this will be brief and really to just put out an idle thought. I have no presumption about the players' guilt and assume they are innocent.
however, i wonder what the result would have been if the accused were black or hispanic; if they were not children of the well-connected; if they were not athletes; if it were a predominantly black university and the accuser was white?
my guess - immediate trial, conviction or plea bargain. certainly no charges would have been filed against the da involved. probably bush's federal attorney would have been involved, limbaugh would have had orgasms attacking the accused, etc, etc, etc,

Amid all the trumpeting regarding the "good" economy, recent "high" stock prices, it is important to note that the stock market has lost value in both simple calculations of the adjusted rate and net present value since January 2000.

What this means is that an an investment of $100 in the market in 2000 would be worth $80 in year 2000 value of money.
In other words for that $100 investment in 2000 to break even in today's dollars, the stock market would have had to return about $150 dollars. Since the Dow value was $11,750.28 on that date it would have had to reach at least $15,000 to hit the break even point.

The republicans cannot even manage the economy well enough for their backers to earn money!

We should be making more of this.

The link below from Alternet is very detailed so I won't be repetitive. However this needs to be addressed and stopped if we want to prevent further erosion of democracy in the US. Why?

1. Private army under direct control of the pressednut

2. Not subject to any laws

3. Now being used domestically and not subject to any constitutional controls

4. No direct/coordinated chain of command

5. Run by hatefilled, hateful and violent right wing fanatics

6. Could easily be used other fanatics to launch a coup or to intimidate opposition

Call on Congress to ban these groups or at the very least make them official members of the military - subject to all laws and controls.
Blackwater

from the ap bush said:
"HANOI, Vietnam -        President Bush said Friday the United States' unsuccessful war in Vietnam three decades ago offered lessons for the American-led struggle in        Iraq. "We'll succeed unless we quit," Bush said shortly after arriving in this one-time war capital."

i do not write many diaries, especially after the last election. but i have to comment on a couple of things that have arisen in the last few months. to those who are still in denial regarding the emergence of totalitarianism (nee facism/stalinism) in the us i propose that we already live in the early to mid stages of a totalitarian state and that a loss in the next election will probably doom us to a very long slog and to less freedom, worsening economy and more war - the inevitable mid to long range consequences of authorianism.

The driving force for the US misadventures in the last 40 years has been the dying economic belief in globalism. Globalism is really just a philosophical extension of 17th and 18th century British mercantilism. Unfortunately we bought into it wholeheartedly.

In the end this has led us into colonialism and imperialism, not just in Iraq but also in S. America and Asia. If it were not for the Chinese and Indian resistance we probably would have already established a larger military presence in Asia and would have bled them more than we have.

The tough part is that globalism does not work in the intermediate and long term because it tends to ignore all facets of government except for economics. As it falls apart countries tend to become insecure; more war and death entail. A good model for what can happen is Europe in the 10 years prior to WWI.

I have been having a running debate and sporadic e-mail dialogue with Fred Hiatt of the Washington Post and have found him at least willing to listen to opinions.

Here is a copy of the most recent letter I sent him:

Dear Mr Hiatt:

I have written you before. Some notes have been more strident than others.
This is more of a plea. I know it must be easy for the Post and other media to be jaundiced, sophisticated, cynical and whatever else one becomes when one must report on the US. There has been much coverage of the election, but very little of real substance. One issue that must be addressed is the current US quest for empire and its likely effects and what it will really mean to the US and  the world. I am  asking you to do
some intelligent and in depth coverage of this, while you still can.