BARBARA FROM TENN.
there was a deal between henry kissinger and the shah of iran.maybe brian could get kissinger to tell what he said to the shah about how he should pay for the weapons the usa supplied to him.

I "second" Dave's nomination of "The Filter" and the rest of those who "decide what gets omitted and what gets pounded everyday."

I thought civil War was declared by the New York Times months ago? I'd like to see Bill Keller move his family into the building in Belgium that swift program is operated out of. Win the war on Bush at any cost!!!! psssst It's not going to be the global warming fairy sawing your head off

I'd nominate "The Filter", and the small hand full of people who decide what gets omitted, and what gets pounded everyday. All of our news these days comes from press conferences, government reports, business reports, interviews etc. All these things are available to anyone via the net (thank god for c-span & Brian Lamb ) It's pretty sad to watch what gets taken out of context, and then hammered as the shocking headline of the day. Eventually the truth comes out, but the lie has been accepted as truth to be repeated later by politicians who go unchallenged on the networks.

This country is full of good hearted fair minded people on both sides of the political fence. We deserve better than what we get. Which only leaves the question. Do I lean left, or right? hehehee

hope this makes through the filter

Brian,
Some months' ago Joan Chapman (a regular respondant to your blog) discussed much of the same charity work as she has done on November 14. I believe at that time you remarked that we would see a "Making a Difference" segment on the making of quilts for either Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camp, or a charity related to Dale Earnhardt Sr. We hope the planned segment will actually materialize....Ms. Chapman is a great mentor setting a wonderful example of sharing not only her thoughts, but her actions as well...for the good of others.

Brian,
While you make valid points about the self absorbed U.S. citizens, your network does a wonderful story like the one that closed the Tuesday night broadcast and proved that not everyone is like that.

Does a civil war have to be declared to make it official? When will Iraq be designated a "civil war" only when this country says so? It becomes a question of degree than ascertaining when a civil war has begun. I would think that civil war has begun and now can only escalate. But that is my humble opinion!

The obvious solution for Iraq is much like it was for Bosnia. Divide the country into three separate states or continue to watch the bloodshed.

As for the person of the Year being "our inner self," my Buddhist teacher had an interesting thing to say about the "ego." "The Ego" he said "or the sense of 'I' will always be with us as beings. We fall into its trickery as it always seeks to be perfect at absolutely everything. It has no value of its own so it seeks it outside of itself. It is instilled with survival and hates change. The drive to survive becomes a drive towards perfection (author Tony Stultz)"

That last part might be where nationalism comes in... Tony went onto say that ego isn't just those "boisterous athletic men" showing off at a local bar or being so self-righteous on a blog. Ego can hide itself in people who feel very down about themselves. Because they have not reached their idea of perfection, they essentially punish themselves. By feeling hurt and wronged, it actually places more emphasis on the 'I' and is therefore a nasty little trick of the ego...

As far as how "We've grown away from any sense of collective experience, viewing or otherwise," I honestly don't think such isolation is due to the Internet or any "new" ego trip. It probably has a lot more to do with our growing social isolation where the average number of people per household has fallen by almost 1/3rd to a mere 2.6 people per house. Smaller families, life growing up in our most important years in a daycare center... It all plays a part in being a less social person.

As I have said many times before, communal living is a glaringly obvious solution for most of the problems we face. In such homes, there'd be more people around of like interests to do more fun and exciting things with. Shoot a game of pool? Not a problem when others want to play. Learn to weave a basket or make a clay pot? I'm good to go if you are Brian! It's not that we are now suddenly opposed to group activities; there just are far fewer opportunities! Hope this helps in your debate! Chris

