Shimrod: Glad to hear that my dear friend John was so much an object of your reverence. The point I meant to make before, however, was not merely to name-drop: I meant to add point, but somehow {Freudianly?!} missed this bit out, that altho we were obviously the closest of friends with much mutual regard, he & I did not see eye-to-eye on all (or even many) political/sociological points; so I would not necessarily accept any dictum of his, any more than of yours, as unquestionably authoritative on such matters as those we are engaging with here.

~Michael~