First comment! Wow, I didn't understand what you said. I sort of did because I just finished the civics unit in school. Ha, the look on their faces was awesome! Good job Starks-sama!

  inu_yasha_is_my_puppy(Quote)

Very random talk of my own. On Saturday I got the supplies for making the Tetsusaiga. On Sunday my dad and I cut the shape of the sword out of the foam, sanded it all down, and laid the pieces down to see what we needed to cut to make the pieces fit together. I noticed something that would stop us in out tracks, the two foam pieces were bought seprately and we didn't think that there would be a difference in the thicknesses, well, there was a 1/8 inch difference between the two pieces. It may not sound like a lot, but, there was a big gap. For now I have to wait for another 19 days untill I can work on my sword again. Oh well, I still have 2 months untill Sakura Con.    inu_yasha_is_my_puppy(Quote)

Katsucon is coming up.  Starks(Quote)

What is Katsucon and where is it held?

  inu_yasha_is_my_puppy(Quote)

Anime convention held in DC on February 15th -17th.  Starks(Quote)

I am for Romney, and I am happy that you got him in Larry king. ^^ Yay, Romney is in first. But you got them great job. You got alot of practice didn't you? Great jpb

  KiraraChan(Quote)

In D.C.? I live in Seattle… Oh, well. you know Vic Minona oops, well the english voice actor for Ed in Fullmetal Alchemist?  inu_yasha_is_my_puppy(Quote)

Oh! A fellow Sakura Con – goer.

I went there last year and I'm going again this year. : )
Vic was fun last year. My friends and I all got him to do the most retarded things. Like a whole dialogue as Sailor Moon. And of course "doubley sexy", whatever that is.

  Levia14(Quote)

congrats Starks I don't follow politics at all and I probably never will. It's just not something that interests meStill the look on their faces was hilarious.   Samantha125(Quote)

Hahaha. He was like uhhh wow… Nice burn starks.  Nostalgia(Quote)

Hey Starks, I did not realize you were knowledgable about politics and current events. We should talk more about politics. Do you have another forum or something where we could do that?  mystyc1(Quote)

Starks for 08 ^_^. =P

Also Vic is coming again to the AWA this September again.. Ill see if i can get him to do what ya did to him with that "doubley sexy" thing.. XD. Hmm. Also IYIMP.. one question? Why foam? that wont last very long? Im having to hold off at the halfway point for my full wood Tetsusaiga. Due to I have some things that may change my living residence.. Going to Kentucky possibly. And yes my InuYasha outfit is going along in a carry on bag.. >_<. But i dont think there is any thing in Kentucky as far as 3 day conventions -_-
 

  Senliten(Quote)

Damn Starks, that was so awesome that you got on the air and knew more about the situation then they did. The heading fits perfectly. XD
  ginnekomiko(Quote)

Starks is a dude?

  Langus(Quote)

Edit: Sorry man…just checked the bio section. You are definitely a dude.

I always just assumed you were a gal for some reason. Probably because I don't know any guys who watch Inuyasha (or admit to watching it).

The nickname is kinda not girlie but…well it's close to sparks…sparks = things that glitter = sorta girlie in my mind.

Whatever…point is my bad. You're cool.

Cheers

  Langus(Quote)

Starks is a dude?

—————————

yea………

  misspretty(Quote)

Nice question, Starks. Neither really addressed your question, though.

I support Barack Obama, and, while I respect Libertarianism as a political philosophy, it is my opinion that it is not the best choice on the federal level. However, more points of view on any subject can do much good, so I welcome campaigns like his (and Rep. Kucinich)
That aside, I have wondered myself why certain cable media outlets treated Rudy as a legitimate candidate for so long, while all but ignoring Rep. Paul, despite his respectable primary/caucus performances.  Pliny(Quote)

Good Job I watched that on live tv and I now find out it was you. Good job.  blackkat7073(Quote)

Levia14: You go to Sakura Con.? Wow, I thought that I was the only Washingtonian on freelance-manga. Did you cosplay and if you did, who did you go as?  inu_yasha_is_my_puppy(Quote)

I'm for Romney. 

Personally, I just dont think theres that much to see in Obama or Hilary.  I've noticed that they are the only ones who get the attention.  The fact that they are spending so much money just to get elected shows their weekness.  They are afraid that they cannot get the job without all of the money; that they are not so strong in their words as they are in their money. 

