Nelson at Trafalgar, Washington crossing the Delaware, the Yankee doughboys going over the top in France, the Normandy invasion, to these we can add Gerson at the White House to acts of true courage.

I am in awe.

I guess this explains the "yellowcake from Niger" fiasco--it was a rush job. Incompetence disguised as heroism--what a bunch of morons.

Further proof (as if we needed any) that today's conservatives have no clue about what constitutes heroism.  It explains much of the last seven years.

By way of an alert, it appears to me that the TNR Talkback feature has been completely disabled. Comments to several threads that I made Thursday night, including the aptly-titled "Clueless", have yet to appear. As near as I can tell, neither have any other readers' comments been posted, which indicates that the problem is probably not the inappropriateness of my remarks, but some kind of system breakdown.

Unless of course the whole idea is to liquidate Talkback. This board, and the ingeniously misnamed "Contact" heading in red above, are at this point my only electronic means of input.  I'm reminded of an office with a letter-slot in the door behind which is attached a shredder---sort of a flim-flam to distract the rubes.

Someone needs to wake up the boss.

Sophomore year of high school I totally wrote a whole book report by hand during lunch, the period before it was due.  Hadn't even read the book.  Teacher thought it was brilliant, praised it in front of the whole class.  So where do I pick up my medal?

Damn, the rubes are catching on.

Fuckin' a, ratty.  Tell your friends.

adaglas- I'd like to option your heroic story for a film, poss. starring Russell Crowe as you and maybe Meryl Streep as the teacher, Owen Wilson as your crazy friend who provides sound advice during the darkest hours.  Have your people talk to my people.

Also, are you non-union and available to write the script?  We'll need it by 2pm

I like the way you think , ratnerstar.  I've always envisioned myself as an intrepid Russell Crowe-type, brooding yet with a simmering, understated depth and quite able to rouse some rabble in a seedy pub.  I'm sure I can crank out a draft in the next 45 minutes or so.  Oh, can I have a rambunctious chimpanzee friend as well?  I'm thinking late spring release.

"Also, are you non-union and available to write the script?  We'll need it by 2pm"

By 2 p.m.? Hasn't this noble citizen sacrificed enough for his country already??

Not to bring too many people to this committee, but the book you are doing  report on should be Gerson's speech, the add meta-heroism to the whole affair- this movie will be a palimsest of bravery.

Typo: palimpsest

Also: "to add heroism", not "the add heroism".  

And, as of now, I am going on strike.

...and the women and livestock of Chicagoland raise their voices in a thunderous cheer.

adaglas, the thunderous cheers I nightly make women raise can be heard even in your trixie-choked Lincoln Park haunts.

I am talking, of course, about my skills as an orator.

"Orator," eh boneill?  Is that what they're calling it downtown now?

Out in Glen Ellyn we still say "cunning linguist."

Glen Ellyn?

You have computers out there?

UrbanChauvinismFever...catch it!