spare tires, $500 hair cuts and bad bowling.

I think the real problem is that the presidential candidates have been reduced to simple icons and stereotypes, which are far easier to communicate than depth, intellegence and charactor. Picking a President has more do do with marketing a cola than picking a leader with the capability of leading us out of the current pile of shit our last election got us into. posted 04/10/2008 at 15:28:49

I was always against the war, but now that we broke it, we can't just pull out without regional stability and world economic chaos ensuing. No matter what any of the candidates promise, the stability in the region is very fragile, and our absence leaves an opening for the Iranians, Russians, or even the Chinese to step in or influence the players. I also believe the Saudis have ensured we will stay as their personal mercenaries and in return, they fund our national deficit. If we pull out, they take their oil dollars, and our government collapses.

Like many of the bloggers here, I wish for peace and that the liars who got us there get punished, but the rhetoric about pulling out is simplistic and the logistics of doing so are economically and politically impossible. Anybody that thinks otherwise is delusional. Get ready for a 100 years. posted 04/08/2008 at 15:39:38

Great speach, but the pressures on the MSM to conform and hide the truth come from the profit motive, not a decline in ethics.

News has become another type of entertainment, and its funded and fueled by advertising. If you look under the veneer, most news is just disguised advertising for a product. posted 04/08/2008 at 08:35:58

I agree, the Esquire John Edwards interview made me a fan. It is a shame that a haircut was manipulated to become the cause of his decline. It proves once again that voters react to simple myths and stereotypes, not ideas or character. posted 04/01/2008 at 14:24:51

From Kansas

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! posted 04/01/2008 at 16:59:05

John Stewart has class. Let's not forget G.D Trudeau of Doonesbury who the US miliary also honored for similar efforts which includes a lot of visits to veterans health counseling centers. Read the strip and you see no judgement, but a lot of subtle inside commentary of what a soldiers life is like.

These two men are common targets of the right wing, but I don't think the soldiers would be as impressed by a visit from the likes of Rush Limbaugh. They can see behind their agenda. posted 03/27/2008 at 14:27:26

Actually, there used to be an ocean where Kansas is today. The entire prairie was formed when an ancient sea bed dried up, and it looks it. I've found limestone fossils in my backyard. posted 03/26/2008 at 12:00:47

Bailing out the financial instututions creates another mouth to feed. It's going to cost money, and we either raise taxes or issue debt. Reagonomic thinking dictates that we preserve the financial systems and a period of rapid growth like the 1990's would erase the deficit.

A boom cycle may eventually follow but we may never catch up while we are handing out tax checks, bailing out Wall Street, fighting wars overseas, and picking up the tab for retiring Baby Boomers. That we don't even address our deficit spending has me very worried.

I am afraid our political system no longer has the ability to govern, only entertain, and we have but ourselves to blame for what will happen next. posted 03/26/2008 at 12:28:34

The press wants a story, any story will do, and if it has sex, even better. Even when Chelsea refuses to speak about it, it is still news.

I find the same insinuations about Obama's former pastor. If going to church identifies you with everything the pastor says, than shouldn't the same rule be applied to one's next door neighbors, co-workers and extended family?

This is nothing but campaign archeology, where every day requires a story. The MSM has no agenda than to fill up advertising dollars, and insinuations can still be made a story. posted 03/26/2008 at 09:31:43

Why don't we add 418 Americans and another 297 coalition forces killed in Afganistan?

If this is all about revenge, 2,646 Americans died in the September 11 terrorist attack. Another 327 foreign nationals died.

It looks like the terrorists are getting a 2 for 1 special. posted 03/24/2008 at 10:01:44

You have it all wrong. Joey Ramone, Curt Cobaine and the Clash were cool because they were artists, not because they wore Converse sneakers. posted 03/21/2008 at 16:14:02

The anti-war movement has been marginalized by the Support our Troops jargon and still resembles the usual collection of greens and peace activists wishing the times were like the 1960's again. This makes for great cartoon entertainment on the 24 hour MSM, but the intellectual and moral points they are trying to make are lost on the stereotypes they present, thus, the media can do comedy skits, the politicians can continue to ignore them, and a new game for the X-box is more news worthy.

America was able to unite into mass protests against the Vietnam war by combining the opposition to the draft, the idealism of the civil rights movement, and the new rebellion of the rock and roll youth culture into a single movement.

Anti-war sentiment will never take hold today unless the majority of the American public begin to feel the loss of the war in a more collective and visceral way. The majority of polls opposing the war are too passive, it has to really hurt before people take action.

Our culture has become more isolated by the suburbs, and our communication is now streamed into the home (for a fee) instead of interacting with people. News is no longer truth but a form of entertainment, and most would rather play Guitar Hero than watch C-Span.

There are no iconic voices for the peace movement like John Lennon, Dr. King and Walter Cronkite. When entertainers and rock stars try to voice their opinions today, it comes across vapid and self serving. Much of the rhetoric is suspiciously connected to the release of a new movie, cd or tour, we have few untainted role models to follow anymore. Our mass culture has too many minor heroes and no single spokesperson.

I am afraid the public indifference will continue until the body count becomes unbearable, or more likely, our society collapses under the war debt. At this point in time, the concept of a peace movement is too intellectual and abstract for the general American public to grasp, so it is just more entertainment to feed the MSM advertising dollars. posted 03/21/2008 at 10:32:13