Hey -- I tried...
Things are as you say they are, because you say so. That's OK -- I've been hearing that from more powerful voices than yours (if not necessarily more articulate ones) since Jan. 21, 2001. I don't buy them, either.
To sum up: we (by which I mean the greater collective "we") can scream at each other for years, or even decades, and neither side will persuade the other to change their mind, shut up, or go away. It is our nature as Americans.
So I am calling a unilateral cease-fire. No one wins, no one loses -- no one can.
However, I have gained from this exchange. I've learned that, once I get past the initial anger, I can write dispassionately about political issues charged with emotion, and back it up with research when required. I leave it to others to judge how well I've done -- yet I don't want attaboys, especially not here.
A significant number of people like myself are looking to shuffle off their apathetic coils, or change their priorities, and put their talents where their hearts are, to the betterment of our nation and our planet. I hope to become one such.
So, thanks for the practice, Mark. See ya on the other boards!