"'Pardon me for suggesting that serving chili to the homeless might be more useful than dispensing towering arrogance on behalf of "secularism",'

               Ron - In all reality, serving chili to the homeless probably produces a great deal of methane gas that contributes to the problem of global warming.

               You can say I'm wrong about Chavez, and I might be. All I'm saying is, the jury is still out.

               I will confess that these people puzzle me. They seem to have the best of intentions starting out, but get caught up in some distorted concept of their own importance.

               I suspect you would agree that a few more George Washingtons throughout history would have been productive.

               I really don't have a cause, as you suggest, and I'm not looking for converts. I simply see religion as destructive.

               Maybe if I explained it this way: You have this guy who is continually dropping an anvil on your big toe. He does it over and over again, and then one day he stops for a moment and asks you to be more tolerant.

               It's hard.