Its as if they (Obama and Hilary) rely on it.  If they are getting all the attention, how do the other candidates get their votes?  People need to hear what the other candidates have to say.  This is our future.  For all you know (not talking to starks but just anyone who reads this) you, or your parents, can be voting for someone who has beliefs that totally go against your own.  Just because you see them on tv and they seem like a good candidate.  You'll vote for them? 

Why? 

Is there a certain reason why you're voting for the person you're voting for? 

Make sure you know why (I guess its a bit late to change a vote but) you voted for them.  And not just because they're getting the most attention.

Romney is Mormon.

Are you not going to vote for him now?  Just because hes Mormon?  Did it make you doubt that you voted for him?  What about all of the other presidents/candidates?  Just because Hilary is a girl, are you not going to vote for her?  Just because a future candidate is black, does that mean you will not support him in his running for president? 

  InuAndMirokuRSmexy(Quote)

Senliten: I am making the Tetsusaiga out of foam because the foam is cheap and it will be very light. I don't want to carry a 6-1/2 foot long sword around Seattle, if it is made out of wood. What did you use with the wood and what type of wood did you use?

Starks: Might there not be a chapter this week because of the New Year?

On Thursday, depending on the weather, I will go to school in full costume, to celebrate the Chinese New Year. BANZAI!

  inu_yasha_is_my_puppy(Quote)

I don't think the fact that Obama and Hilary spend alot of money shows their weekness. If they didn't who would pay any mind to a woman or a black man. Be for real. Regardless of what people want to believe you don't get the respect you should if you are black or a woman.

Starks, that's what's up! You stunned them. I'm not voting for Ron Paul, but it's good you know your stuff.  phillygirl(Quote)

Good job on tweaking the pundits! They need to be rocked back on their heels regularly; it keeps them from getting intellectually lazy. I wished that worked on government officials, but they are getting far too used to blowing off John Q Public.

I've done my bit and voted for Mr. Paul. It's probably going to be his death knell; no one I really like EVER gets elected. I'm just hoping he gets enough of a return in the standings that the party takes what he's standing for into account in their platform.  SamuraiDemonPuppy(Quote)

Hey Starks

I'm new to posting on this site. Great job in calling out bill maher. I've been noticing how those media guys are always screwing up and reporting inaccurate results (sometimes I believe on purpose). Anyways, you're from college park? do u go to univ. of maryland? If so, are u apart of their anime club there? I haven't been to any of their meetings yet.

  raye(Quote)

Ron paul is a libertarian, pro-life, fundamental christian with a mission: save the world from the liberals!  He's a doctor, a husband, an anti-war, anti-government revolutionary…in the sense that his political stance is revolutionary from the norm.  He gets almost no coverage due to his very poor funding.  His poor funding stems fomr the fact that he rubs many politicians the wrong way.  Most of those liars can't stand a righteous republican, like Paul, expounding his beliefs and stomping the liberals out all in the same stride. 

     One sad thing about this race is that all the nominees don't get equal coverage.  I believe if Ron Paul were better funded and had better advertising like some of the other nominess had he would be in a much better position.  As it stands the democrat states will remain democrat but I can only pray that the republican states give a nod to their consciences and hear out Ron paul. 

  Even though I am a supporter of Ron Paul for 2008 I can honestly say that he does not deserve the vote…The only person that should be president of the U.S is Inuyasha!

     INUYASHA FOR PRESIDENT 2008!!!

Visit http://www.IY2008.com for more information.

P.S:  If you tried to visit that link you are an basid.  If you want to visit an actual site go here instead:  http://www.ronpaul2008.com

  Feyd(Quote)

Feyd, if you're gonna troll, at least get your facts straight. How on Earth can you claim be a Ron Paul supporter if you don't even understand his platform.

1. Libertarian: Yes, he is a libertarian. That means that he believes our civil liberties are to be protected, not truncated or taken away by our government (namely Bush and company).

2. Pro-life: Yes. I wholly disagree with him in that regard.

3. Fundamental Christian: He's a very moderate Christian, not a fundamentalist by any stretch of imagination. Perhaps you have Ron confused with Huckabee?

4. Doctorate: He's a doctor and can claim expertise on the healthcare issue. I do disagree slightly in this regard. On the issue of universal healthcare, I believe that it would be a nice thing to have, but not right now. We can't afford it right now. If we payed of the deficit and had surplus, I'd have no objections. The other problem is that the free market and private insurers would be barred from competing with the govt system.