I think your on to something here ole chap. An interesting concept of perception. Those that take the time to post in blogs or boards, yet contribute nothing other than reaffirming or denouncing someone else opinion on a person or subject, what are they recieving? Why do they take the time to post? Is it because everyone wants to be heard? Is it because as our society becomes more compartmentalised do we feel more boxed in and isolated and thirst for human thought exchange? There can be arguments on both sides that this Genisis of communication, we are just begining to explore, can somehow twist us in to screen staring robotrons devoid of independent thought - wait we already are screen staring robotrons - or this could truly be mans next big step for mankind. Perhaps by having no boundaries, no language barriers, could we actually learn to communicate with one another? If we did learn to comunicate with one another could we understand eachother better and plant seeds of tolerance and compassion? Although my choice Brian, if anyone ever thought my opinion was worth a buffalo nickle, would be US. I do agree that the all importance of self worth we covet with such unreasonable value fly's us on autopilot to territories better left unexplored. One arguements interpetation is that a democracy can not survive with a populance easily influenced with immediate self gratification. So are we witnessing or should we be witnessing not just poilcies and players changing but is there a lesson that is right in front of us that we are not absorbing?

I agress 100% with Jack from Scottsdale, Arizona. The 2006 Person of the Year should be...The American Voter. While not the landslide of the '94 Republican quake in DC,the message clearly delivered by Democrats AND Republicans alike was: NO MORE BS! From Irag, to oil prices, to hypecritical congressmen, the Voter demanded new standards from elected officials.

You know what, Brian, i think YOU should be the 'Person of the Year'!
... but that is just my opinion

For over one hundred thousand years, around over one hundred million campfires have been told over one hundred billion stories.

These stories were answers to the unknown: why the sun, moon, stars move across the sky; why the thunder follows the lightning; why rain and rainbows.

These stories were about survival: what signs to look for before eating mushrooms; when to leave the high country for the warm lower valleys before the snow.

These stories were about the heroes the great leaders and warriors: Ra, Hercules, Thor, Caesar, Cochise, Daniel Boone; some who's deeds have become legend and survive to this day and the countless others long forgotten.

I, too, remember when there was only 2 networks in town and it was a big deal when the third was in operation. I remember when the Beatles were first on American TV, the first moon landing, the death of Kennedy.

Some say that making English the official language will unite the country. Language doesn't unite a country, it is the stories, the common experiences of living through the same history, fighting the same battles, celebrating the same victories that forms a country. Language just makes it easier.

With a computer in one corner of the room, a television set at the opposite corner, personal music players, text messages on cell phones, headphones, books and magazines people in the same room aren't experiencing the same events as anyone else let alone sharing the experience.

Having multiple outlets to get your message across may mean more people will have a chance to see your message but, if all things are considered, will it be the same message? 9/11 was probably the last time this country was all watching the same events at the same time.

With today's cable access to hundreds of channels showing hundreds of different programs the common experiences are lost, the stories that makes a nation are being told but aren't being listened to.

I do appreciate your efforts to present the nightly news since I am not always able to watch it at the time shown, same with some of your entertainment programs. But by having a different version of the news for mobile phones, PCs and the East versus the West Coast the stories are changed and so is the common experience.

Person of the Year, should be Will Reeve, son of Dana and Christopher Reeve. That says it all.

Brian,

Wow, you just knocked my socks off! I couldn't agree with you more regarding whats happening in America.

All I would add is, in addition to your comments, Americans have lost there moral compass and now worship money and material possessions more than they value anything else.
Even our leaders won't appeal to our better nature and ask us to make sacrifices at home that could help our soldiers. We have lost our way and are completely disconnected from the world, caring only about ourselves.

Brian -

I don't think it's all about us.

A patient at Walter Reed Hospital started me on an unusual charity experience. A friends' niece - Marissa - was seriously wounded in Iraq when her Humvee was struck by a land mine last Thanksgiving. She was the only survivor and was eventually sent to Germany and then Walter Reed where she finally came out of her coma and lost both legs. Our crochet group sent her one of our 'comfort afghans' stitched together through squares made by each member of the group in red, white and blue in honor of her service.

Most of us in the crochet group were so moved by this experience that we have taken to more charity work instead of giving our craft work only to friends and family members.

The charity that found me was Project Linus (www.projectlinus.org) which collects and distributes crib sized afghans for children who are in need, sick or displaced from their homes all across the United States. Here in CT, these afghans are being delivered to Boys/Girls Village in Milford, Paul Newman's Hole in Wall Camp, and Yale's Children's Hospital as well as other hospitals and various police and fire departments to be used to comfort children in various emergencies. All afghans are handmade by volunteers and given to the child to keep.

