:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 ::

Survey finds benefits more important than pay for many - 2004-03-31 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"Thirty-nine percent of newly hired employees in the Sacramento area are more concerned with the benefit package than the pay, according to a recent survey. "

Seems to me that if you put a single payer health care system in place of the semi privatized mess we got now; you would increase the productive dynamics of the workforce as a whole, people would go for the job and not the power of socialized benifits which a job could aquire. Small businesses and new ventures would be able to better compete for the workforce against the standard bearers.

:: Jim Nichols 3/31/2004 07:49:00 PM [+] ::
...

Study: California's tech lead threatened - 2004-03-31 - Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal:

"Investments in a state's science and technology assets -- from higher education to access to venture capital -- are crucial in determining a region's future economic success, says a new report by the Milken Institute, a Los Angeles think tank. But California's budget problems and its slipping education systems could endanger the state's rank as a magnet for high tech companies, the report says. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/31/2004 07:41:00 PM [+] ::
...

"Query: How to combine belief that the world is to a great extent illusory with belief that it is none the less essential to improve the illusion? How to be simultaneously dispassionate and not indifferent, serene like an old man and active like a young one?"


--Aldous Huxley
Eyeless in Gaza

:: Jim Nichols 3/31/2004 05:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Jobless Rates Rise in Key Election States:

"Unemployment rates increased in nine of the 17 battleground states that could decide the 2004 presidential election, with Missouri and Arkansas showing the biggest increases last month, the Labor Department (news - web sites) said Wednesday.

The department's state-by-state survey showed weak job growth in many parts of the country. Jobless rates fell in six of the most contested states and held steady in two others, the report said."

:: Jim Nichols 3/31/2004 04:26:00 PM [+] ::
...

The Ratings Mirage:

"Reporting on the ratings rivalry between the Fox News Channel (FNC) and CNN is often misleading--and almost always over-hyped. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/31/2004 04:13:00 PM [+] ::
...

Is it just me???

Or does it strike anyone else as strange that Bush and Cheney are going to testify together? Why would you do that? The point of keeping people seperate is to get the different stories, so as to better understand what happend. If they testify together it is because they want to be sure to give the same story.

:: Jim Nichols 3/31/2004 11:07:00 AM [+] ::
...

Something to ponder....

Nietzsche said that "most thinkers write badly because they tell us not only their thoughts, but also the thinking of the thoughts." Could it be that most bloggers blog poorly because they spend too little time thinking their own thoughts, and too much time showing us the thoughts of others, thoughts which they would like us to think and see?

:: Jim Nichols 3/29/2004 06:08:00 PM [+] ::
...

And in the 'this guy needs another hobby' category we have...
'Wichita Eagle' Gets Letter From Serial Killer: "WICHITA, Kan. (AP)

After 25 years of silence, police have apparently heard again from the BTK Strangler, a serial killer who terrorized the city during the 1970s.

A letter sent last week to The Wichita Eagle contained information on a 1986 killing and included photos that appeared to be of the victim's body. Police are examining the letter for DNA and other evidence.

'The photographs appear to be authentic,' said Lt. Ken Landwehr, who has been working the BTK case for 20 years. 'I'm 100% sure it's BTK.'"

:: Jim Nichols 3/29/2004 05:43:00 PM [+] ::
...

So much for that "free press" idea...
U.S.-Led Coalition Shuts Down Iraq Paper:

"The U.S.-led coalition on Sunday shut down a weekly newspaper run by followers of a hardline Shiite Muslim cleric, saying its articles were increasing the threat of violence against occupation forces."

:: Jim Nichols 3/29/2004 05:36:00 PM [+] ::
...

This guy is probably too honest to ever make a career in the media...

Reporter Apologizes for Iraq Coverage:

"In the wake of Richard Clarke's dramatic personal apology to the families of 9/11 victims last week -- on behalf of himself and his government -- for failing to prevent the terrorist attacks, one might expect at least a few mea culpas related to the release of false information on the Iraq threat before and after the war.

This has not happened so far, with President Bush on Wednesday going so far as to joke about the missing weapons of mass destruction at a correspondents dinner in Washington.

