What's Really Going On -- A Cram Course

O Duce is cramming us into slavery. If you want to get the "cram course" on the mechanics of what he's doing, here it is:

Getting it yet?

What's that you say? You feel used like a dirty rug? That would be correct. (H/T Newsbusters)

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Who Recommends It?

And what are those side effects again?

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Ronald Reagan: We Do Not Want Socialized Medicine

Nothing has changed. Except right on plan, everyone has forgotten what Norman Thomas said.

Just substitute Obama and Pelosi for the unfamiliar names on the bills and he has it nailed. (H/T Jonah.)

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The Hill Commenters Take On Health Care

Wow. What are they smoking over at the The Hill site today? Perhaps you missed the provision for euthanasia counseling for instance? Check out this excellent sampling of commenters on what a farce the health care "debate" is (Read More to continue):

13: Perhaps JoeP doesn't know about the provision requiring counseling the aged on euthanasia at least every 5 years (more frequently if they are sick) and therefore doesn't get Linda's reference to President Kevorkian.

Maybe a few of O's defenders are unaware that O openly lied when he said you could keep your plan and your doctor (refer to page 16).

And yes, Pelosi, Reid and O constantly lie to the American people. When the government creates 31+ agencies to control health care, can anyone believe this would be deficit neutral?

When a government can only get $0.35 of every dollar spent for welfare to the actual intended recipients, can anyone believe the government can efficiently administer health care control?

Can a government who has stolen from the social security fund for years to the point of bankrupting it, manage your health care?

Look at any and every government program you know. Is it run well? Does it serve Americans well? Or is it ripe with fraud, inefficiency, bureaucracy, and surly "customer service"?

Lastly - time is not the problem with Congress actually reading bills. I submit they can't stand the stench within these bills and therefore delegate their sworn duties to their underlings. In addition, they want to ram a lot of things through that they will later claim they knew nothing about.

Time is only an issue because they want to make sure the American people don't have long enough to digest the legislation and organize dissent.

Comment by katablog.com — July 19, 2009 @ 9:32 am

18. We should all oppose ANY health care legislation that does not also cover members of Congress and ALL public sector employees, federal, state and local! "OBAMACARE, If It Ain't Good Enough For My Congressman, It Ain't Good Enough For Me!"

Comment by NCBob — July 19, 2009 @ 10:39 am

20: This raises a question in my mind about one of the premises of the whole effort — the need to cover the uninsured. The Census Bureau's raw number of 47 million uninsured is thrown around a lot, but a surprisingly large proportion of these are not too badly off — only 25% are below the poverty line, and fully 47% are at 200% of the poverty line or better. (21% are not citizens, but that is a different issue.) 63% are under age 34.

So, given that dependent children can be covered by Medicaid, there seems to be a strong implication that many of the uninsured are healthy young adults who have made the rational decision not to pay for insurance. And it is rational — in the event of a health catastrophe, the system will not let them die in the street, and health premiums are designed to make them pay for the more intensive older users.

So here is my question — is this whole thing a scam directed at getting the young and healthy into the system to force them to subsidize: (1) Geezers, and (2) Every treatment that can lobby legislatures for mandatory inclusion?

Health care is not my area, except for an interest in innovation, but why wouldn't the whole problem be solved by equalizing the tax treatment of employer and private insurance plans, ensuring the availability of catastrophe insurance, encouraging innovation and the free market, and sending Congress home?

Comment by JVDeLong — July 19, 2009 @ 10:50 am

21. Washington is basically out of it's collective mind. Rep or Dem, no matter. They scurry around, a mass of frenetic energy, while exacerbating the problems that we face.

The biggest favour that they could do for the American people is dismantle a large part of themselves. We don't need new programs, we need them to get out of our lives.

Everything that they touch, goes south, costs insane amounts of money, produces nothing positive and erodes the quality of our lives.

I have never been more unimpressed in my entire adult life than with the bunch that is currently in office.

Comment by JR — July 19, 2009 @ 11:09 am

22. If the administration and Congress are so certain this is the best plan for all us peasants out here (4 out of 5 whom can and have been figuring out how to insure ourselves without government intervention), let them all be required to go on the plan they're proposing.

They won't. It's garbage, and they know it. Obama has said that he wouldn't put his own kids on ObamaCare.

Hypocrites - every last one. Throw the bums out in 2010.

Comment by Good Lt. — July 19, 2009 @ 11:24 am

26. Reform health care ? Why ? The always expanding list of "rights" of Americans is unmatched by responsibility. Reforming the legal profession would be money better spent, since much of the health care cost of this country goes to trial lawyers. Government is less efficient than the private sector. Period. Most Americans can't name any government run programs which they are happy with - or very few anyway.

