System - includes capitalism, and a government which supports it - an army, courts, police force, SEC, Federal Reserve, and so on. Read my typing - SYSTEM. "Parse my way around it" my tail!!! I'm reasonably literate - had I meant "government" I would have said "government". I said "system". (Political-economic system, included until Scalia a reasonably representative form of government. I just added that to drive you nuts.)

It's a sad way to debate - when you can't argue with the words, change the other guys words. And that's transparent, pathetic, desperate. I'd like to think you're above something as self-defeating as that, but - - - .

If I were you I'd be damn grateful for the SYSTEM which provides for a great way of life. I for sure wouldn't embarrass myself by whining about the system which provides me with so much. Heck, I'm not you, and I'm grateful.

BULLETIN!!! Those troops in Afghanistan aren't there to protect your hoard, they are there to protect the SYSTEM. And you may have more to protect than some people. Sorry, Charlie, I think you should pay for what you get. That always irritates conservatives.

And you'll never see it. What I'm saying will always be beyond you. You will never have enough.

'Nuff sed. I'm smart enough to know that when one is determined to see themselves as a victim nothing I can say, do or demonstrate will ever talk themselves out of it.

On one point I will agree with you. It is pathetic. That view of the American way of life is pathetic.

And when I get into high dudgeon, I don't understand why some of my best friends are so damned conservative, except they are middle-class struggling for upper-middle. My truly wealthy friends are much more liberal. On my better days I realize this is only one aspect of people, and everyone does their best to take care of themselves. Seems to be narrower for some folks than others, but they can still be super people in other areas.

(Yes, eb, I do have friends. Good luck at the Lonesome Posters Schizophrenic Clinic today.)

Arf