While the major media, from The New York Times on down, has largely remained silent about their own failings in this area, a young columnist for a small paper in Fredericksburg, Va., has stepped forward.

'The media are finished with their big blowouts on the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and there is one thing they forgot to say: We're sorry,' Rick Mercier wrote, in a column published Sunday in The Free Lance-Star. "

...which is a sad thing.

:: Jim Nichols 3/29/2004 05:34:00 PM [+] ::
...

Yahoo! News - Nader, Kerry to Discuss Defeating Bush:

"Ralph Nader said he will meet with John Kerry next month to discuss the effort to defeat President Bush in the November election. "

Ever since Nader announced my gut feeling has been that he won't try to challenge Kerry in swing states--which is why he isn't running on the Green ticket, the green ticket would mean he could get on the ballot in most of the states, without the greens he has an excuse to stick to uncontested states using the campaign as a bullypulpit for progessive/populist issues.

:: Jim Nichols 3/29/2004 12:23:00 PM [+] ::
...

CalPERS plan would regionalize pricing:

"The largest healthcare purchasing pool in the state is getting serious about paying for healthcare based on local costs instead of a statewide average. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/29/2004 05:11:00 AM [+] ::
...

Strong Bush Leadership...

Plan to Fight AIDS Overseas Is Foundering:

"Three years after the United Nations declared a worldwide offensive against AIDS and 14 months after President Bush promised $15 billion for AIDS treatment in poor countries, shortages of money and battles over patents have kept antiretroviral drugs from reaching more than 90 percent of the poor people who need them. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/27/2004 03:21:00 PM [+] ::
...

Forecast: Local economy to keep adding jobs - 2004-03-26 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"The Sacramento area should see generally improving job growth over the next year as construction and finance gains -- and a nascent rebound in manufacturing -- offset the expected loss of government jobs, according to a regional forecast released Friday. "

So does that mean--according to my last post--that Bush should win in the Sacramento area? I Know the 3rd district which is partially in the Suburbs of Sacramento is highly Rupublican and Independent.

:: Jim Nichols 3/26/2004 03:40:00 PM [+] ::
...

Its back to the economy stupid...

Survey: Key factor in choosing president may be jobs - 2004-03-26 - Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal:

"The presidential candidate who gets the most votes may be the one whose plan can create the most jobs, suggests a new survey done for Menlo Park-based OfficeTeam, a unit of Robert Half International, Inc."

My only question is how can anything Bush says on jobs be trusted? He's utterly failed at producing jobs.

:: Jim Nichols 3/26/2004 03:37:00 PM [+] ::
...

Turning the Tide
Chomsky has a blog on ZNet. It appears to be responses to questions posted to him in the Znet Forum.

:: Jim Nichols 3/26/2004 10:59:00 AM [+] ::
...

I'm going through some of my old political Science readings because, well because I'm a pack rat but I want to throw away stuff; and what better way to keep something you're actually trashing in about five minutes then by blogging on it so that it remains eternal while at the same time no longer accumalting dust in your room.

Anyways i'm reading this old Thomas Friedman article, DOSCapital, which is on globalization, and something struck me. It was written in a 1999 Foreign Policy. But what strikes me is this major point:

"The third balance in the globalization system--the one that is really the newest of all--is the balance between individuals and nation-states. Because globalization has broughtdown many of the walls that limited the movement and reach of people, and because it has simultaneously wired the world into networks, it gives more direct power to individuals than at any time in history. So we have today not only a superpower, not only supermarkets, but also super-empowered individuals. Some of these super-empowered individuals are quite angry..."

He goes on to mention Ramzi Ahmed Yousef and the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. What hits me is this argument from the Bush adminisration, that no one saw 9/11 coming. And here we are, 1999, talking about super-empowered individuals. We had a target on our backs, and we knew that. No we didn't know the exacts, but details are filled in by experts. Yes our experts failed us in getting the details before it was too late, but we knew what was aiming for us.

:: Jim Nichols 3/26/2004 10:40:00 AM [+] ::
...

"'How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.'
-- Alexander Pope"

:: Jim Nichols 3/26/2004 08:22:00 AM [+] ::
...