Americans trust of Congress is at an all time low - so we're going to turn to them for the answers ? And every single time the words "rush" or "hurry" are used to describe the legislative process, you can bet that the legislation is filled with something the politicians don't want us to know about(if they even bothered to read the bill before they voted on it).

Comment by DaveinPhoenix — July 19, 2009 @ 12:05 pm

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Health Care Rally Today

Well today (Friday 7/17) is the health care rally in front of Betsy Markey's local congressional office at College and Mountain in down town Fort Collins at 10am. Be there with your signs!

And check out this impressive little screed I just ran across. Here's a snippet touching on both unemployment and heath care "reform":

Why are those 15 million people unemployed? For the most part, they’re looking for jobs, but no one will hire them. Companies very much want to hire more people, and expand – no business wishes to remain stagnant. The decision to refrain from hiring people is a tough one. Business owners don’t make it because they’re cruel and like to laugh at people in the unemployment lines. One of the reasons the economy is contracting is because money – the avatar of time, resources, and entrepreneurship – is being forced to go where it doesn’t want to go. Businesses that should fail are being propped up by reckless deficit spending. The shadow of titanic tax increases to come, including those needed to fund Obama’s adventure in health insurance, looms fearfully large on the horizon – and when money is frightened, it hides.

Hiring people to fill job openings is not the same thing as handing them a check and announcing they’re employed. The health care “crisis,” to the extent one exists, cannot be solved by signing a bill and declaring everyone has health insurance now. Businessmen live at the intersection of theory and reality, while politicians angrily deny that intersection exists at all. That’s one reason I much prefer dealing with businessmen.

Nice, huh? And as he points out earlier in the piece, Barack now owns the unemployment problem: Did you know that with the $787B in Barack's "stimulus" package he could employ every unemployed person in America for a year at $52,000 per year? Or two years at $26,000 per year? But no, that money is slated to scratch the backs of his corrupt political cronies. Do the math. If only we still taught math in this country...

And of course you know that Joe Biden says that we're going bankrupt so we have to spend more money to avoid bankruptcy. Only people that have the power to counterfeit would even consider mouthing such an insanity.

UPDATE: FYI, slow Joe's quote was: “Now, people when I say that look at me and say, ‘What are you talking about, Joe? You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?’” Biden said. “The answer is yes, that's what I’m telling you.” Just remember. He's just one heartbeat away. God help us.

And here's a link to some pics from the rally.

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Jaguars -- An Economic Thought Experiment

If you've gone to government schools like most folks, you may be completely befuddled by inflation -- even while watching your household budget disintegrate on the shoals of rising prices. And how does it all fit together with the banking and economic crisis.

Here's a tantalizing and brief article that will at least make you realize that all is perhaps not as you've been brainwashed to believe. Click through and RTWT -- it's not a lot longer than this snippet:

I am tired of hearing people insist that the Fed can expand credit all it wants. Sometimes an analogy clarifies a subject, so let’s try one.

It may sound crazy, but suppose the government were to decide that the health of the nation depends upon producing Jaguar automobiles and providing them to as many people as possible. To facilitate that goal, it begins operating Jaguar plants all over the country, subsidizing production with tax money. To everyone’s delight, it offers these luxury cars for sale at 50 percent off the old price. People flock to the showrooms and buy. Later, sales slow down, so the government cuts the price in half again. More people rush in and buy.

Sales again slow, so it lowers the price to $900 each. People return to the stores to buy two or three, or half a dozen. Why not? Look how cheap they are! Buyers give Jaguars to their kids and park an extra one on the lawn.

Finally, the country is awash in Jaguars. Alas, sales slow again, and the government panics. It must move more Jaguars, or, according to its theory — ironically now made fact — the economy will recede. People are working three days a week just to pay their taxes so the government can keep producing more Jaguars. If Jaguars stop moving, the economy will stop. So the government begins giving Jaguars away. A few more cars move out of the showrooms, but then it ends. Nobody wants any more Jaguars. They don’t care if they’re free. They can’t find a use for them. Production of Jaguars ceases. It takes years to work through the overhanging supply of Jaguars. Tax collections collapse, the factories close, and unemployment soars. The economy is wrecked. People can’t afford to buy gasoline, so many of the Jaguars rust away to worthlessness. The number of Jaguars — at best — returns to the level it was before the program began.

The same thing can happen with credit.

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Ray Harvey On Mises.org!

