In the midst of insidious fear and belligerent nationalism, resistance is never an easy proposition; but it is a critical component of human nature that gives rise to hope and, ultimately, to transformative change and justice. Resistance creates possibilities, whereas capitulation extinguishes them.

Sweeping change and justice will never come from the inert masses who occupy the safe middle grounds. As corporate fascism spreads across the planet there are no safe places for anyone but the fascists themselves. Nor will transformation come from the neo-conservative regressives occupying the far right, as embodied by the likes of Trent Lott and Rush Limbaugh and their ideological brethren in corporate America. It will not be enacted through neo-liberals such as Hillary Clinton either, or indeed anyone in the mainstream.

Justice will come, as it always does, from the far left that champion the cause of the disenfranchised and the defenseless. It will be derived from ordinary citizens — people like you and I working for justice and accepting nothing less; by standing up and being counted and refusing to sit down and be quiet.

It is very clear that Pelosi and Reid will not stop funding the war because they fear the GOP and George Bush more than they fear the wrath of the American people. And this is a very grave mistake. This current Democratic Party, especially these very weak so-called leaders, has not one iota of the courage and resolve of our founding fathers that struck down the occupation and suppression of our country by King George III in our revolutionary rebellion. If they continue to fail in the mission that they were given, they may well be in for the shock of their lives when in the upcoming elections of 2008 it is quite possible that the mandate that they were given goes up in flames and their party again become the minority doormat in Congress.

Among the questions raised by coverage of the revelation that Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats knew for years that the Bush administration had ratified torture as official US policy is why so many of those who decried the possibility continue to support, or at least to countenance, Pelosi's continued tenure as Speaker of the House. Among the questions begged by it is whether or not she and her colleagues are sitting on other, as yet unleaked administration illegalities. Given the administration's stated intent to "push and push and push until some larger force makes us stop", the likely answer is "of course"; just what those activities might be, we won't know until someone outside Congress leaks the details.

With very few exceptions, the institutional churches in Nazi Germany kept a shameful silence, denying believers the moral authority and leadership so needed to stand up to Gestapo torturers.

While the Nazis were systematically torturing and even murdering defenseless victims, they kept repeating assurances that not a single hair of anyone’s head would be harmed. (Shades of the familiar refrain “we do not torture.”)

Israel is sitting pretty, right now, openly threatening its patron and financier, the United States government, with taking the Iranian nuke matter into its own hands and launching an attack on suspected nuclear facilities – leaving U.S. troops in Iraq to face the Iranians and their Iraqi allies. Gee, thanks a lot, guys.

This kind of blackmail wouldn't be tolerated by Washington coming from any other country on earth: it would be considered a hostile act, carried out by a rogue nation. Yet Israel is not just any other country: it has the distinction of commanding Washington's most powerful lobby.

Like most human beings, Michael Dale Huckabee is a bundle of contradictions, which seems to add to his appeal. When it comes to science, he is about as backward as William Jennings Bryan was during the Scopes trial. He doesn't believe in evolution, and thinks the earth may be only 6,000 years old. He opposes all abortion, and has angrily denied that man is a primate. But he also clearly and sincerely cares about the poor.

Now that President Bush has declared martial law, it will be illegal to own precious metals after the first of the year. Here's a sneak peek at the newly proposed currency denominations.

After a brief debate, the Senate voted 98-0 today to confirm Santa Claus, bag-toting icon of festive home invasions, for a lifetime term as director of the FBI. Upon learning of the decision, Mr. Claus let out a triumphant “HO HO HO,” shook his ample red belly, and handed out gaily wrapped presents to all, senator and page alike.

The take-home message of Mitt Romney's recent speech on religion and politics was pretty clear: I may be a Mormon, but at least I'm not an atheist.

Romney sought to strengthen his advantage as a presidential candidate known for being religious while assuaging the concerns of Americans who are reluctant to vote for a Mormon. He did so by reinforcing the public's longstanding prejudice against unbelievers, arguing that religion — any religion — is preferable to no religion at all.