d.alon:  Corporate media is there for your amusement.  It’s called infotainment.  If it’s knowledge you desire, link to http://www.democracynow.org and watch their one hour broadcast, five days per week.  Democracy Now is one of the last repositories of real journalism available on electronic media.  Just about everything else is propaganda.

1.
d. alon, I used to feel and think as you.  We feel your frustration.  However, I’ve come to understand that in this very complex life, the world is really so huge that it is nearly unfathomable in the normal course of life.  As one grows older and has experiences and becomes educated, we learn just how immeasurable and eternal it is.  I liken what is happening on these forums to a medusa jellyfish, which is really a collection of many, many individual members that work together to have a life.  I have come to appreciate all the bits and orts of information that surface in these forums from such various minds and appreciate how it expands my own.  If I do a little more work than another blogger, at times, there are many more others who are doing more than I.  I recently shared something I do with another forum contributor who replied that he does the same thing!  It is a game I play occasionally that points out just how vast existence is.  I do this to center myself in reality.  In one form of the game I may be out to dinner having a hamburger.  As I am eating I start thinking about how it is that that delicious sandwich got to my plate.  Once the game begins that tells me how it did come about, I soon realize it is unending.  Start with the bun: the baker, the flour, the yeast, the companies that makes the flour and yeast, all the other ingredients that went into making just that bun.  Even the oven that baked the bun, the water, the salt, the manufacturer, the mining that provided the metal to the manufacturer, and so on and so on, it is a cascade, and this doesn’t even get to the hamburger, lettuce, tomato, and thousand Island dressing that in itself would be staggering.  And then there are the french fries!  But that isn’t even all that‘s involved, it is the plate on which it came, the fork, knife, spoon, the designer of the fork, knife, spoon, the restaurant itself, and another set of staggering events and things just to get me that hamburger. And shall we include the coffee?  With or without crème, sugar?  It is truly mind-boggling.  Yes, it is just a game, but a game that reflects the phenomenon of this journey we call life.  We are unconscious of most of it.  How we come to experience the world and have a quality life is without any doubt the most important acquaintance a sentient being can have.  On reflection, it is all we have on which to base our values.  I welcome all the information that comes this way, and Yes, you are right and I wholeheartedly receive your comments as it causes me to think.  And to think is the highest activity a human can do.

2.
There is much we are not told, actually boundless amounts.  Others are doing lifting too to bring us this information.  Yes the media should be doing a better job, but the fact is, they aren’t.  You are right, most of us don’t have the time to find out how a hamburger gets to a plate or what the political climate is really like.  On occasion, I re-read all of the posts of an article just to get an overarching view of what is going on, how can I mine more out of what has been said so that I might be better informed and able to conduct a quality life for myself and others that I care about?  There many of us that are at great variance in our opinions and yet brave to express them.  Even those opinions that are diametrically opposed to my own give me valuable information on how possibly to look at something more broadly.  I’ve even been known to be convinced by another to a different opinion!  And besides, there are great humorists on these forums.

I once learned that the image of a diamond that has many, many facets facing in different directions can represent a fascinating and brilliant existence.  Perhaps you are right in your description of the corporate world, and others will do some lifting and flesh out the more true nature of that domain.  Yes we are to blame for foolishly reaching for the shiny penny, it’s just that we are built that way.  So what shall we do about it?  We expect you to do some lifting too.

#119921 by Shenonymous

Excellent observations!

Thanks!

With a little more sober set of comments:  While I personally think illegal immigrants acutely affect this country, I do not think vigilante enforcement is the moral thing to do.  It is up to our government to deal with the terribly difficult situation.  That being said, the fact that Huckabee associates himself with the so-called paladins of border patrol, the Minuteman, is one reason to question his candidacy for president of the United States.  (Huron Daily Tribune, Dec. 11, Mike Glover).  That he framed the news as a “tattle” speaks to the underlying veracity, seeds of truth, in the claim by Romney.  Often, it is thought, a sharp and belittling defense is an effective offense.  But let’s start adding up the various criticisms of Huckabee, since he is running for the highest office in the land that represents over 300 million people of various ethnic, religious, economic conditions.  It is important this time that we elect a moral man, a man of egalitarian principles, a man of all the people and not one whose proven views are narrow and self-serving.

