i used to go to rainbow family gatherings myself. they can hardly be accurately described as a utopia of any sort.
don't be so sure about that, an american city could very well get nuked if we pursue the paths that obama and mccain want.
they don't hate americans for being americans. the "terrorists" hate america because america has no clue how to mind it's own buisness.
Yea, it's a shame he didn't do better...but who really expected anything else? Personally, I think doing as well as he did is a great achievement, at least people are starting to realize there is a third way. Hopefully more people will come to this realization soon, because we are fast approaching the singularity where the system will no longer be able to correct itself, if we haven't already left it far behind.
i think ron paul is either a mole of some sort or a sacraficial lamb ignorant of his own sacrificial status. he did come out and admit to being a zionist, but i think that was largely so he could distance himself from those that others percieve to be extremists or weirdoes.
On the subject of human nature, I think that most people are good. Most of the good ones are ignorant, which sometimes makes them bad. Some of the ones who are good and are not ignorant are arrogant, which can make them bad. Some people of victims of circumstance, or biochemistry. Some are just assholes. But most really just want to get by. However, a lot of these people are awfully gullible, which means they are easily led to believe that something which doesn't benefit them at all, is necessary just to get by.