"Waht I can't understand is like folks like Strick???? Here the handwritin' is not only on the wall, but in yer TV, in yer newspaper, in every molecule of air you breathe, in everything you consume, yet you don't see???? This is so very frusteratin' and confusin'... I mean no disrespect but when are you gonna get it???? When they come for you????"

Bobert, all I see is a sharply divided country where one side has decided to demonize the other over things that they are equally guilty of doing. You can find good or evil in anything if you look hard enough. In my humble opinion, what people see in this case says more about them than it does about what they're looking at. I refuse to believe hate is a form of logic or accept "facts" that on sober reflection are nothing more than slander, malicious rumor, and character assasination. From either side.

Carol, you know I mean no malice when I say we disagree. Even if the fantasy of world domination exists somewhere, we just don't have the capability to pull it off. If Iraq served no other purpose, it proved that. I posted a link to an article in another thread that described how the Mullahs in Iran were afraid they would be next after Iraq. One look at how we're bogged down there and they're laughing with relief, because they see they have nothing to worry about. We might be able win any war one on one, but we don't have the resources or the will to fight peace after peace.

Amos, Amos, what Harris did was merely enforce state law. She might have done so with partisan zeal, but that's hardly the same as registering entire grave yards and practicing the motto, "vote early, vote often" like they did in the 1960 election in Chicago. Then there's that other little thing I don't see mentioned much here. Isn't it odd that, what was it, two or three independent counts after the fact using a variety of different methods for evaluating chad, etc. all showed that Bush would have won anyway?

I agree the Florida election was a fiasco, particularly in the counties in question. I can only take comfort in the thought that every elected official who had anything to do with those elections was a Democrat. I'm not blaming them. Managing local elections is hard with the resources available, but I'm damed if I'm going to feel guilty about their failures.

Harvey, most Americans believe in flying saucers, too. I understand your discomfort with the people you describe. They think I'm going to hell, too. I can only take comfort in the thought that they're an extreme miniority and there are weirdos in every crowd. Most of us think they're nuts, too, so I'm less worried they'll ever get in charge. To contrast, I know some environmentalists that are serious when they say that most of the world's problems would be solved if 5/6ths (or pick your percentage) of the population were eliminated. I hope they're not serious when they discuss how that reduction could be accomplished. How much do you think should I worry about the environmental bloc of the Democratic Party's base?

Don, I regret you don't have time to present your argument more fully. I would love to hear it. Perhaps I've misunderstood what you've presented so far.