UCLA: No boom in sight for California - 2004-03-25 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"While the worst of the recession is ebbing across most of California, there are no signs of any return to the boom times of the late-1990s in the foreseeable future, say economists at the University of California Los Angeles. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/25/2004 09:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

Troubled waters keep Coke's Dasani off French shelves | csmonitor.com:

"Coca Cola prepared to roll out its latest transAtlantic assault on the land of Perrier and Evian next month.

Now, it seems, the French will have to wait a bit longer. Coca-Cola announced Wednesday that it was indefinitely postponing Dasani's launch in both France and Germany in the wake of a public-relations fiasco that has focused fresh attention on what those handy little bottles of water actually contain."

Why do Europeans and Americans differ so much in what they find acceptable?

:: Jim Nichols 3/25/2004 07:17:00 PM [+] ::
...

Looks like the girl from Jack off Jill
scarling.home

:: Jim Nichols 3/25/2004 05:14:00 PM [+] ::
...

Perfect find on a rainy day

Rasputina has a new album. Go check out their website. Here is a fashion show they played earlier this year. I found it on one of their sites.

An old interview... Kevin & Nicole Interview Melora from Rasputina

:: Jim Nichols 3/25/2004 04:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

Chief justice warns against court budget cuts - 2004-03-24 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"Californians will face drastic reductions in access to justice as the result of proposed budget cuts to the state's judicial branch of government, California Chief Justice Ronald George warned in his annual 'State of the Judiciary' address to the Legislature on Wednesday. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/24/2004 04:51:00 PM [+] ::
...

U.S. Urges Close Watch on Antidepressant Users
Yeah... cause they're depressed. Okay being bi-polar and always getting the line about how anti-depressants up your mood makes me feel like this is a no kidding warning. But I guess some people aren't getting it yet.

:: Jim Nichols 3/22/2004 03:00:00 PM [+] ::
...

Do you ever find that you can sometimes fall inside the music as it plays...

I've been trying to find a piece to fit my mood all day... first I tried Corelli... then Mendelssohn... but then ah ha a fit! Rachmaninoff's Symphony no. 2 in E minor. I can sit back and dwell now...

:: Jim Nichols 3/22/2004 02:50:00 PM [+] ::
...

Libel Suit May Put Gov. on the Spot:

"Less than 24 hours before last October's recall election, a petite stuntwoman named Rhonda Miller stood before a row of television cameras in Los Angeles and alleged that Arnold Schwarzenegger had twice sexually assaulted her on movie sets.

But before her charges made the evening news, the campaign of Arnold Schwarzenegger had dismissed Miller's accusation and raised a claim of its own, suggesting in an e-mail that reporters should see whether Miller had a criminal record."

Maybe its just my partisan nature, but it seems like Clinton got a lot more press for his shall we say... failings. Rightfully so? Maybe. Thats just my take...

:: Jim Nichols 3/22/2004 02:44:00 PM [+] ::
...

For a good time... look up...

Yahoo! News - Asteroid Scare Prompts NASA to Formalize Response:

"An asteroid flew past Earth last week so close that it nearly entered an orbital halo where weather satellites roam. Scientists spotted it March 15 and watched it zoom by just three days later. It posed no threat, but there are hundreds of thousands more where that one came from. "

No need to go see the new body snatcher movie at the megaplex... you know whats it's called... The Passion... wait no thats not the name

:: Jim Nichols 3/22/2004 02:40:00 PM [+] ::
...

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Noam Chomsky:

"Kerry is sometimes described as Bush-lite, which is not inaccurate, and in general the political spectrum is pretty narrow in the United States, and elections are mostly bought, as the population knows.

But despite the limited differences both domestically and internationally, there are differences. And in this system of immense power, small differences can translate into large outcomes.

My feeling is pretty much the way it was in the year 2000. I admire Ralph Nader and Denis Kucinich very much, and insofar as they bring up issues and carry out an educational and organisational function - that's important, and fine, and I support it.

However, when it comes to the choice between the two factions of the business party, it does sometimes, in this case as in 2000, make a difference. A fraction."

:: Jim Nichols 3/22/2004 01:41:00 PM [+] ::
...

