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Along those lines, several European nations still have active fascist (!) par ties who place in elections, something that never happens in the U.S.. No matter how much anyone might dislike George Bush, the guy's no fascist, and the closest this country has come to providing one in recent years (Pat Buchanan, David Duke) have gotten laughed off of the polls.

The US supports fascist (well not always called fascist, but they do behave as such) regimes...remember Chile? Maybe not Bush, but Ashcroft has some serious fascist leanings. I think he pushed it beyond ultra-rightwing into the realm of fascism.

...

Times food critic, with all the small hole in the wall restaurants and coffee shops he tried, many run by recent Italian arrivals who barely spoke English, he said one of the few decent cups of espresso he had was at (ta-dah!) Starbucks.

I love Italian espresso and the espresso of many indie coffee houses...I nearly vomit when I have Starbucks's! It tastes acidic enough that you feel as if your stomach lining is being eaten away. Their coffee is not much better. I don't drink there because of politics; I don't drink there because their coffee is putrid. Zach