Peri

Kat: That one-legged gold digger ended up with a hundred mil? Let's just hope she takes his cash and then she goes back to where she came from and the public never hears from her again. I never had the dubious pleasure of making her acquaintance, but I got the feeling she was trouble a long time ago. He should have listened to his kids, who could barely tolerate her, from what I've read. If he ever decides to take a third trip down the aisle, I hope he gets a pre-nup. Too bad Jane Asher is no longer available.

My goodness, I have received a lot of suggestions on what do watch and read to learn something about economics! You folks always come through for me! I'm afraid the reason that I don't understand much about economics thus far is that everything I've tried to read on the subject produces a reaction similar to MSK's--boredom...but I'm willing to revisit the issue!

I noted that as well. Since the publication of his book, I've heard several interviews with Greenspan in various media--and Stewart was the most incisive interviewer of the lot. Scads of journalists interview the guy, and a former stand-up comedian and denizen of MTV proved to ask the most interesting questions...Which is another topic in itself.... I will reserve comment on the Fed's necessity--or not--in a free market as I have not read enough nor know enough about economics to comment intelligently. I eagerly await comment from people more familiar with the subject.

*stands up and applauds* When someone uses Ms. Coulter to bolster their argument, they lose me. Period.

I served as an alternate juror in a federal case, and no, I didn't have to swear on anything, not even my mother's grave. But then, I was an ALTERNATE juror...

Kitchen knives can be dangerous in the hands of the "wrong" person...like me, who hasn't yet mastered the "professional" way to cut veggies..."dangerous" in that I might cut off my finger or dull the knife's blade. ;-) Otherwise, what else is there for me to do but join the amen chorus on stating that making kitchen knives illegal is clearly absurd?

The last interesting award show that I can remember were the Grammy Awards of 1998 when Ol' Dirty Bastard interrupted the presentation for Song Of The Year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2-5GSjZvW8 and Soy Bomb interrupted a Bob Dylan performance. Mick I'm with Mick here; nothing has topped the 1998 Grammies for entertainment. Soy Bomb made the show, as you can see here.

World peace is always a good idea. Michael and I will do what we can.

Michael, Ok, I'll bite. This is a very moving tribute to someone who offered up their last and greatest measure of devotion. I know a lot of people on this board support the war in Iraq, and I don't wish to debate anyone over the issue; however, it's easy to support a war if you or your loved ones aren't the ones putting the ultimate gift on the line. I have a co-worker who lost her eldest son in Iraq (he enlisted in the Marines after 9/11); her youngest son enlisted in the Marines for the infantry in honor of his brother and now my co-worker is facing the fact that her youngest is being deployed next year in July. My co-worker is vociferously anti-war. She's not a nut like Cindy Sheehan; she's quietly diginfied and she supported and respects her sons in their decisions, but I can tell you that she has no love for this war or the Administration who launched it. I honor and respect our military and I'm not a pacifist; but I believe that governments should think long and hard before sending our children into harm's way--and if they DO send them, they sure as hell had better have an adequate plan to protect them as much as possible and get them in and out efficiently. In other words, don't lie about the reasons and don't do a lazy, half-assed job with the planning of it.

Including the original Objectivist herself. In some places, that's dangerous to say. Happily, this isn't one of those places. Kat, I love the way you boiled that down to its elements. Sex/Money/Power. The stuff that makes the world go 'round -- and why the *story* remains so potent, even today. Whatever else you may think of humanity, I think we are all are suckers for a good story. Which Rand obviously knew, since she chose to express some of her deepest thinking through writing fiction.

I like that idea. Michael honey, you listening? Where did you find a Statue of Liberty to put on your tree, Kat?

Well, whether Objectivists like it or not, history was greatly influenced by Christianity. I hold that this faith, delusion, supersition, irrational nonsense or whatever you want to call it , was really "invented" by Saul of Tarsus, obviously influenced by a lot of other "mystery" religions in the air at the time, and he deposited his various ideas on the itinerant rabbi Jesus of Nazareth. It would be fascinating to find what was his motivation. .

Now THAT's what I call a contrast. The mind boggles. If I could be anyone for a day? Only a day? If I had time, I'd like to be someone who was with Paul of Tarsus when he saw his "vision" of Christ on the way to Damascas. I'd like to know what he was on at the time--mabye he just ate some rye tainted with ergot? I am curious as to how all the mythology was deposited upon Jesus of Nazareth.

Oh Victor, I am flattered. I was moonlighting on the internet board hosted by Lennon's kid, who's just put out a quite tasty new album called "Friendly Fire." Met a few Sean Lennon fans interested in Rand on that board, btw. That off-topic stuff being said, I would tell the original poster that Ms. Stuttle pretty much summed up 'the break' pretty well, and not to dwell on it too much. It might be interesting from a biographical or historical perspective, but I think you can be an Objectivist w/o aligning yourself to any particular "camp" but the only one that matters--your own.

Now, now...why drag in Valliant? His book adds nothing to the practice of Objectivism as a philosophy at the end of the day, does it? Ok, so it made some noise amongst certain individuals, but most of the people out there in the world at large who admire Rand's philosophy remain untouched by it, because it quite frankly doesn't matter to them. They absorb what they absorb through Rand's work. Just my opinion....