I think your original post was just fine, Marty. Moderation is normally a sign of intelligence, not weakness...still we probably all have some things we are immoderate about at certain times, and we may well be justified in that...sometimes...like in the case of the guy breaking into your house, as suggested above, although I don't consider that a very apt example on which to discuss your point.

I can be immoderate on occasion. For instance...having seen E.T.V.'s (commonly called UFO's) and having utterly no doubt about it...I have developed a somewhat immoderate response to people who categorically deny the existence of such vehicles (and their occupants), presumeably on no more basis than that they have never seen one, and therefore it must not be true or I must be mistaken in what I saw! I get REALLY angry about it, and I become immoderate at times. The utter sublime arrogance of people's conventional ignorance can be downright f*cking amazing when it comes to this sort of thing. Not that I expect them necessarily to believe me without question...just to consider the possibility that there might be something out there that they don't already know all about....

So, we are all immoderate on certain occasions, but I think a true extremist or fundamentalist is someone whom you could say is pretty much immoderate all the time...or just about all the time...and completely unwilling to see the other guy's viewpoint.

So, yeah, I think your thread is a good one. Here's to moderation and forgiveness and mutual understanding. Peace be upon you.

- LH