I offered the solution to our unsupported monetary system in the very first posts I made at Blogster some 2 plus years ago. We can make our own money and back it with a gasoline reserve. Certificates guarantying a gallon of gas on demand could be offered by a citizen's co-op. It's all Consitutional and could serve as a back-up monetary system in the event of the dollar's complete failure. I intend to post on the subject again within the week. Meantime you might follow back on my original posts. We can secure our children's future.

I asked for and received a genuine period 48 star flag for Christmas from my children. I will fly it on the 4th for the first time this year.

I served in the military under the 50 star flag but the disgrace it suffered at the hands of antiwar activists and the shame of surrender in Viet Nam has soured my appreciation of that flag. The era of the 60's did irrepairable harm to American patriotism and that is obvious from this post and all the comments that follow it.

Damn the politicians. Stand up and salute your flag and what it stands for!

The entire penal system needs to be scrapped. The xpense is ridiculous and unecessary. We need to reserve a couple of islands and ship our criminals there to serve their full terms. I can think of no greater deterrent to crime than the thought of being dropped on an island full of murderers and thieves without supervision.

I can only say again that you're not getting the obvious. Both parties are beyond useless and the most destructive of the two is the Dems. If my bogeyman is the Dem/Socialist Party certainly yours is the Republican Party. Fact is I have no party affiliation. I despise them both as they stand today.

I think it's a good thing that Leftists can't carry guns but as for me...
When they do outlaw self-defense (and you know there is no preventing them) I will do what the criminals do. Carry a gun anyway.

"This is what you get when you elect Republicans..." That's not just funny it's insane. Don't you have any idea how we got into this mess? Do you actually think this would not have happened if the last Republican had been eliminated?

We are in this mess because both political parties are $hit. And if you're interested in the full truth the Democrat party isn't democratic in the least. It is socialist - and they're destroying us.

I can only talk to you a couple of times a year because by the end of it I'm smacking myself in the head for wasting my own time. You understand don't you, that you and JoeZ are identical opposites?

Third reply below.

You may call it a news story if you wish. I was misled into thinking it was an opinion piece by the bias that filled it. I totally forgot what passes for news in the "Times". The "reproter" states unreservedly that the screening process was illegal and floats a perspective that you have bought into completely:
The justice dept. (for God only knows what insane reason) is rejecting candidates because they are not Christian enough?
This is reality?
If you know me you know I am no Christian but I do know religious bigotry and bias in reporting when I see it.

It was a good post. I'm just fuzzy on one thing. What's a black issue?

Since your source is an opinion columnist at the L.A. Times don't you think a bit more scrutiny ought to be applied?
1. Where does this opinionater draw the line between liberal and conservative? And what's moderate by his reckoning?
2. Do you (as most progressives do) jerk reflexively to the word "discriminate"? You understand, don't you, that discrimination is essential to decision making? Hiring is hardly an exception to that rule even though Leftists wish it wasn't and have raised hell in the economy trying to eliminate their definition of descrimination from hiring practices. You wouldn't stop me from hiring a college grad over a H.S. dropout would you? But that is what discrimination means.
3. Just possibly (and I'm sure you would disagree) the criteria in this case was intended to select people grounded in reality rather than in flighty ideology. I'm just sayin'...