When the mere idea of 'liberal' becomes an epithet --> implying that some imaginary opposite is Real Good: never reconsider past mistakes, but enshrine them in glass-under-Flag meringue - what does one call that opposite? The word reactionary appears also to have become hors de combat. When last did you hear anyone use (or try to define) a word for That mindset?

Nahh.. the language has become so corrupt, epitomized by any utterance from any M$ rep - it's simply impossible to engage in anything like meaningful discourse. Debate? Hah.. how many decades ago was it since 'debating' was a part of every high school curriculum? If you don't know how to argue, or why most all pat-slogans are ~Stuart Chase style 'blab' - what have you left but some pewling rote-learned ideology? Screw up language (Encarta-style + habitual misuse) and what have you left?

I don't expect to see a 'Left' rise in foreseeable - unless Ashcroft's next few Dictats finally are so blatant as to awaken even the sleepiest (?) Crap shoot there. It would have to be pretty Extreme; perhaps.. affecting seats at the ballpark.

The Big Lie (in Murica anyone can 'make it' - we be a Meritocracy) works. Via this ceaseless mantra interspersed with endless ads exhorting ever More consumption, it's just plain too noisy to think. Most workers are too stressed by meaningless Corp paperwork job-lets, both working, to have much inclination to examine their milieu - let alone coalesce into effective groups. That was over in '70s, and after the assassinations.

Not an environment to catalyze much deeper thought than, what color seats in the UAV and, how'd the Giants do? Perhaps the model-makers are right: Murican politics is just a mechanical pendulum swinging from one inane extreme to and fro (with a recent arrest of motion to redefine the center as umm 'Librul') ?


A.