Maybe it's one of my little quirks, but I personally do not aspire to the kind of respect you get because you have a big gun in your hand (the same way people say "you have to give rattlesnakes some respect"). The kind I want, for myself and for my students, is where people have faith that you will consistently do the right thing, even if it's difficult. Mandatory singing I never mentioned; I was half-seriously alluding to the successful midnight basketball programs that have been started in many cities. Politics may indeed be often boring, but those who choose to ignore it do so at the cost of having somebody else (those who do get involved or at least go to the trouble to vote - about 30% in South Carolina) make all the rules that will affect everybody. You're right, we did and do need a break.

Chet W.