The engineering dept. where I teach is almost universally conservative, but the "arts & sciences" faculty are about as left as Lenin University of 1955. One thing I've noticed about the left in academia - their ability to reason is on par with a rodent.

When are intelligent minority voters in America going to recognize Big Al and Jesse as the completely despicable scum that they are? If you introduced a sociopathic pedophile as "The Reverend" fill-in-the blank, you'd have a crowd cheering and clapping for him.

Apparently you missed the part about me being conservative! The test is a very simple one: when your rights are violated, do you go to court or church? If that doesn't tell you something, there's no point in a discussion.

Let's be realistic, the rights you hae as an American citizen are granted by the Constitution, and are upheld, or should be, by the justice dept. You can thelogize all you want, but the gods do not have arrest powers. Secular government does.

I am both an agnostic (leaning atheist) and a political conservative. I think Dawkins is over the top the same way that Tony Perkins is over the top. For years, I've had fellow conservatives berate me for my non-belief. Yes, I understand that we are about 4% of the population, about the same as the percentage of conservatives in Vermont. Since I'm never going to embrace the evangelical GOP, would you rather I just make a left-turn, or do you want my vote anyway...

At my institution, we had a black man hired to be in charge of faculty training for the "distance-learning" software. Then, they hired someone who actually knew how to use the software when it became obvious through disasterous training classes that the "Director" knew absolutely nothing. As long as they can do the job, I don't care what their color is.

dahni, were you addressing the article or was this just a chunk of "free thought" that floated out of something?

Better at what, exactly? He does seem to be better at making the GOP self-destruct, or perhaps that's just their nature. I want him gone so much, and yet when I look at the alternative... Is it possible that in 2016, a real conservative candidate will be available? By then I don't think there's much chance the American people would elect another Democrat.

I'll go one step (maybe several) farther than Col. West. I think we need about five years of martial law (yes, I know exactly what it means and I meant it) to "clean out" those that think government exists to provide for the citizens. Call it a junta, cabal - it doesn't matter. Of course the left (and the Wrong Paul right) will immediately go into foam-at-the-mouth overdrive, but frankly, they are like the dog barking three houses down. Annoying, but totally without meaning.

Roman, you seem to be a prime example of the reason our nation has gone from Reagan to Obama. Domestic change is coming. You won't like it. When did third-world nations get a pass for uncivilized behavior? When a "leader" makes war on his own people, the people should be assisted. When Americans engaged in humanitarian assistance come under attack, as in Somalia in the 90s, our military should be released like mad dogs to totally crush all resistance. If third-world nations do not want our help under these conditions, our policy should be no governmental assistance whatsoever. Let the NGOs handle it.