Since the sounds of secondary impacts seem to have diminished and the RAD levels on my dosimeter appear to have fallen to survivable levels, I hazzard a peek out from under my bunker's hatch and make a damage assesment. Oh, not all that bad after all!

Skeptic: How do you come by this perception of BUSH as a Monarchal elitist? Are you personally aquainted, or do you just believe whatever the PC propaganda mill pumps out for public consumption?

I try to peruse an ecclectic array of viewpoints, rationally analyze what information is available, and go with whatever makes the most sense. I live in Maine, not Texas, so I admittedly have to rely on intermediary sources to provide the data upon which my opinions and choices are based. But then most of us do, don't we?

Granted, both sides raised a lot of money. They have to. One of them list all contributors on a publicly accessable website, and I beleive limits the amount of individual donations. Another keeps all this a well guarded secret, and has been known to soliciet funds from Bhuddist Monks sworn to an oath of poverty, at $10,000 a whack (maximum individual contribution under Federal Law) with checks drawn indirectly but later traced to a General in the People's Liberation Army. That's CHINA, to those of you in West Palm Beach. Big Oil? Oh, like that Federal Reserve in Oak Grove Cal. which AlGore arranged to sell to Occidental Petroleum... in which he held (unknown if he still holds) at least half a mil in stock? You mean Komrade Dan (RATHER) forgot to tell you about that one? Pity.

I could go on, but alas in probable futility. You seem to have chosen not to recognize any significant differences between the contestants regardless of any evidence to the contrary, and I expect that you will remain steadfastly true to that decision.

As to philisophical distinctions between "Conservative" and "Liberal"... that's another area in which the organized disinformation industry (including our Goverment monopoly factory "education" system) does a bang-up job of simultaniously obfustcating and re-defining the terms. Control the definitions; control the culture.

OK, I'll jump out of my bunker - and closet (where a lot of us seem to be finding ourseves these days) and admit it: I'm a Conservative (in case you havn't guessed by now.). Now in American (perhaps global) pop-culture, that means "Racist" "Homophobe", "Hate-Monger", "Facist" "Oppressor and exploiter of the Downtrodden", "Greedy Industrialist"... Oh, I almost forgot: "Pig". I present, as evidential exhibit "A" (may it please Your Honors) the above post by Guest Stackley, who has never even met me, spoken with anyone who does, or have any idea what a softhearted and compassionate fellow I am know to be among my associates. Eccentric perhaps, but essentially harmless. And WE are supposed to be the "bigots"? It's working like a charm, isn't it? By the way, Stackley; "Stoning an unfaithful woman"? Ye gads mon; that's no way to treat a Woman - even if she isn't a "Lady"! And as much as I try to respect the spiritual traditions of others divergent from my own, I do not subscribe to any tradition that demands or condones any form of dismemberment, mutilation, or abuse toward anyone just because they refuse to see things my way - as many in those nations you invite me to remove to routinely do. That is NOT a "Conservative" practice, despite what you may have heard on the 6 O'Clock News or in public school.

Just so's you'll know on no uncertain terms: That refferance to abortion was not intended to amuse you- or anyone else - at all. It certainly does not amuse me, nor does it amuse the Author of Life before whom you and I will ultimately stand to give an accounting for the lives we lived and the choices we made. From the assessment which will be rendered on our eternal souls (regardless of our belief in or approval of it) there will be no re-count, no second opinion, no appeal. I take that very seriously - and there isn't a whole lot in this life that I do. I don't destroy tiny lives waiting to be born... and wanted, and loved. I don't stone anyone because they love outside the lines.

You do as you please.

It's been a while since I've been addressed as "pig" - not since I parked my cruiser and turned in my badge many years ago. It seems that I was too much of an idealist to "enforce" anything, including the Law. Besides, the Captain of the SWAT Team told me that I was such a nice guy, I was going to get my head blown off some night. He was probably right. But I digress...

A rational definition of "conservative" political philosophy which I subscribe to (because it makes sense to me) is that the essential premise is that it is not government that makes a civilization work and prosper, but the PEOPLE. Government is subordinate and accountable to the Citizens, not the other way around. Citizens are endowed, not by government, but by their CREATOR (remember reading that somewhere?) with natural "rights", and (taken for granted if not ennumerated) concurrent responsibilities. Individuals are assumed to have options under normal circumstances, but are allowed to reap the rewards of intelligent and enterprising excersize of approprite options, as well as to deal with the consequences of poor choices, wantonness, malice or sloth (laziness). Opportinity vs. risk. Let the people have a shot at it; government stands by to protect and facilitate, maintaining an environment where resonable options can be excersized by (ideally) all participants.

I know, it hasn't worked that way in the best of times... heck, ideally and in theory, Socializim has a lot of very salient points and has the potential of nurturing a society as close to the elusive "Eutopia" as any yet have; the fact that it has yet to, and predictably devolves wherever it has been tried into a deplorable pit of squallor, repression and atrocity is more a function of it's vunerability to human nature than by any fault in theory. That's why those drunken, insane, adulterous, promiscuous and hypocritical (as PBS would have us beleive) "Founding Fathers" set the Constitution up the way they did, and any diddling with it (as the CLINTON / GORE Syndicate seems so anxious to do)invites disaster. It was and is brilliant; not bad for a bunch of whacked out old Whoremongers in funny clothes and wigs, eh?

Unlike some Liberal editorialists, whenever I throw you some blarney (or a "red herring") I will try to 'fess up to it, eventually. Really, now; the basest of those who signed the Declaration of Independance or contributed to the development of our Constitution were far better, braver men than either Bill Clinton or Al GORE ever were, are, or can ever aspire to be. That's just the way it is, as I see it, and I've been watching. You don't have to like it for it to be Truth. Truth dosen't give a Damn whether we like it, or beleive it, or accept it; it still is. And when we are good and done, it will still be there.

"One Nation, Under God", "Of the People, by the People, for the people". OK?

"Liberal": The masses, or working class, must be protected from the predations of geedy Capitalists by a benevolant, albeit omnipotent government. Of course, these peasants are much too ignorant to be entrusted with such momentous decisions such as how to raise their children, order their lives or spend the fruits of their own labor; such things are best left to the enlightened elite who are much better qualified to provide for our welfare and direction. It is not the place for the dependant to question the motives or authority of the "leadership" elite, and any who do are best rectified (that's what they did to little Elian GONZALEZ) or liquidated for the ultimate "good" of the collective society.

Gov. BUSH's contention in his proposed tax policy seems to be that the people who earn the resources should be entrusted, at least to some extent, with the discretionary choice of how best to utilize their own assets. This speaks volumes as to how he feels about the proper relationship between Government and the governed.

Re. the "Vote Pumping", I got this from a posting on "Asmainegoes.com", an open forum which discusses topics on a regional and National level. I can try to run it down if you are interested; it seemed well presented and documented, and consistant with independant, credable reports from other sources. Bear in mind that I'm looking not just at isolated incedents here but at long standing, consistant patterns which contribute to my positions and opinions.

Sleep well.