What you said I completely agree with and it is exactly why I got into this thread since our colleague TB felt it his duty once again to inform us of this socialistic trend in Venezuela. It's commonly accepted on here that he posts things like this simply to keep us informed but I've read enough of his ramblings now to know there's this agenda that's brewing.

You see, with Tom and his like, it's not enough to simply sit back as a fly on the wall and watch as the Venezuelans evolve in their political and economic ideology. There's this need to get in and form these poor misguided souls into the good Christian capitalists he knows they can be, no matter how many have to die to accomplish it.

I simply don't have it in my soul to allow people like him, that claim to have facts and history on their side, to get away with such blatant idiocy and callousness. He managed once again up above to take a balanced post I wrote and somehow reframe the topic into an accusation of "blaming America".

I don't blame America. I blame Tom and people like him. In my mind, they do not represent my country and never will be part of the recipe for what makes up the American spirit. They are like a herpes infection on an otherwise healthy body, an irritant that can't be removed with normal methods. Political correctness and fair play are seen as weakness by them and they'll go for the jugular as soon as they feel you've let off the pressure.

ER, I so admire your desire to engage the man in a calm manner but just know this. The guy is being mellow to you right now for two reasons. You're the most eloquent writer on the board and he fears taking you on without blatant provocation knowing you'll kick his ass. Secondly, you've shown a tendency to bolt when he attacked last time and he knows he got the brunt of the blame for losing you. However, he's like a cornered animal right now and I can see the veiled dissing beginning again. He'll lose his control one of these days and nail you with one of his labels again. I hope you unleash both barrels this time. I think it'd be a sight all of us would get a kick out of and help teach a bully a valuable lesson. (Either that or you can continue living vicariously through me. I'm essentially incorrigible.)

Art