Time to click over to Mises.org and read Ray Harvey's excellent "Wind or Nuclear?".

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Obamageddon

No need for further comment. Just watch it.

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You're Probably Making Investment Decisions ...

... based on assuming that this man -- and other economic illiterates that continue to rely on him like Obama -- knows what he's talking about.

What on God's green earth are you thinking?

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Happy 4th Of July ... And We Stand With The Iranian People

I have a long list of grievances with McCain but he usually gets it right in defense of liberty. And he has done so here. Start watching at the 3:00 mark if you're short on time.

And then go read Ray Harvey's post on what happened to those "privileged white men" to whom we owe so much. How's that brainwashing been working out for you? Electing a president who supports tyranny both abroad and now ever increasingly at home? You think you won't end up like this. But you're wrong. And sheep who call themselves people have always been on the wrong side of history.

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Peter Schiff On CNBC Yesterday

Looks like they're ending the recent nutty shutout.

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Katrina's Invitation

Because, you know, Katrina is just such a racist. LOL

Did I forget to mention Katrina for Prez!?

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Defining the Sceptics (Part 5)

Excellent article by local author Ray Harvey.

http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2009/06/defining-the-sceptics-part-5/

"According to Raymond Harvey: The scientific sceptic, as opposed to the philosophical sceptic, is defined by rational inquiry — someone who investigates with a disposition to be persuaded."

See the other 4 parts of the "Skeptics" series here:

http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/tag/philosophy/


See more about Ray at: http://fortcollinsteaparty.com/

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The Big Surprise

With the accelerating pace of political and economic disaster lately, it's hard to find anything to lighten things up. So that can only mean it's time for Iowahawk:

CHICAGO - Chicago White Sox front office spokesman Scott Reifert announced today that fans attending a July 11 twin bill versus the Minnesota Twins at US Cellular Field will receive a free commemorative mini-bat, unlimited ten cent Budweiser, and up to $800 Billion in federal bailout money. Billed as "Recession Demolition Night," Reifert said the giveaway promises to be the "biggest fan attraction since 1979."

The unique cross-promotion was the brainchild of White Sox GM Ken Williams and the Obama Administration, and Reifert said it took nearly 45 minutes of careful planning to work out the details.

"The Administration had $800 billion in unspent stimulus money, and we had a load of unsold tickets," explained Reifert. "I guess you could say it was a real win-win situation."

The Oval Office has come under some fire in the last week over revelations that only as small portion of the $867 Billion allocated to ARRA stimulus programs in February has thus far been spent. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that the joint promotion with the White Sox "shows the President is serious about ramping up the sweet, sweet cash giveaways that will get America back on its feet."

And how would you expect it to end but:

Reifert encouraged fans to order tickets soon, as demand is expected to be brisk. He remained coy, however, about whether the cash drop would take place during game one of the doubleheader, or the special nightcap open only to Mayor Daley, visiting Washington dignitaries, and Obama campaign donors.

"We're leaving that a big surprise," he said.

Go RTWT of course.

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No End To The Tyranny Of The Lukewarm Lunacy

UPDATE: Check out Ledeen today for the latest developments. Some slivers of hope in a very depressing situation.

Neda.
Not only is there no end to tyranny but there is no end to O Duce's stupid, self-righteous kow-towing to tyrants. Even the NYeT are not complete idiots like O Duce is on what's really going on:

Women were particular targets after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began to strictly enforce previously loosened restrictions. Thousands of women were arrested or intimidated because they did not adhere precisely to Islamic dress code on the streets.

Mir Hussein Moussavi, the leading opposition candidate, campaigned along with his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, and other prominent Iranian women rallied to his side as he promised to improve the status of women.

A woman called Hana posted a comment on Mr. Karroubi’s Web site: “I am alive but my sister was killed. She wanted the wind to blow into her hair; she wanted to be free; she wanted to hold her head high up and say: I am Iranian. My sister died because there is no life left; my sister died because there is no end to tyranny.”

Via Hitchens who is absolutely on fire today (go read it now, I'll wait), we now have Obama playing the role of the white moderate:

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws.

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

What a sorry narcissistic disaster O Duce is. Wait for a more convenient season indeed.

O Duce: How can a regime possibly be legitimate that treats their own people -- most especially women -- like cattle, beats and shoots them mercilessly and then won't even let the dead be buried properly? I don't care if you're an athiest or whatever it is you are. You live on a lukewarm lake of LaLa land lunacy.

And in case you didn't read the NYeT piece, check this out about Neda:

She studied philosophy and took underground singing lessons — women are barred from singing publicly in Iran.

