"Little Hawk, it is rather impossible to ascertain what you are."

Thanks, A...that's because we're on the Net. ;-) I have no idea what you are either, but I'll tell you what I am...I'm a living soul, temporarily experiencing physical life as a male homo sapiens on the 3rd rock from the Sun...and what a weird experience it is!

As you may have gathered, I don't think very highly of our modern governmental systems (and I don't just mean the USA)...although some progress has certainly been made. We are, in general, quite primitive emotional beings on this planet, just a tad more compassionate and trustworthy than cavemen, governed mostly by fear and other base emotions, yet with a technology that is very highly advanced. That's a very risky combination of factors...like giving hand grenades to children.

I regard all modern governments as morally and procedurally insane, in a number of respects, but that's not to say that the individual people IN those governments are not trying, for the most part, to do the best they can. They're just caught up in something way bigger than they know how to handle. It's the System, like in "Animal Farm". It lives for itself, not for you and me...and it isn't even real, it's just an idea. Ideas die hard, and people kill for them.

I regard both Left and Right as being fairly much out of touch with reality. They desperately need each other so they can both feel superior and have someone else to blame for everything. They need an "enemy" to drive their paranoia and righteousness.

The fact that this phony Left/Right stuff divides the public so effectively against each other is one of the main reasons ordinary people are so confused and disempowered. If you abolished all the existing political parties and started over again without them, we'd be much better off.

I'm probably more like you than you would think. Just a bit unconventional in some respects, that's all. I don't really believe in most of the stuff that is taken for granted in this society. I cope with it, because I must, but I don't believe in it. I feel like I got dropped on some really insane planet somewhere, and must make the best of a difficult situation.

You know that "Stranger in a strange land" feeling? It's been with me ever since First Grade.

I was as unconventional among the so-called "hippies" in the early 70's as I was among the straights. I had the long hair, but didn't smoke anything. That left me in a minority of one. Interesting experience. I never could see any sense in inhaling smoke. (but I ended up inhaling a fair bit of second hand smoke, of course...it was unavoidable back then unless you lived in total isolation out in the wilderness somewhere)   I guess things are improving some...

Now look, I have been trying to arrange a date for Martin Gibson and Don Firth for some time, based on the old premise that intense hostility and instinctive dislike is the perfect catalyst with which to ignite a budding romance! (You know?...like all those dumb movies back in the 40's? Where the hero and the heroin hate each other with a passion at the start and end up falling passionately in love?) I'm thinkin' you and Bobert are shaping up the same way. Yessiree. Big possibilities. (grin)