Istvan Kantor / 010100 - The Great Robotic Machinery Rebellion:

I get excited of managing information all the time. It would be even nicer to have a little more. To go over the flow. I learned to keep things organized in my office. I use telephones, megaphones, microphones, vocal chords, sensors, antennas, samplers, pirate transmitters, video projectors, kinetic sculptures, telepathic devices and computers to manipulate information. Without technology I'm confused, depressed and lost.

:: Jim Nichols 3/22/2004 01:25:00 PM [+] ::
...

Philosophy Talk on Nietzsche:

"Guest:Brian Leiter, Joseph D. Jamail Centennial Chair in Law, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Law & Philosophy Program at the University of Texas at Austin

What is it?Nietzsche. Ken and John and Übermensch-at-large Brian Leiter discuss everyone's favorite syphilitic philosopher. Was he a mysogynistic Nazi-supporter, or an artistic visionary who sought to set us free from our moralistic chains? Boring radio is dead."

I've been listening in for two weeks straight now. Radio you actually like! This week Nietzsche and Brian Leiter all in one!

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 04:27:00 PM [+] ::
...

"'We need to keep them out of here,' "

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Tenn. County Officials Seek to Ban Gays:

Can we spell 'white trash po' dunk'?

What does po' dunk mean anyways?
Hell, what does banning Gays mean?

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 04:24:00 PM [+] ::
...

Global Misleadership

The President of Poland is now claiming he too was mislead about weapons of mass destruction. Could it be he is feeling the heat for going against his own population?

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 04:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

This must be what Bush means when his campaign ad's go on about being "leadership you can depend on;" there are currently more than 12,000 HumVees in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 10,000 of them are without adequate armor protection to withstand small arms fire, grenades and roadside bombs. His leadership, his budget, our soliders getting killed.

As an article in Slate notes:

The White House doesn't appear to be helping. Its proposed budget for 2005 includes funds for 818 up-armored Humvees, which may or may not be enough, depending on whether the military's latest estimate of its needs holds steady and how many up-armored Humvees are already in the pipeline. (An Army spokesman said he wasn't sure of the number.) As for the thousands for armor kits the military says it needs, the proposed budget includes exactly zero dollars for them.

And turning an even sharper blind eye the suicide rate among soldiers has risen 20% higher than normal.

In the most recent budget, the President allocated a "increase of about $520-million in veterans spending over the current year." with inflation, "that amounts to a $273-million cut." And all the while people rile on about Kerry not voting for the 87 billion... what is often missed is the fact that HE DID vote for the 87 billion if it was paid for by pulling back on some of the Bush tax cut.

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 01:01:00 PM [+] ::
...

Winning the hard way
A new Bush ad ends with the words "Confidence. Resolve. Hope." As the guys at slate mentioned recently, he used those words because the require no proof, substance, or results to back them up. The Republicans for too long have been able to get away Idealism and principles, all the while their policies contradict their idealism and principles every single day. For too long Democrats have allowed the Republicans to claim the working man's burden, for too long Democrats have allowed Republican attacks to go unanswered; if Kerry is to win the Democrats have to take back their working class constituencies and they have to fight back against every single attack.

:: Jim Nichols 3/18/2004 12:40:00 PM [+] ::
...

Saudis round up reformers | csmonitor.com:

"Saudi authorities continued with a third day of detentions Wednesday with the arrest of lawyer Abdul-Rahman al-Lahem, as defiant activists called for the release of all those arrested.

The sudden and sweeping detention of democratic activists comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has taken steps towards political reforms, allowing a freer and more critical press, announcing the first municipal elections in October, and setting up a human rights organization earlier this month."

I think democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia are highly important, this is not a step in the right direction at all.

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 11:16:00 PM [+] ::
...

Insert foot in mouth...

Go see it http://www.moveon.org/censure/caughtonvideo/

He gets nailed....

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 01:24:00 PM [+] ::
...

"Unless we insist on worshipping our leaders like
Gods, we look at their actions, not their rhetoric, which
is always noble, just like the rhetoric of Stalin, Hitler,
Saddam, etc." --Noam Chomsky

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 01:22:00 PM [+] ::
...

