----------------------------------------- As Ken Silverstein said on Doug's program, part of the left is rife with conspiracy theories. I believe this is a function of the left's weakness in general and that segment of the left's weak analytical skills in particular. The writer here is discussing that arch-conspiracy spinning storyteller Philip K. Dick and says "his current popularity suggests a willingness by readers to embrace the premise that nothing is ever what it seems to be — and that free will matters little as we make our way through life." I don't know if that's true. Some of Dick's writings would suggest he thought "free will" mattered although perhaps he wasn't "voluntaristic."
Speaking of free will and "choice," even if the left isn't taking advantage of corporate corruption at the moment (and we have yet to see how it plays out) at least everyone should be happy that Social Security won't be partially privatized any time soon. I like what Ron Hayduk and Ben Shepard had to say on Doug's radio show. It's good to have people in the streets and at the table doing different things, where the people in the streets help out those at the table. I think they'd probably agree that the people at the table need to produce results, however. Those at the table for working people today, the Democrats, haven't done squat. Instead you have Senator Clinton shouting down Russ Feingold at a recent meeting and you had Joseph "Stock Option" Lieberprude arguing for stricter welfare work rules this past spring, just to mention two examples. We need different people at the table. (Maybe first we need a movement) So while I agree with Nathan on the current state of the Greens, I don't when it comes to the Democrats or Nader's presidential run. (by the way, he has a piece on compromised science at the Nation's website: http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=newman20020725
Peter