For those of us who are involved in this work, it is not about us, it is about the children and it is very rewarding to make a difference in a child's life, if only to comfort them.

So, for some of us, it's not about us, it's about them.

Joan Chapman, Cheshire, CT

"Every day Iraq is now closer to OPEN Civil War"
Unfortunately, every time we remove some petty, CIA supported dictator from power, a vacuum forms that civil war and anarchy rush in to fill. A few who come to mind: Marcos, The Shah of Iran, and Sadam, to name a few.

While one reader gives us hope that blogging and the like are technological fads, I too am struck by the observation that we share fewer and fewer common experiences. In my youth, even as we discovered there could be more than 3 channels on the tv, the networks remained king. As a nighttime disc jockey in various cities, i knew I could reach a large number of a measurable group and have some sort of input (and perhaps reflection) of their lives. While I "graduated " from that part of my life, I still make my living in commercial radio...and suddenly reflected on the fact that the job that I spent most of my working life at no longer exists...what radio station do you know that has a live local personality recognized by a visible number of people on the air after dark?...radio has conceded the audience to all the other media and medium vying for our time. Then, as I drove home tonight listening to an automated radio station...I was reminded that even that's a "hunker down" position for commercial radio, when I looked at the Jeep next to me with an add-on satellite radio receiver. Parse, and parse again...we are losing not just our "sense" of community...but our experience of it.

Pick an amputee- any amputee at Walter Reed- for Person of the Year. These brave people deserve much more than they have been given, a lifelong burden, through no fault of their own.

Brian, you hit it out of the park with your point about our cultural self-absorbtion. I have seen many varations of 'its all about me' in license plates, and even on shirts - all proudly displayed. It leaves me dismayed, but not without hope. It starts with one person who determines that it will be 'all about others', and things can improve. Look no further than 911 or Katrina. There were plenty of mistakes, but also much selfless giving and heroism. This is especially true if you look for it in your daily life. There is so much good that transpires daily, and those that see it are generally those that look for it - particularly those who choose to actively participate (by making the simple commitment to making a difference each day, in some small way). Kudos to you.

Well put, Brian. I look forward to the link with the Time webcast.

I must say though, it is not as bad as it sometimes seems. Just when I get really worried if the electorate is well informed, they restore my faith in the democratic process by throwing out those who have the temerity to "mess with the Constitution".

Brian, I understand your point. But ... I do think the novelty of blogging will wear off. Technology tends to spawn fads, and they are always wildly popular and "oh so important" for a short time. Then everyone moves on to the next new thing. Indeed, many people even on the blogging sites are beginning to complain about not having enough time to live their lives, and are signing off or at least restricting their online time.

And yes I do agree we're in a phase where "me first" is predominant, but that too will change over time. The political chattering class has spent a lot of time and money trying to divide us, and we've just sent them a message about the efficacy of that strategy. There is the beginnings of a new "coming together" but I would guess that it will take a few years to coalesce. The "old" world we grew up in is gone, and the new world is forming. What cultural anthropologists call "mores and norms" are undergoing change, so there is no current agreement on common values the way there was before 1968. The business of watching a society define itself is messy and time-consuming, but it always does resolve. Keep the faith :)

I think the person of the year should be a human being. One. It shouldn't be a horse, or an idea, or a country, or an aggregation of people or a cause or a mechanical or tangible object. The concept is cheapened as we diverge from its essence. Of course, in addition to a person, we can also have "subcategories" where you can insert the square peg. This year's person of the year should be Rahm Emanuel, the architect of the Democratic landslide. (Of course, if I wanted to have 2 persons of the year, I'd also throw in Charles Schumer.)

I would suggest a variation on your idea: I think the American voter should be the Person of the Year.

Clearly the voters have spoken and torn down the fortress of power President Bush was erecting for himself. It is an amazing thing that the most powerful man on earth can be brought down by average citizens. Too bad all people on earth do not have such power to rein in the excesses of their governments.