5. Anti-war: He's not just anti-war, he's against the entirety of our current foreign policy in which we make enemies by being smug and arrogant. This is the main reason I support him. Not only would he get our troops out of Iraq, he'd get them out of the other countries we have military presences in. He and I believe that he best way to deal with terrorism is not pre-emptive war against sovereign nations. Instead, letters of marque and reprisal should be issued where the enemy and objective are clearly defined and anything else falls beyond the scope of legality.

6. Anti-govt: Not really. While I do admit that eliminating the income tax and federal reserve while drastically reducing the scope of the federal government are somewhat radical ideas to the average voter, our country needs a change in how its government conducts itself. We also need a monetary policy that doesn't suck by creating more and more national debt. We need a sound currency that doesn't lend itself to out of control inflation.

7. Funds: Can I buy pot from you? How is $20 million raised in the fourth quarter even come remotely close to "poor funding". While Romney was writing himself million dollar checks, the grassroots for Ron raised all the money he could've possibly needed for the Super Tuesday advertising he and the grassroots lined up. Huckabee and McCain didn't raise anywhere near what Ron raised yet they still did better. The reason why Ron did so poorly on Super Tuesday is because of the media blackout. While the other four candidates received millions of dollars in free advertising and name recognition on the news, Ron got nothing and was basically forsaken before the polls even opened. The only thing soothing my rage and keeping me from jumping on the Obama bandwagon (he is my second choice) is that the possibility of a brokered national GOP convention still exists. In that situation, all outstanding and pledged delegates will be up for grabs.

In the end, Ron has taught me that party-line voting is foolish. Having a "D" or "R" next your name is meaningless, especially to left-leaning Independent like myself, in the long run. Believe it or not, I was a staunch Democrat until I heard his message last May and cured me of my apathy.

  Starks(Quote)

what r they talking about? the media? i couldn't here anything lol lol

or politics? i dunno know im dumb o.O lol

  inuyasha_is_so_smexxay(Quote)

Here's chapter 540 spoiler in japanese ^-^

Yay! Miroku's in this chapter! <3

殺生丸が曲霊を天生牙で消滅させたことにより、
封印されていたかごめの霊力が元に戻りました。

かごめ『曲霊が滅びた。封印されていた霊力が戻ってくる…』

すると、かごめのいた場所が崩れます。

犬夜叉「かごめ…」

かごめ「きゃっ！！」

犬夜叉「かごめ！！」

落下したかごめを抱きとめる犬夜叉。
すると、これまたかごめの清浄な霊力の影響で、
妖怪化していた犬夜叉が元に戻りました。

かごめ「よかった、犬夜叉…戻ったのね…」

犬夜叉「ああ、かごめ、お前の浄化の力のおかげだ…」

前回よりも、よりいっそう二人の世界をつくる
犬夜叉とかごめ（笑）

かごめ「殺生丸が曲霊を斬ってくれたおかげよ。ありがと…」

二人の世界を作っていても、
かごめは感謝の心を忘れていませんでした（笑）
殺生丸にちゃんとお礼を言うかごめでしたが、
当の殺生丸はさっさとどこかへ行ってしまいました。

かごめ「殺生丸…」

殺生丸『わかる…りんの匂いが、霧が取り払われたように…』

殺生丸『かごめの霊力…とやらが、奈落の邪気を払っているのか！？』

殺生丸は再びりんを探しに行きました。
そういえば、些細なことなんですが、殺生丸がかごめの名前を
言う（心の中でですが）のは初めてなんじゃないでしょうか？？
かごめの霊力の影響で、奈落の体内が清浄な力が溢れて
キレイになり、曲霊を倒す前よりもよりいっそう、
りんの匂いがわかるようになったみたいです。
で、そんな殺生丸のいく手阻むように奈落の触手がうにょうにょと。

