They pretty much symbolise the two sides of the global scandal of the year.
They also symbolise the attitudes of both sides.
Those considered hard right and those considered hard left have never been closer in outlook, never had greater congruence between their lists of what to overturn. Once it is both ends against the middle, you enter a pre-revolutionary state. That is what we have now -- growing flanks versus a contracting middle. It is middle class that is shrinking; it is the middle of the country that is depopulating; the political middle is where "only the lonely" live; both farms and banks are now only too small to matter or too big to fail; all journalism is now advocacy journalism; middle-tier college education is a ticket to debt and nothing else; etc. Conspiracy bait: Stew was Mark Shuttleworth's attorney for the Thawte acquisition and went with him to the Baikonur Cosmodrome. --dan