I loved this when I first saw it, and again just now. Wexler knows exactly what's going on, from the beginning of the segment. He's trying, not very successfully, to keep a straight face through the whole thing. When Colbert sets up the final bit, he's having fun playing along (even though he stumbles along at it).
What…

@uni - I share your sentiment. I enjoy rewatching/ revisiting movies, shows & books I love with friends & folks who are seeing them for the first time, for the vicarious thrill of new discovery.

First time I took acid, saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Outstanding.

I'll concede that students do manage to remain ignorant of much that they've been taught in school. But I suspect they're more likely to be ignorant of what they've never been taught. Which is the situation the fundamentalists have largely succeeded in creating.

*Pompous - Only somewhat less realistic than a situation where, out of millions of people on a continent with dozens of countries, most of those countries' rulers were cousins.

I hate how you can smell a McDonald's half a block away. I can choose not to eat there, but I can't always choose not to walk nearby. I think they deliberately ventilate their deep-fry vats at the sidewalk.

I promise to stop after this, but there's one last point to be made:

Oh, and I don't recall anywhere "setting up [my] expert credentials". Just reacting to the dead general's post.

And is "McClellan" a misspelling? Sorry, I just copied from the post I was replying to. Or did I misspell someone else's name? Please specify.

You've provided examples of Confederate leaders who opposed secession but had varying positions on slavery. More relevant for purposes of this discussion would be examples of Confederate leaders who advocated secession but opposed slavery. That would show a motivation for secession other than the preservation &…

I was blown away by the mind-fuck that was Memento. Someday I'll re-watch it to see how it plays, knowing how the story ends (begins).

I enjoy how some folks conflate their freedom to say any damn thing they want with their right not to have other people be angered, upset, annoyed, etc. by the damn things they say, and to express those feelings.

Wrong again. I did not refer to the entire population of the South - many of whom opposed secession, often violently - and the vast majority of whom owned no slaves.

@Watcho - (1) Evolution is not a "belief" like a religion, it's a "theory" like gravity.
(2) Lack of general knowledge of evolution, how it works, and how it (and scientific theories in general) are worked out, is largely the fault of religious fundamentalists insisting that such discussions be excised from textbooks,…

Except that *SPOILER?* Dexter didn't kill Rita, he killed Trinity after Trinity had already killed Rita.

The motivations of the leaders, and the average people in the Union, for fighting were varied - ranging from hard-core abolitionists to racists who didn't want more darkies around to pro-slavery assholes like McClellan. (And it would make sense that generals, being upper-class gents, would be more likely to sympathize…

Goes against stereotype, but for a field agent (as opposed to an analyst) it makes sense to have a "people person", someone who enjoys being around people, listening to their stories and prompting them for more.

I think Roger's always been genuinely in love with Joan. But he's only lately realizing it. He often seems surprised by it himself. Perhaps having dropped Mona for the even-younger chippie Jane has clarified his feelings. Before, he could maybe play off how good he felt with Joan as contrast to how miserable he was…