I must apologize. I have to admit that I couldn't really see why my questions were percieved as attempts to be a "flamer". I now see that it is because of the inherant dishonesty in the way I asked the questions--always attempting to ask in a way that I thought might cause you to see things from a different perspective, rather than to just elicit an answer. I should have been wise enough to recognize 1.(from having read the "Have you changed your mind" thread) that it was unlikely, 2.I'm the outsider and you owe me no explanations.

If I had approached you honestly I would have stated from the very outset that the reason I feel this whole nazi/bigot/tolerance issue so strongly is that I fear becoming the next victim of the next wave (of genocide or at least its political equivalent). Whichever came first I don't know, but my beloved fundamental Christianity has been stolen by a small vocal leadership that I believe to be distorting its core (fundamental) truth. As a result I am aware that I'm watching a whole society, hell-bent on tolerance at any cost, choose Christianity (and to a lesser extent, any "revelatory" religion) as the only thing intolerable.

I have changed my mind (to answer the before mentioned thread). I now think that there is no "you" here at the mudcat. I think "you" is as varied as the chords on my guitar (I'm pretty sure that that "catspaw" guy is an aug chord, but I don't think there's a dim one in the house). I really have appreciated so many of the thoughtful posts, CamiSu's last one particularly on point, and I'll probably continue to lurk around here (like a rubbernecker at an auto accident) until this thread peters out, but I think/hope I've learned my place.

John