You know Teribus, you really are a smart enough guy. It is obvious you want us to believe that about you, because you put a lot of time and energy into writing these long posts. If it makes you feel better about yourself, I admit it--you are an intelligent person.

However, you, just like the rest of us, have your Achilles heel. I'm guessing you don't just have this problem admitting you are wrong or mistaken in Internet chat groups. But you really do have a major personality flaw in that regard, and it is glaringly obvious. It sure looks to me as if you, at the deepest level of your being, feel you must always be right. Which must be the reason why you spend so much time here, since you never post to music threads. Here, you can easily maintain the self-satisfying delusion that you truly are brilliant, and always right. You are, in all likelihood, just here to get your superiority fix, by showing off your brilliance to us great unwashed, to engage your rather average debate skills, and to let the world know what an honorable warrior you are.

As to the honorable warrior bit, Mudcat has more than one regular who shares what I believe is a serious personality defect, with you. For me, that means I can't take you seriously here. Many of the people you choose to argue with in this forum obviously don't share your values either. But you seem unwilling to accept that you will never convince them that your values are right and more superior than theirs. Which is pretty wierd.

Speaking strictly for myself (and I don't engage you in debate much because of what I perceive as this honorable warrior personality defect), I find the whole honorable warrior bit a tiresome and worn out aspect of militarism, and of the Anglo American variety of imperial militarism in particular. At this point in human history, the world needs a lot fewer honorable warriors for militarism (and the people who pray for their side to the exclusion of all others), and a whole lot more warriors for peace. That doesn't make you the enemy, mind you. It just makes you and your value system hopelessly inadequate, irrelevant to the needs of the people and the planet, and philosophically as obsolete as it is indefensible. You are backward looking, navel gazing, and out of touch. You cannot envision a future where militarism and authoritarianism isn't at the center of everyone's lives.

I don't know if you were raised in the military, are military yourself, or an armchair general. But your allegiance to all things military and the authoritarian nature of your personality, is pretty depressing. I hope you find a way to walk in the world with us mere mortals some day. Are able to smell the roses, hear the symphonies, and all that.