Unfortunately I have a feeling this is the kind of thing Bush means when he says some Democrats are getting protectionsist...

Yesterday the Times had a piece on the AFL-CIO push for penalties against China. They claim 727,000 factory jobs have been lost because labor violations have artificially lowered Chinas production costs--thereby undercutting American companies. They argue the repression of workers rights translates into a 43% cost advantage on average. It appearantly is the 1st case ever brought under the Trade Act of 1974 that seeks penalties over violations of workers rights. Some trade experts argue the claim could be vulnerable to challenge at the WTO because global trade rules do not protect labor rights.

The AFL=CIO is asking Bush for punative tariffs of up to 77%, rightfully so, with 3 million factory jobs since Jan. 2001, the AFL-CIO needs to represent its 13million American workers, it needs to fight for them. hell the State Departments latest annual human rights report states the China "continues to deny internationally recognized workers rights."

Free trade isn't about letting Chinese factories ban independent labor unions, or torturing and arresting strike leaders. This is something the U.S. is going to have to learn quick, especially when China is projected to be adding more factory jobs in the next 5 years than the total number of factory jobs in the US, Europe and Japan combined.

:: Jim Nichols 3/17/2004 01:04:00 PM [+] ::
...

Industries & Communities - bizjournals.com:

"Double-digit premium increases continue to pay off for the six HMOs that dominate the Sacramento market -- their combined net profits skyrocketed to more than $2.3 billion last year, up 605 percent from 2002. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/15/2004 01:45:00 AM [+] ::
...

Jobless rate falls in Greater Sacramento - 2004-03-12 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"The unemployment rate for the Sacramento metropolitan area dropped to 5.6 percent in February, down from a revised 5.8 percent in January and flat with a year ago. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/12/2004 10:37:00 PM [+] ::
...

GSU Study: Stock options fuel executives' risk-taking behavior - 2004-03-09 - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

"Corporate chiefs are more likely to take risks if much of their compensation consists of stock options based on stock price, Georgia State University researchers have discovered. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/10/2004 10:35:00 PM [+] ::
...

Taxable sales up in first quarter of 2003 - 2004-03-10 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"Taxable sales in Greater Sacramento were up in the first quarter of 2003, consistent with the trend statewide, according to figures released Tuesday by the State Board of Equalization. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/10/2004 10:29:00 PM [+] ::
...

BUSH RAISING CAMPAIGN FUNDS FROM KERRY'S TOP CONTRIBUTORS

President Bush begins the head-to-head battle for the White
House against Sen. John Kerry with a $100 million advantage in
fund raising. For that, Bush can thank his incumbent status, his
network of fund-raising Pioneers and Rangers -- and several of
the top contributors to the Kerry campaign.

Nearly half of Kerry’s biggest financial supporters contributed
more money to Bush than to Kerry himself through Jan. 30 of this
year, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive
Politics’ study of campaign finance reports filed this month
with the Federal Election Commission.

The finding is one of many examples of Bush’s fund-raising
dominance, and it illustrates how much ground Kerry must make up
to approach financial parity with the president. Bush raised a
total of $145 million for his re-election effort in the first 13
months of the election cycle, dwarfing Kerry’s $33 million.

:: Jim Nichols 3/08/2004 09:34:00 PM [+] ::
...

This should be interesting

So I was wondering this afternoon over a cup of coffee if it was possible to take on the powers that be in the name of democracy. That's when I decided to do what any college-aged guy would do: test it. So i've decided to be like Mike--my friend Mike is doing a similar thing (i'll have to tell you more later). I'm am going to give it the old college try and try to stick a proposition on the ballot within the next two years to move all redistricting from the legislature to a bi-partisan commission. I have no clue what i'm doing... so I'll fit right in with everyone else in government.

If anyone has any clue how to do something like this, or is interested in helping out, drop me a line.

UPDATE: This topic went to the state supreme court a couple of years back; Ted Costa is already working on a new proposition... I guess i'm out of the running. Which is all for the best...

:: Jim Nichols 3/04/2004 07:05:00 PM [+] ::
...

