Yeah, it's funny, isn't it, Jeri? You can see exactly the same dynamic happening in the seemingly endless quarrels and misunderstandings between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, Jews and Muslims in the Middle East, whites and blacks, Democrats and Republicans, the North and South Koreans, Michael Jackson and almost everybody...

I suggest that it is the other way around.

It is perhaps time to recognise that all these big disputes are caused by just the same ordinary people having the same sort of squabbles as is witnessed here.

Those who post only to judge the discussions in this thread not to be important and encourage the participants to address the world's big problems instead - are entirely missing the point.

There is no point in discussing and no hope of us solving the world's big problems - if posters here cannot just accept for a start that others have as much right to express their views as they do and where they are encouraged to feel they have some right to prevent, or restrict the views of others.

The only way the world's big problems will ever be solved is by discussion and tolerance. Posters here know this - but insist on turning differences in opinion into open warfare - by issuing threats and using all the words of armed conflict where might is right - as if this approach to disputes ever resulted in anything other than yet more conflict.   

If our forum can just be allowed to be seen to agree to disagree - they will be some hope.