This has kinda been bugging me lately, the "it's just politics" line, and this is a convienent place to stick it in without starting a new thread.

Just so we are sure of what we are talking about here:

Politics, from politic:

"Using or marked by prudence, expedience, and shrewdness; artful.
Using, displaying, or proceeding from policy; judicious: a politic decision.
Crafty; cunning "

But, more importantly, that comes from the Greek word, "polis", for a place where citizens engaged in dialogue. Also a term for community, a society of communicating citizens.

The HabitableZone is a "polis". The discussions here, often informative, sometimes vitriolic, always entertaining, are none the less, in the strictest terms of the term, "politics".

Yeah, it's politics. It's not a dirty word.

That's America. Or should be.