Got a Book in You? More Companies Than Ever Are Willing to Get It Out:

"Since September, the nation's second-largest bookseller, Borders Group, has quietly been conducting an experiment in six Philadelphia-area stores, not as a bookseller, but as a publisher.

'It's easy to publish your own book!' the 'Borders Personal Publishing' leaflets proclaim. Pay $4.99. Take home a kit. Send in your manuscript and $199. A month or so later, presto. Ten paperback copies of your novel, memoir or cookbook arrive."

:: Jim Nichols 3/03/2004 04:41:00 PM [+] ::
...

Its showtime...

The President of the Continental Congress and first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay, wrote that "the people who own the country ought to govern it." James Madison said the goal of the constitution was "to protect the minority of the opulent from the majority." This was the America of our founding fathers, the America that enshrined racism and sexism in the founding documents; and this is the America of George Bush, an America where those who can pay get to play and the rest get to sit and watch.

I often wondered how the myth of America--work hard and you too will succeed--could be so cherished by Americans when their founding fathers whole intent was far from the egalitarian democracy we are taught to believe in; I often wondered how those who were of voting age could sit and watch the decade of Reagan. I now understand.

I now understand how systemic barriers keep information from the public. Manufacturing consent is the name of the game, not just some stupid leftist book. The resident of the white house took a contested election and veered right without looking back. In three years we have seen tax cuts for the wealthy, war and aggression, our environment sabotaged, our civil liberties "put on hold", and arrogance become our stated foreign policy. A year ago we saw the single largest anti-war protest in the history of world... a protest directed at our leader and his so called "leadership."

George Bush knew the right-wing policies of the past three years would not be accepted by the general population; that is why George Bush chose to be a war time president. Because when we hide from the world and let our benevolent father figure protect us from the hobgoblins and bogey monsters of the world we forget to look outside our own window.

Well its time to start looking again.

And that's why its time to put our money where our mouth is. Here is the link to John Kerry's website:

http://www.johnkerry.com/

Follow the link and contribute money. And if you can't, find 5 other people who can. Have a smaller coffee, or one less beer at the bar from now until the election. George Bush wants us to be spectators and not participants. He wants us to be voters and not contributors--because voting does nothing and money everything. He wants us playing progessivist games of political nuance--no we aren't stupid, like Clinton before him Kerry will compromise our goals. John Kerry will not end American militarism, will not give us single payer health care, will not put people before corporations, because these are all systemic failures of this country that one man cannot take on. But John Kerry is a step in the right direction. A direction worth our time, our passion, and our money.

:: Jim Nichols 3/02/2004 07:57:00 PM [+] ::
...

sacbee.com -- Business -- Grocery contract assailed:

"Local labor leaders Monday criticized key elements of the recent Southern California grocery strike settlement and said they will continue to prepare for a possible strike this summer."

:: Jim Nichols 3/02/2004 07:56:00 PM [+] ::
...

Life's rough for the Health (Care-for-profit) Industry
Weiss Ratings: HMO profits rise 73 percent - 2004-03-02 - Sacramento Business Journal:

"The nation's health maintenance organizations reported an aggregate $4.3 billion profit during the first six months of 2003 -- a 73.3 percent increase over the profits in 2002's first half, according to Weiss Ratings Inc. "

:: Jim Nichols 3/02/2004 04:01:00 PM [+] ::
...

Greens seek pan-European political clout | csmonitor.com:

"Thirty years ago a handful of ecology-minded activists threw themselves into the European political fray and succeeded, over time, in turning what had been radical environmental demands into mainstream, conventional concerns.

Now the Greens are going against the grain again. Even as Europe flounders in its search for cohesion, and Europeans retreat further into their national identities, 32 Green parties have founded the first pan-European political party with a transnational election platform and continental reach."

The Greens have done well in Europe, the two party oligarchy here won't allow for a viable third (or fourth) party in the U.S.--which is really too bad. We are the worse for it, less chance of fresh new ideas coming into play. We always talk about capitalism and how it brings in fresh new ideas; well in politics multi-party systems are the way to inovation.

:: Jim Nichols 3/01/2004 02:21:00 PM [+] ::
...