When you get people on both sides of a given issue simultaneously accusing each other of "political correctness" or "lack of common sense", that's when it really gets amusing.

All the passionate statements made in this thread would make perfect sense under a given set of circumstances, but be facile under another set of circumstances. This is a worthwhile thing to keep in mind, rather than just sniping back and forth at people in emotional reaction/counter-reaction.

It's best to fully understand where someone's point is coming from before before aggressively attacking it...and that requires actually listening to them for awhile! This, of course, is the last thing that is encouraged in a competitive social or political system...isn't it? I mean, hell, look at the election process! :-) Immaturity, accusation, and mean-minded hostility honed to a fine art, I'd call it. After it's all over, and the "winners" are declared, then they always blather on about "binding up the wounds"...wounds caused by the very system they insist on perpetuating in their search for power. A bunch of Democratic candidates are doing that to each other just lately in order to win primaries. Once they get it sorted out, then they and the Republicans will do it to each other for many more interminable months. It's ludicrous.

In Canada, political campaigns last a maximum of 6 weeks. By law. That's a small step in the right direction, I think. You Americans have a political system that goes crazy for at least a whole year in order to change the principal actors (or not change them). I don't think that's wise or efficient use of time and energy.

- LH