殺生丸「ふっ、奈落…なりふりかまっていられなくなったようだな。」

どうやら奈落は、かごめの霊力が復活したので、
少し余裕がなくなったようです。

場面は変わって、居残り三人組みだった、琥珀・七宝・邪見。
奈落の体内に侵入したものの、奈落の触手によって
三人ともバラバラに…。

これは、三人それぞれ仲間の誰かと遭遇するのですかね？
琥珀は珊瑚。七宝は犬夜叉とかごめ。邪見は…りんもしくは殺生丸。

と、場面は変わって犬夜叉とかごめ。

かごめ「行こう犬夜叉！四魂の玉のある場所へ。」

犬夜叉「ああ。この振動…今まではおれたちを泳がせて
　　　　　いたぶっていた奈落が、なにか仕掛けてくる気になったって
　　　　　ことらしいな！」

そしてまた場面はかわって奈落。

奈落「四魂の玉に…光が戻ってきた。」

かごめの霊力が解き放たれたことにより、
四魂の玉に再び一点の光が蘇りました。
その光を再び黒く塗りつぶすために、
奈落は次の策を仕掛けます。

で、奈落はまずは、犬夜叉とかごめに言います。

奈　落「きさまらの仲間もこの光が見える」

かごめ「弥勒さまと―珊瑚ちゃんが！？」

奈　落「くくく…今それぞれどうしているか…
　　　　そしてこの光を見てなにを思うか…」

犬夜叉「なっ…どういう意味だ！」

奈　落「ひとつだけ教えておこう。
　　　　　弥勒の風穴はすでに限界を迎えている。
　　　　　おそらくあと一度風穴を開けば…」

犬夜叉「！」

奈落は弥勒の風穴がすでに限界に達していると言います。
どうやら奈落の次なるターゲットは弥勒のようです。

で、場面は変わって弥勒。

弥　勒「どうする…？いっそこの場で風穴を開いて…
　　　　　奈落に多少なりとも傷を与えて果てるか…」

弥　勒「ふっ…情けない。奈落の体内にいながら、
　　　　　致命傷を与えることもできずに…」

少し自嘲気味に一人呟く弥勒。
その時、奈落の体内の中で一点の光を見つけます。

弥　勒『光！？清浄な光…これは…』

弥　勒『そうだ…四魂の玉の光！かごめ様の霊力が戻ったのか！？』

光を見つけたことによって、かごめが霊力を取り戻したことに
気がついた弥勒。そしてその光の先には四魂の玉があり、
そこには奈落がいる。そう検討をつけた弥勒は、
その光に向かって進もうとします。

また場面は変わって犬夜叉とかごめと奈落。
かごめは、奈落が弥勒を騙して風穴を開かせようと
することに気がつきます。

かごめ「だまして風穴を開かせるつもり！？」

奈　落「きさまらは間に合わん…
　　　　　かごめ…きさまの光が―仲間を殺す。」

  Tomo-chan(Quote)

WTB Windows Language Pack… All i get showing up Tomo is *?????*
>_<
 

  Senliten(Quote)

You shouldn't need to install any language pack. Just go into Firefox and set View > Character Encoding > Auto-Detect to 'Universal' or 'Japanese'.  Starks(Quote)

I'm too lazy to translate that.. sorry >-< (and I'm not good in english)

Miroku: "Light!? ??? (I don't know what those 2 kanji mean) light… That's…" "(I don't know what ' そうだ' is in english)… Shikon no tama's light! Kagome sama's 霊 (spirit???) もどし. I can't translate that to english, sorry. but it means 'return' or something… xD

  Tomo-chan(Quote)

Starks,
First off, amazing job, glad it is on video for all of us to enjoy! It was a first rate job of making those guys face the facts!! Unfortunately they tip toed around the issue and actually started talking about the House of Lords!! Seriously disappointed.
I did have a couple of questions:

1. The main reason I stay out of politics is that I cannot find any factual, unbiased sources of information. Do you have any recommendations?

2. I read your reply to feyd. On #5, I didn't see our attacks on Iraq as pre-emptive… However, I do agree that further measure can and should be taken before we as a country rush into war. My main question is this: if Ron Paul is elected and pulls all our troops out of Iraq, what happens to Iraq next, what state would we leave them in? Whether or not we should have, we have completely torn down their government and thrown their country into chaos. I think it would be irresponsible for us as a leading nation to pull out after inflicting all this damage. Should not we finish what we started? Possibly, instead of focusing on fighting, we should make sure they have a stable government and can take care of themselves before we pull out.

3. On #6, what would create a more stable currency? Is eliminating income tax and Federal Reserve really the best way? Honestly, I don't know as much as I would like to on this.

LOL I think that covers all my questions. I really enjoyed the looks on those guys’ faces! Again, good job!!