You read that right. Women are barred from singing publicly in Iran.

Yes of course. These mullahs are perfectly sane. Let's negotiate. By all means. Did you read Hitchens?

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Two Of A Kind?

Well it looks like O Duce will get his head handed to him on a platter for craven totalitarian cow-towing before this is all over. Check out the following from Ledeen's blog:

I’ve received what purports to be a statement from Mousavi’s Office in Tehran. Like everyone else covering the revolution, I get a lot of material that can’t be authenticated, and one must always take such material with a healthy dose of skepticism. That said, the person who sent this to me is undoubtedly in touch with the Mousavi people on the ground, that much is certain. His information has been proven reliable throughout this period. So while the following open letter carefully puts distance between the author(s) and Mousavi himself, I am quite sure that at a minimum it accurately reflects the state of mind of the Mousavi people.

So here you go:

From the Office of Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi

To the President of the USA, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama:

Dear Mr. President,

In the name of the Iranian people, we want you to know that when you recently made the statement “Achmadinejad or Mousavi? Two of a kind,” we consider this as a grave and deep insult, not just to Mr. Mousavi but especially against the judgment of the Iranian people, against our moral conviction and intelligence, especially those of the young generation that comprises a population of 31 million.

It is a specially grave insult for those who are now fighting for democracy and freedom, and an unwarranted gift and even praise for Mr. Khamenei, whose security forces are now killing peaceful Iranians in the streets of every major city in the country.

Your statement misled the people of the world. It was no doubt inspired by your hope for dialogue with this regime, but you cannot possibly believe in promises from a regime that lies to its own people and then kills them when they demand the promises be kept.

By such statements, your administration and you discourage the Iranian people, who believe and trust in the values of democracy and freedom. We are pleased to see that you have condemned the regime’s murderous violence, and we look forward to stronger support for the rightful struggle of the Iranian people against the actions of a regime that is your enemy as well as ours.

UPDATE: From Mousavi’s speech on Sunday:

The great participation in this election was, in the first degree, indebted to the efforts for creating hope and trust among the people, to obtain a befitting response to the existing administrative crises and the widespread social dissatisfaction, whose accumulation can target the bedrock of the Revolution and the Regime. If this good faith and trust coming from the people is not answered by protecting their votes, or the people can not react in a civil and peaceful way to defend their rights, there will be dangerous pathways ahead, responsibility for which lies with those who can’t stand peaceful behaviors.

If the high volume of cheating and vote manipulation, that has put a fire to the foundations of people’s trust, is itself introduced as the proof and evidence of the lack of fraud, the republicanism of the regime will be slaughtered and the idea of incompatibility of Islam and republicanism would be practically proven.

UPDATE II: Mousavi has called for a general strike on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the regime is now rounding up Rafsanjani family members. As Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi tells us:

Tabnak Website from Iran reports: Five members of the Rafsanjani family arrested. It is said that his daughter Faezeh who is very outspoken and has been very active in politics for more than two decades has also been arrested. Reportedy Faezeh, her daughter,Hossein Marashi (cousin of Mrs. Rafsanjani nee Effat Marashi), Marashi’s daughter and Marashi’s sister-in-law have been taken into custody as well

Update III: From Judith Klinghoffer, the unions are joining the revolution.

I can tell you who are two of a kind: O Duce and the Mullahs. And throw in his craven bow to the Saudi King for good measure.

And what's even more lunatic is that I find myself in the position of supporting protesters who have socialistic planks in their platform while O Duce won't:

But, of course compared to the Fascist Mullahs the protesters are almost laissez-faire. What they're complaining about is that the Mullahs are in fact a Fascist, corporatist state that keeps all the oil revenue cream for itself. No wonder O Duce loves the Mullahs, that's exactly what he's so busily creating in America.

I'll be considerate and avoid the picture of the consequences of O Duce's support for misogynistic, pimple-faced violent thugs. But you can go look if you have a strong stomach. Her name was Neda.

Oh, and in case you think O Duce is alone in this position among his coalition, you might want to check out the home page of NOW. If you've been following developments and watching video (such as the one above for instance) you can't help but notice that Iranian women have been key victims of the Mullahs as well as leaders among the protesters. But not a peep of support by NOW anywhere to be found. What a sad disgrace.

UPDATE: More must reading here.

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Where Is This Place?

Tomorrow may be a critical day in Iran. There are reports that Mousavi's headquarters has been smashed and he may have been arrested.