Having had his entire campaign life “crafted” to place him in a “moderate” political light (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 2, 1995), Huckabee, a Baptist minister, was also on the fringe of unethical receivership of campaign funds and in 1998 was fined by the Arkansas Ethics Commission for failing to report campaign payments to him and his wife, as well as using money for the Governor’s Mansion for personal use in somewhat deceitful actions.  It is my opinion that anyone who seeks to attain the highest office in the land ought to be above all reproach.  And we have been duped before by good looks and unknown dark sides to their nature.  But that doesn’t mean we need to loose or forget our alertness or caution.  Either we posture we are a moral nation and are hypocrites or we in fact have ethical values.  His questionable role in the DuMond murderer case is worthy of being on the list of criticisms as well (see Wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Huckabee#_note-RexNelson).  The housewarming/wedding gift fiasco give a small insight into the kind of curveball disposition a politician can have (Arkansas Times, Nov. 11, 2006).  Clever is as clever does.  His criticized fiscal management of the State of Arkansas deserves circumspection.  His modus operandi is to make small advances but claim gargantuan progress and to take credit for what his predecessors start (Arkansas Times, Aug. 9, 2007).  The take-taxes-away-with-one-hand ploy but raise-taxes-with-the-other-hand is also this politicians legacy. It shows the duplicity of political machination.  But redistributing the taxes is where the cleverness comes in.  When taxes are shifted and actually increase against the claim that taxes were lowered, a closer look is warranted.  Taking a state budget surplus of $850 million but increasing the general obligation debt to nearly a billion takes some undoings goings on and also need looked at more closely.  There are many other issues that blush this candidate’s record not the least of which is the teaching of creationism in the public schools in defiance of separation of church and state.  It would be most prudent that before becoming involved in monomania over a candidate especially for the office of president, a pause ought to be taken to consider the implications of affectation.

IS THERE A CHRISTIAN IN THE HOUSE?

Wasn’t Huckabee using God’s name in vain? If so didn’t he violate one of the Ten Commandments? Isn’t Huckabee a minister? Assuming the allegation to be true, if we were in fact a Christian country, shouldn’t/wouldn’t we,at least those amongst us who are in fact Christians, be outraged?

Christians are as Christians do.  If Romney and Huckabee are in fact Christians, Christianity is in deep trouble and so is our Constitution.

What’s not commonly known, is Huckabee’s vanity keeps him from wearing his glasses. In addition, he is color blind.

So in reality, when he was visited by his running mate the robe he mistook for humble monks cloth was actually bright red. And the shine around the top of the hood was actually the ceiling lights reflecting off the horns.

But those closest to the candidate, fearing the wrath of his “running mate” haven’t yet worked up the courage to ask him to put his glasses on.

I have it on very good authority from Mitt Romney, [or was it the mailman?] Jesus Christ wouldn’t be caught dead [or any other way] associating with someone who so carelessly speaks in his name. Which is why we haven’t seen any of the prayers for God to clean up the mess we’re in, answered. 

Well actually he has answered. The answer is, “No! This time, clean up your own mess!”

Jesus for president, Shuckabee for vice president.  That might work!

co-pilot, running mate, and on speed dial.

Chelsea and Oprah better look out, the big dog endorsements are starting to come in…

He would never get through the AIPAC vetting.

Can’t happen----JC was a left leaning democrat!

Yeah, CY--First we elect JC, and then we get really get the answer to today’s most relevant question:  Who would Jesus bomb?

Actually, Andy, Huckster has already named him as a running mate. It is appropriate because Bush’s VP thinks he is God his father.

I actually think that Huckabee is the one genuine person running in the GOP. I’m not sure which would be more frightening, a power-hungry fraud who just claims to be religious, or someone like Huckabee who genuinely believes theocracy is the way to go.

It really doesn’t matter....

Hillary plans to “heal” the rift by nominating Oprah Winfrey as HER veep, and Oprah is a lot more popular than Jesus ever was.

We are lucky, he only nominated Jesus as his v.p. imagine if he has nominated Allah his V.P. we would have been stuck with all Allahs followers, such as OSAMA and CO.

If the Dem candidates are smart they will run like hell in order to recruit one of the Apostles. Or at least a well known Saint. But they must hurry, this trend may spread and before you know it the Repug candidates will have garnered all of the Bible greats.

Mike Huckabee = New Judas of our time !

Do not be surprised that some of these deluded people running for the presidency will try this one. They all are becoming so desperate that the public can smell their fear.

A really funny post.The really weird thing is that if it were true he probably would not have as much power as Cheney has with this President.

This should be on “The Onion”.