P.S.
I don't know how you find the time to scanlate, but it is appreciated. Thanks  peek-a-boo(Quote)

I wished my speakers worked so i could know what your saying, cant find the frownie face so ill just write frownie face.

Oh and by the way I just got my permit yay !

  bigback09(Quote)

OOOOOOO!!!!!!

THANKS FOR THE SPOILER!!!! I CANT WAIT TO READ IT IN ENGLISH!!!!!  OOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! DUDE THIS CHAPPIE LOOKS SOOOOO GOOD!!!!

HAHA MY COMMENT SOUNDS SO LAME!!! I JUST FELT LIKE TYPING RANDOM STUFF TO SEE HOW "OFFICIAL" I COULD SOUND….OBVIOUSLY THAT DIDNT WORK!!! HAHAHA!!  IM SUCH A LOSER!! IM NOT GOOD AT TRYING TO MAKE MY POINT…I DO EVERYTHING but MAKE MY POINT!!

*laughs to self* wow i'm so wierd…*sighs* …well yeah….i took a quiz a few days ago and it said i should vote for Ron Paul, but i didnt know half the answers i put…haha…but im all for Mitt Romney….

Whats up with that too?  Last night it said that Mitt Romney like OFFICIALLY  had:  Nevada, Utah, Maine, Michigan, and another one [i cant remember] and just this morning it said hes only got 3 states so far and im like "WHAT?!"…it confuseded me….oh well a lot of stoof confuses meh!!

  InuAndMirokuRSmexy(Quote)

@peek-a-boo, I follow "The/A Daily Show" and its spin-off "Colbert Report". Both are on comedy central and are aired one ofter another. They were off-air for 2 months because of the writers strike, but they resumed this January without writers and some(most) of the regular sections. I kind of like it better this way.

About media coverage. I just recently found that there used to be something called Fairness_Doctrine. I read about it here (http://www.bsalert.com/news/354/A_Primer_On_The_Fairness_Doctrine_How_We_Screwed_Up.html) I think it is still good read.

Starks, I tend to disagree about the universal health care. I'm sure you've watched "Sicko", it is must watch documentary. All health insurance companies make profit by refusing treatment to paying customers, I don't think you need that kind of free market.  sn0w(Quote)

Snow,

Thanks for the site. I don't have cable or good tv access, so sites work a lot better for me. The info on the fairness doctrine was a good read, however I understand why it was deemed unconstitutional. Letting part of the federal government decide what "unbiased coverage" on a government issue is could have even worse results than we have now. Also, his solution is to readress the fairness doctrine. Honeslty, I wouldn't trust the media any more than I do now if it was the federal government that decided on what to air. I think biased reporting is only natural and is ok on the news as long as the other bias is covered as well. Why not have a predominately Republican and a predominately Democrat news coverage on every political issue?

Any thoughts anyone?

  peek-a-boo(Quote)

@peek-a-boo, I think both shows are available via iTunes or/and (for these who can't get it by other means) via torrents.

About fairness doctrine. The Fairness doctrine says you should broadcast more not less, so the government is not limiting you, it forces you to expand. When government want to control the media it usually wants only its view point to be heard and not the opposite, so in a sense it is contradicting the Fairness doctrine. Sudden change of this magnitude is much easier to spot if there is fairness than if there is not. Actually nobody noticed when the government (using FCC as proxy) managed to influence the biggest media companies and made all this warm up for the Iraq War. I recommend you to watch the documentary "Weapons of Mass Deception".

Yes there is a lot room for abuse, however fairness is one of the few items that cannot be self-regulated via free market. The most balanced and respected media in the world is BBC and it is entirely government founded television. I've also heard that USA Public National Television is very well balanced, but is extremely boring.

Now, why not to have a predominately Republican/Democrat news coverage? I think I've said that before but having 2 parties is only 1/2 worse than having one party. Both parties have same agenda on number of topics. Covering only their point of view simply hides a huge clusters of possible opinions and valid view points, sometimes even the truth.

Have you ever heard that there are more than 2 candidates for president on the real elections? Can you say the name of at least one such candidate from any election in the past (without searching the net)?  sn0w(Quote)

Snow,

Thank you for commenting back. I really do enjoy these discussions. I have a question for you. Have you read the fairness doctrine? I read the history of it on wikipedia. Like I said before, I prefer simple definitions of things so I can make my own conclusions.

A couple of observations.

