Recent Comments

1. almost 12 years ago on Calvin and Hobbes

   “Well, IIRC, it didn’t end well for Magellan …”

   Wow Richard, I didn’t know you were THAT old!

2. about 16 years ago on Doonesbury

   I just finished reading President-elect Obama’s acceptance speech and it brought tears to my eyes. There is hope after all.   I had pretty much given up on the viability of this country based on all the unending greed and corruption that has been so rampant this past decade. Yet even without a dramatic presentation, just his words alone inspire hope for the future. Hope for a lot of things but especially hope that we will move from the paradigm of the divisiveness of finger pointing and bickering to an inclusive search for win-win solutions that respect human and global dignity. This was exemplified by his words:

   As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.   And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

   I think the biggest danger now is the (probably unrealistic), high expectations of his supporters and his critics, both nationally and globally. It is certainly going to be a test of his mettle. For everyone’s sake, I wish him success.

3. about 16 years ago on Doonesbury

   (carryover from 11/3/08) Susan001 says: The only “positive” aspect of this damned war and occupation is that it has made Bush/Cheney/Halliburton wealthy.   Yes. And THAT was the true agenda of this war.

4. about 16 years ago on Doonesbury

   (carryover from 11/3/08) attyush says: While I do not agree with the Iraq war, I fully support the actions taken after 9/11. It was a horrific crime that deserved a strong response, not a dialog. Will it affect innocents? You bet. Did we have other options? None.   On the contrary we had lots of options.   First and foremost would have been to examine WHY the US is hated so much! Could it be because of all the arrogant exploitation to 3rd world countries we have done over the past 50 - 100 years? Or the covert meddling with other governments through assassinations and funding puppet dictators/politicians?   If we had sown the seeds of peace instead of the seeds of war, how much better off would we be now? Had we spent $10 billion to fund 2 or 3 peace centers in the troubled areas it would have been far cheaper and would have resulted in far better results than the $500 billion we have spent seeking revenge.   After 9/11 we had the world’s sympathy and empathy. We had a wonderful opportunity for creating an entirely new paradigm for international relations and seeking solutions. But it required a true leader. It requires a true leader to overcome a knee-jerk reaction of seeking revenge. It requires a true leader to look for and suggest that there were other responses. It require a true leader to inspire a country to see that violence only begets more long term violence. Instead it was completely wasted by a president with a ludicrous frat-boy/cowboy mentality hell-bent on going out and kicking-a**! I suppose that’s what you expect from someone who said even before he was elected that he knew nothing about foreign policy.   Even if we “won” the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan today we would be far less secure than and have far more “terrorists” seeking our destruction than 7 years ago.

5. about 16 years ago on Doonesbury

   NoFearPup says: One point makes this pseudo-comic biography totally a waste of publishing paper,ink or bytes : Trudeau totally misses Bush’s most likely motivations - He just aint [sic] that vain. This is another case of Dems projecting their petty philosophy on everyone else.   The asterisk also goes back to GB sr. and the Reagan years - which is why Trudeau should move on already!!!   I suppose when one’s belief system is being challenged you are running out of valid defensive arguments it would feel uncomfortable and one would want to move on or change the subject. Much easier than examining a belief system.

6. about 16 years ago on Bloom County

   aerwaltPro says: Wish I could remember the reference,but someone theorized that the earth was still making oil. Organic ocean debris gradually subducted under the tectonic plates and cooked in the magma.   Not really. The earth may still be creating oil but not by subduction. Heating any organic matter to the temperatures of magma would break all of the carbon chains and would no longer be raw material for oil. The other processes that result in oil proceed at a pace thousands of times slower than what we are using up the oil.

7. about 16 years ago on Bloom County

   dberanek says: When they pump the last barrel of oil then they will worry about alternative fuels. Not before.   That’s not what is so scary. What is scary is that oil is the raw material of so much of our other non-fuel products - think plastic, fertilizers, medicines, construction, etc. We might someday find an alternative source of energy but raw materials??