Little Hawk:   "Why do people here care so damn much about what other people here think about some political matter anyway? Why???? Because you want to 'win', that's why. You want to be 'right' and you want the other guy to be 'wrong' . . . It's just a bunch of people idly talking in order to strengthen their sense of their own identity, and it doesn't mean squat, frankly."

Well spoken from way up there on your lofty mountaintop, O Grand High Lama of The Mudcat.

There are a number of people here—on this thread and others—who are very disturbed about the way this country is going and feel impelled AS concerned citizens (concerned both for the country as a whole and for their own safety and well-being in particular, e.g., like many my age and in my physical condition, if my Social Security and Medicare get cut, I am SCA-ROOD! ) to try to DO something about it. And doing something, among other things, involves trying to convince others to be concerned as well. And to point out the areas that need particular attention.

Your reading of what these discussions are all about (while, granted, in there are a few trolls here who just like to bait people, to be ignored if at all possible) sounds like the musings of someone who had freshman year Psychology, then spent a lot of time reading bad translations of the Bhagavad Gita.

If you can't add something worthwhile to the discussion—like a SERIOUS THOUGHT about what people might be able to do—rather than repeatedly saying things like "May as well give up, folks, the Philistines are in charge and there's nothing you can do about it!" than please don't try the patience of those who are trying to have a serious discussion.

ADDENDUM:   By the way, Little Hawk, your last post is much more like it. It begins to get down to the nitty-gritty, and there is a lot there can I agree with.

(But even if I didn't agree with it, it had some substance.)

Don Firth

P. S. To Jack:   "In other places NPR prefers to pollute the airwaves with classical music rather than play "The World", or "All Things Considered."

That isn't NPR's preference, that's local option. For example, I have three NPR affiliates in my listening area, meaning that each station airs some programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and The World, and then moves on to local programming. KUOW broadcasts the three programs mentioned, plus a few others, including some from American Public radio (different public network), then spends the rest of the day with really good interviewers (notably Steve Sher, Marcie Sillman, and Ross Reynolds) conversing (with listener call-in options) with local people of note, such as the Mayor, State Attorney General, City Council members and State Legislators and others, along with various visiting or local dignitaries. KPLU does Morning Edition then spends the rest of the day playing jazz. KBTC also does Morning Edition and All Things Considered, then plays "Folk Music" (new definition of the term, mostly singer-songwriter stuff, with an occasional traditional song or bit of Bluegrass) for the rest of the day.

All networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, and NPR offer many more programs than most of their local affiliates actually air (I was News Director for an ABC affiliate back in the early 1970s). As long as the local station plays some of the network's programs, they can declare themselves an affiliate, but which ones they chose is the local station's option.