Yes - some points
And as for leaving this board, you'll still encounter the same attitudes everywhere you go, albeit with not as intelligent conversations. What you learn and fight for here can be used in your day to life elsewhere.
totally true and wise advice.
Please stay.
I'll second your second! I think Art rocks (pun intended), i hope he doesn't see me as too weird, with my occasional religious sympathies. I respect his atheism as the result of a thinking, aware person, and recognize the potential problems involved in the conflating of religion with state.
Finally, though, in defence of Tom: he may sometimes cross the line from thought-provoking to just plain provocational, but he has stated several times that he flatly opposes the draft - as a violation of freedom of the individual.
Daniel