Today Friday 18 June 1388
Tomorrow Saturday is very important; Day of destiny.
Tonight the screams of “God is great” [Allah-o Akbar]
is louder than on any other night.

Where is this place?
Where is this place that all paths are closed? All doors are shut?
Where is this place that no one helps us?

Where is this place that we shout out our words with only silence?
Where is this place?
Where is this place that its people’s only call is to God?
Where is this place that its cry of Allah-o Akbar ["God is Great"]
Grows louder and louder every minute?

Every day I wait to see if at night
The cries of “God is Great” grows louder or not.
I tremble as I hear them getting louder and louder.
I do not know if God trembles too or not.
Where is this place that we the innocents are stuck in [imprisoned]?
Where is this place that no one can help us?
where is this place that we are only shouting out our words with silence?
Where is this place that the youth are killed and people stand in the street and pray?
They stand in the blood and pray.
Where is this place that people are called [vagrants] trouble makers?
Where is this place?
Do you want me to tell you?

It is Iran.
It is my home land and your home land.
It is Iran.

And here's something else you probably haven't seen. A Mousavi campaign video:

As Ledeen has pointed out, Mousavi's wife may be more popular than he is. And it's pretty obvious why if you watch the first part of the video. I'm pretty sure the women came out and voted heavily. And Khameini and A-jad have spit on them and nullified their votes. And they know it without any doubt.

Watch out.

Are they trying to shake off chains and oppression? Yes. Are they just like us? No. Should we support them? Yes. Can you even imagine their courage? I don't think you really can.

UPDATE: And you need to go read Ledeen today. Tyranny is the most unstable form of government. No kidding.

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Green

Support the Tehran "Tea Party"!

UPDATE: The Manifesto:

1. Remove Khamenei from supreme leader because he doesn't qualify as a fair supreme leader

2. Remove Ahmadinejad from president because he took it forcefully and unlawfully

3. Put Ayatollah Montazeri as supreme leader until a review group for the ghanooneh asasi ( "constitution" ) is set up

4. Recognize Mousavi as the official president

5. A goverment by Mousavi and start a reform of the constitution

6. Free all political prisoners without any ifs ands or buts, right away

7. Call off any secret organization such as "gasht ershad"

UPDATED AGAIN: Good stuff from Ledeen:

There are reports of members of the Revolutionary Guards defecting to the dissidents. There is this report from an Iranian website (the only place i’ve seen it) according to which 16 senior Revolutionary Guards officials have been arrested:

“These commanders have been in contact with members of the Iranian army to join the people’s movement. Three of the commanders are veterans of Iran-Iraq war. They have been moved to an undisclosed location in East Tehran.”

If true, it’s very important, but, as I have often noted, the regime has distrusted them for some time. The young Islamic revolutionaries of the late 1970s are now middle aged, and do not wish to slaughter their neighbors. That is why the mullahs have imported killers from abroad: the five thousand or so Hezbollahis who, according to Der Spiegel, have been brought in from Lebanon and Syria. Dissidents on Twitter report clashes with security forces who do not speak Farsi, and there are even some rumors suggesting that Chavez has sent some of his toughs from Venezuela. Who knows?

Pray for them.

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Huxley's Dictatorship O The Now

I'm betting you've never seen this interview with Aldous Huxley. If you ever needed a wake-up call to turn off American Idol and start paying closer attention to your world, this is it. You should not only watch the whole thing but follow the YouTube links to watch the other two segments of the interview.

Then you need to put it together with this choice little bit from David Ramsey Steele's "The Mystery Of Fascism":

The leadership theme was reinforced by the theoretical writings of, Mosca, Pareto, and Michels, especially Pareto's theory of the Circulation of Elites. All these arguments emphasized the vital role of active minorities and the futility of expecting that the masses would ever, left to themselves, accomplish anything. Further corroboration came from Le Bon's sensational best-seller of 1895--it would remain perpetually in print in a dozen languages--The Psychology of Crowds, which analyzed the "irrational" behavior of humans in groups and drew attention to the group's proclivity to place itself in the hands of a strong leader, who could control the group as long as he appealed to certain primitive or basic beliefs. (30)

The initiators of Fascism saw anti-rationalism as high-tech. It went with their fast cars and airplanes. Fascist anti-rationalism, like psychoanalysis, conceives of itself as a practical science which can channel elemental human drives in a useful direction.

O Ooof. Useful direction for whom? Raise your hand if you think your fellow citizens have been sheared like sheep.

But I digress ... What is the latest with Britney Spears today? And is Michelle still lifting weights?

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The Road Trip

Problem? What problem?

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