1. The fairness doctrine was deemed by the FCC themselves to restrict the news media rather than enhance it. "In August 1987, the FCC abolished the doctrine by a 4-0 vote, in the Syracuse Peace Council decision. The FCC stated, "the intrusion by government into the content of programming occasioned by the enforcement of [the Fairness Doctrine] restricts the journalistic freedom of broadcasters … [and] actually inhibits the presentation of controversial issues of public importance to the detriment of the public and the degradation of the editorial prerogative of broadcast journalists," and suggested that, due to the many media voices in the marketplace, the doctrine be deemed unconstitutional" Quote from wikipedia. I find it hard to want a document like that reinstated. Bringing the fairness doctrine back has been attempted at least twice and both times it failed to be considered constitutional.

2. I completely understand each party having it's own agenda. This would definitely be the case in the news situation I was recommending. That is what I was counting on, actually. Correct me if I'm wrong, but consider this. My thoughts were: like a parent looks at the story of the broken lamp from both children’s views and is able to get very close to the real story, so we as the citizens can look at both parties extremes and get close to the best course of action to support. It is true this would not be a perfect scenario. I am open to better ones, I just haven't heard any yet.

3. "I think I’ve said that before but having 2 parties is only 1/2 worse than having one party." I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. Are you saying that one party is better than two? I am predominantly Republican, but would not like to be lumped with either side. However, I would not ever wish to have only one party. The beauty of Democracy shines in the very fact that we have two parties. Eliminate one and you have eliminated Democracy. Each party represents a choice for the people to make. The opposing parties are the way Americans can choose the future of America.

I have actually known of at least 3-4 candidates for each election, but I don't remember names. I figure that once the majority rules on two main candidates, it would almost be throwing my vote away to vote for the others, even if-in my opinion-they were better choices.

  peek-a-boo(Quote)

lol first of all how did everyone get to talking about anime conventions above?? lol anway

yeah..i didnt get what u said at all politics confuse me that and im a 14 yr old freshman…so that might play a part in it as well XD. u semm like a very VERY smart person starks-sama. XD

  InuRyogaChan(Quote)

Well done Starks! You were concise, and argued well. I moved to the US in the late 1990s, from England, the House of Lords comment on the part of Maher was a load rubbish. I think he was attempting to sound intelligent. There is a lot I would like to comment on, but I am just too tired )- and besides, a lot has been covered at this point.

I would like to put my two cents in about public health care. Sadly, overstretched systems such as Canada's and England's get media attention here in the US. Sadly, the fact that most of the industrialized nations in the world have some form of public health care does get any attention. Even sadder, the fact that a lot of these systems work, to a greater or lesser extent does not get any attention either. In the US, Medicare uses 1-2% of it resources in administration, private insurance companies use 18-22% of their resources in administration. I am social worker. There is an awful lot of suffering here that is related to lack of access to health care. The victims of this lack of access are typically the "working poor" not lazy bums as I think is the general impression. I would really like to see the next administration work on this issue.

I agree with Peek-A-Boo re: getting out of Iraq. While I think the foreign policy of this administration has been negligent, disastrous ect (the whole rhetoric is ridiculous- war on terror- you can't fight an idea with a traditional army). There is a reason why dictators exist- and taking Sadaam out caused a power vacuum- now a contained threat is a very real threat- I think that if we just up and left we would be back for WW3.

Is Ron for abrupt pull out- or is that simplifying his position?

Oh well its not like I can vote anyway!

PS. Who is the cute kid? 

  scruffysama(Quote)

Peek-a-boo,
1. I also read wikipedia, before posting here. Have you ever thought that the government can lie and it may wish to gain more power? Have you ever thought that FCC may be the government censor and it may have removed the doctrine in order to make media manipulation easier?

The doctrine is not part of the constitution, it is not logical extension of First or any other Amendment, it is not even a law, it is just regulation. They can remove it and state whatever reason they want. Something doesn't become unconstitutional because the Federal Communications Commission or President say so.

In the same article it says that Supreme Court have validated this doctrine (1969) and AFAIK this is the institution that have the final saying about what is constitutional and what not. As I said before the purpose of the doctrine is to enhance the free speech not limit it (this is also the spirit of the 1984 ruling, same article).

I'll give you very short example. Imagine a court and imagine what would happen if fairness (doctrine) is not applied in the court room. Imagine what would happen of only one of the sides are allowed to present their case, their arguments and their facts.
It's not hard to imagine that the presenting side would always win.

