The leadership of about everything are the spokespeople, have a better command of the issues, and will seem to be out front. They devote 100% of their time to matters on which the rest of us only devote small amounts of time.

(We have to trust them a bit because of that. You trust GWB to not abuse YOUR Bill of Rights. I don't. You didn't trust Clinton. I trusted his politics, and trusted him personally to be as sleazy as Princess Diane. If either of them lived down the block I wouldn't have let my kids go there.)

For instance, your church. Hopefully the Pastor is out front of the congregation and more outspoken. That's his/her job, and it doesn't mean you don't believe, too.

The fact is that the least expensive way mine copper would be the best for "free trade" and capitalism, those two avowed principles of American conservatism.

The least expensive way to do mine copper may not be the best for the people working there, the people in the area, or the environment in general. Some folks might suggest a more expensive way, or leaving the copper in the earth if it would be too damaging to take it out.

I think calling those folks anti-American is irresponsible, on the same level of Cheney calling Senators asking questions of the Bush Administration "unpatriotic".

Suggesting that because the Koran is more specific than the Bible about caring for the world in which we live makes environmentalists in league with those who want to do harm to the US ain't kosher, either.

"All of them see capitalism as the problem. Most of them see America as the problem. Some of them see humanity as the problem. Now, it isn't just a matter of cleaning up our act, it's a matter of getting the human race off the stage entirely."

Capitalism IS the problem, but the problem isn't capitalism. The problem is greed. Capitalism is a great idea, it works well, it produces prosperity. The limitation of capitalism is that's it's legitimate interest is short-term profits. Period. That's it's job.

So there needs to be restraints on it. You've seen with Enron and WorldCom what happens where there aren't, when the protections break down. To see the wider view is not anti-American, it is more American to see a land, a people, a culture, a society, AND a healthy economy than to see just short-term profits.

And conservatives ALWAYS say "It's a great idea, we just can't afford it!" We couldn't afford workers compensation, we couldn't afford to cut emissions on cars, and so on and so on.

I suppose that's their job, though. So far the economy is doing pretty good, even though it's in for rough times the likes of which we haven't seen for a long, long time. I would think they'd get tired of that old argument themselves.

And those extremist "they want to get rid of all of us" statements kind of detract from your arguments, which are often pretty good.

Arf