<He's only a kid, and a nice kid, so I let it go. I don't talk about politics with children unless they become insistent. It was enough for him to see a philosophy he has been taught to revile owned by someone who has helped him and who he likes. I wonder if he has put it together that the reviled philosophy informs the behavior from which he has benefitted

I also shy away from talking politics with anybody under the age of 18. As a teenager I debated a lot of politics. I was actually pretty liberal. I blame it now on my poverished upbringing and all the conservatives around me, who seemed to have it all. Hey, I was a kid. As a kid I really didn't have a political opinion to call my own. The left side of the aisle made me feel good and was contrary to the opinion all of my friends, so it bought me an instant spotlight. I grew toward it like a moth to light. After a few shocks (Bill Clinton being a big one, way before Monica btw) I gradually grew out of it and started questioning politics on both sides. I overcorrected some, did a little swerving, and ended up where I am now. Every now and then something comes up that makes me rethink what I stand for (politically) from the ground up and decide if I'm really where I want to be. The Patriot Act has caused me to do that. Right now I blame it on the government overcorrecting, but I will watch and see if it corrects itself. Patriot Act 2 will be a good indicator.

Because of my own experience, I don't argue politics with kids. Kids will either follow thier parents religiously or rebel violently. I think I did both at the same time depending on the issue. I don't care which side of the spectrum, it takes some real world experience and hard work before someone starts evaluating politics for one's self. That is something most teenagers have little supply of. Heck a lot of adults I know don't either.

regards,

Steve G.