Advertisement works. People would not vote for candidates they haven't seen. You need a lot of money to get on air. And sometimes the media won't let you broadcast your message even when you pay them ("Fahrenheit 9/11" the anti Iraq-war campaign). Sometimes the media would favor a party and that party would return the favor in form of tax cuts (and vice versa).

2. I think you got me wrong. In the court you have 2 opposing sides. However in politics the parties are not always opposing. They can have mutual (cartel) agreements on many topics. And this is bad. Very bad. E.g. If both parties think that the current health care system is perfect and should not be touched, then this must be the fact. But the fact is that each year about a tens of thousand people die because they cannot afford the treatment they need (including people with health insurance). In theory you can choose party that want change of that system, but if none of the 2 main parties propose that, so you won't have a choice (well, you can move to Canada).
Add the silence or active disinformation/bias of the mass media on this topic and you have pretty horrid situation.

The duopoly party system is usually referred as voting for 2 different heads of a Lernaean Hydra. They may fight which one would be ruling, but they are connected to the same body. It also makes it easier to corrupt the whole political system. You have to "lobby" only 2 candidates.

3. The "throwing my vote" is quite popular refrain. It is self-fulfilling prophecy and is actively preached by these who have most interest in making it reality.
If people have only 2 viable options and they fear to vote for another candidate (no matter the reason) it comes to show that the election process is not really free and democratic, because in real democracy no vote is wasted.

In fact president elections do have very interesting system that _may_ allow candidate who got less than 3% of national votes to decide who the next president would be (even if it is not him/her). The emphasis here is on "may".

USA presidents are elected by Electoral College. This means that people of each state vote for representatives who then vote for president. Usually the winner in a state takes all representatives, but recently 2 states (Maine and Nebraska) adopted proportional vote. Also, total of 24 states force their representatives to vote for the person they have been elected for.

Now let's imagine that Texas is not one of these 24 states or that the candidate himself can directly control his representatives. If Ron Paul runs for president as Libertarian (He's been Libertarian nominee in 1984 elections!), he may manage to win all Texas representatives (He is Texas congressman after all). If Texas adopts proportional vote, then he would need as much as 6-7% to have 2 representatives. Having 2 or more (up to 32 for Texas, from 538 total) representatives would allow him to decide who would be the next president if both major parties have equal number of representatives (the previous 2 elections were pretty close).

I'm giving example with Ron Paul because he is man who have his own consciousness. I want to believe he won't blindly support the Republican party line.

If you don't like the idea of Ron Paul then you could also imagine what would happen if Stephen Colbert tries to run as real president candidate and wins in South Carolina (8 rep).

Finally. I really wish I had great rhetoric skills, but no matter how I try to polish my words I still find that many eye-opening documentaries manage to express these ideas way better than me, in simple words, great examples and with proper fact checking.
That's why I recommend watching documentaries. The must-watch list is : "The Corporation", "The Power of Nightmares", "Fahrenheit 9/11", "WMD – Weapons for Mass Deception", "Hacking Democracy", "Sicko". (I recommend watching "The Colbert Report" from July 19, 2007 with guest Michael Moore, the author of "Sicko" documentary). Recommended list includes "Super Size Me", "The Future of Food", "This Film is Not Yet Rated". I also recommend watching the fictional movie "Rendition" and the based-on-true-story movie "The Road To Guantanamo".  sn0w(Quote)

"People should not be afraid of their government.  Government should be afraid of its people."

First time commenting but long time observer of this site.  I am a fan of Bill Maher and watch his HBO show, "Real Time with Bill Maher" and before that, "Politically Incorrect".  I must admit that I did not see the original airing of Larry King Live with Bill Maher, and I, until just moments ago, did not follow the link in starks email to view the portion of starks call in.  I did, HOWEVER, catch a re-airing of the episode last night, Sunday Feb. 10, and since I had read the subject of starks email, wondered if I could pick out which caller he was.  To might delight, after viewing starks clip just now, I chose correctly!! I was indeed amazed that Bill did not know about the Maine caucus but even more amazed that he commended someone for knowing something he did not.  But to Bill's credit, he did a swift recovery by moving onto something he was knowledgeable about, Super Delegates. 

How great is it that I can read comments about two of my interests in the same place, Inuyasha and Bill Maher, if only just this once.

  Archer(Quote)