To be fair to both of you, I doubt you've written anything that resembles Mein Kampf, but I also doubt Alcaray intended for you to take him literally. The fact, however, that you answered Al's sarcastic jab with one of your own should not be lost on him either. A little edgy maybe, but there's still a sense of humor there.

I honestly don't understand either side of this issue - how Mary Anne got to the point where she felt she'd had enough, how others could not be aware in some fashion of how she felt. Her frustration and other emotions must have at some level been detectable. I wish both sides had stopped for a second to talk before letting it get to the point where one side decided she was through with being the dog with 'Liberal' taped to her butt waiting to be kicked.

Do you honestly not see how you got under her skin? It's a sincere question. If you answer, 'No,' I'll be forced to believe you.

For my part, I'm just very sad that first Mary Anne and then E' have both packed up and gone home.

But you read Al's post. He did a pretty good job there, I think, explaining how Mary Anne probably felt and saw things. Much better than my poor attempt.

I doubt you ever deliberately tried to insult Mary Anne, and I also doubt you lost your cool and slipped long enough to do so. Though I disagree with most of the conservatives here on one thing or another, I have observed that people here try their best to remain gentlemen. Not only does this put most of them above what's found on the Web in general, but it elevates them above a lot of the people you have to deal with in person every day.

My guess is that Mary Anne felt belittled, quietly (and without a trace of maliciousness) mocked. I think she used the term 'pat on the head,' and that may sum it up right there.

Larry J keeps returning to his belief that Mary Anne and E' are cowards, that E' is not only a coward but also a slinking snotgrammer. This is unfortunate, because Larry J usually exercises more class than just about anybody else on either HZ or the old MSNBC site.

I think you've posted that you don't believe that. Mary Anne simply got tired of it. As Al said, '...do you frame a clever response to every stinkin' post? Do you sit in the background and fume?' And E' has a heart. His friend got hurt, left. So he got disgusted, left.

I don't think Mary Anne ever felt like she personally got treated with contempt, but Al again hits the nail on the head. She felt her ideas and beliefs being treated with contempt. Challenged is one thing, contempt of course is something else.

Anyway, if you've read this far, please know that I don't regard you as the latest disciple of Nietzsche. I doubt Alcaray does either. And thanks, by the way, for your understanding words on Current Events re Mary Anne.