So "People with your opinions can at times seem incredibly stupid to me" isn't an opinion? Sorry, it sure seemed like it to me. And can you really say that you never, ever question the intelligence of people who disagree with you?

I consider someone seeming to be stupid an impression. If I don't voice that immpression it is not an opinion. I make every effort to avoid that opinion in an argument. I may not always succeed but at least I try not to make it my first conclusion.

FrankC mentioned "a belief in a different set of data". Data is data. Belief doesn't enter into it - facts are fact. The interpretation may be open to belief or not, but "believing in a different set of data" is sort of like believing in a different set of laws of physics.

Do you really not understand the term Data Sets? Google the term and you will. Data is data but data is not necessarily fact and one is not required to believe it. Nick Hoffman can provide you with a Data Set that postulates a White Mars. Another scientist can provide a Data Set for a wet Mars. You might or might not concur with a data set on Mexican demographics depending on your opinion of the statisticians. We sort through data and make conclusions.

Stupidity is not a requirement for make deciding between White or Wet Mars. Nick might disagree with me there.

Sometimes people who disagree with me ARE dumb. I know of people who believe whole-heartedly in UFOs, angels, that the Apollo landings were fake, that smoking cigarettes doesn't cause cancer, etc, etc. and I think that these people are dumb. If that makes me elitist, I guess mea culpa.

Are they now? Splinx believes whole-heartedly in UFOs and that the war was a criminal act by the Bush admin. Is he dumb about the one thing and not the other? You and I could probably agree on a number of people such as you describe being dumb and there is a good chance we would be right but it is a risky call for one person to make.