Is the polio vaccine a good thing?  Most of us with any familiarity with the ravages polio inflicted on generations past would answer that question with an immediate and enthusiastic “yes.”  Still, the world would be a far better place if there was no polio and, thus, no polio vaccines.  The injection into our bodies of foreign substances to create immunities to disease is good only because the action is juxtaposed against the far worse pain and suffering of polio itself.   None of us wish to receive a daily injection if none is called for.  In fact, we wish to receive as few injections – and not one more – as is necessary to stay healthy.  The polio vaccine is, in fact, a necessary evil.

IN HOUR ONE: Would it be possible for modern America to slip into a Soviet Style existence? Many Americans believe the socialist trends in America bode exactly that. But what about someone coming from the opposite perspective? What about someone who spent his whole life in the throws of Communism seeking the freedoms of America? Well we will ask one, Leon Weinstein, author of the new book, “Looking for Hugh: The Capitalist Guidebook.” Look for this to be a no-holds-barred discussion on the condition of America, and the direction she is headed from someone who came to her for what she represented.

Ex-President Clinton’s comment that the current political incivilty toward President Obama is part of a vast right-wing conspiracy is an overstatement. Personally, I think the criticism is just half-vast. Vic Viola , Golden If you want to know what’s wrong with this country, merely observe the wealthy owners of NFL teams sitting in the luxurious boxes of stadiums paid for by the taxpayers. Robert R. Tiernan , Denver President Barack Obama’s trip to Copenhagen to support Chicago’s bid to play host to the 2016 Summer Olympics strikes me as odd.

Times Online In Afghanistan, the Distance Between ‘We Must’ and ‘We Can’ New York Times Over the next few weeks, Barack Obama must make the most difficult decision of his presidency to date: whether or not to send up to 40000 more troops to Afghanistan, as his commanding general there, Stanley McChrystal, has reportedly …

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s president hit back Saturday at President Barack Obama’s accusation that his country had sought to hide its construction of a new nuclear site, arguing that Tehran reported the facility to the U.N. even earlier than required.The Iranian president defended his government’s actions as the head of the U.N.’s nuclear monitoring agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, arrived Saturday to arrange an inspection of the uranium enrichment facility near the holy city of Qom.The revelation that Iran has been building a new nuclear plant has heightened the concern of the U.S.

…and it is us! We are proud! We are united! We are loyal! We are kind and giving! We are decent! We are diverse! We are always seeking to improve ourselves and lift others! We are always the first ones to show up in time of need-anywhere in the world! We are the most powerful country in the world-but we are not bullies! We are family! We are friends and neighbors!  We are Americans and we are without a doubt the best example of a free people the world has ever seen-period.

Thanks to the Obama File, this article should be spread a wide anyway possible. David Corckett Well, it probably started with “Dreams . . .” In the introduction, Obama acknowledged his use of pseudonyms, composite characters, approximated dialogue and events out of chronological order. “He was trying to be careful of people’s feelings,” said Deborah Baker, the editor on the first paperback edition of the book.

Everything you need to know. The only place you need to go. The Sullied Saviour still blames Bush. If you didn’t already know, read this to learn why People Like Palin. We bet this is the first you’ve heard about the noble sacrifice of Michelle Obama. What is going on at the Federal Reserve is a bigger scandal than ACORN. John Boehner accuses Barack Obama of subverting the Constitution.

Alert! Wasafiri , the journal of contemporary “world writing”, is officially venerable. It turned 25 this year – and to mark the anniversary, conducted a poll of 25 top writers on their 25 favourite books. Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude wins the informal caucus, by virtue of having been singled out twice amongst the 25. Two Africans get a look in, meanwhile: Ben Okri for The Famished Road and sometime homeboy JM Coetzee for Disgrace .

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) — The funeral of a Chicago teenager whose beating death was caught on video was attended Saturday by scores of family members, officials and community leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Authorities say Derrion Albert, a 16-year-old honors student, was an innocent bystander who ended up in the middle of a street fight between two factions of students from Christian Fenger Academy High School.