Oh dude, I heart you man! You're like those two old farts in the Muppet Show. I have a sense for what you stand for here and there, but mostly you just sit contently on the sidelines sniping at people who declare proudly and directly what they think. But that's fine. I can deal with that.

I participate because I don't think pettiness and small-mindedness should be able to reign freely without other voices calling them out on it.

I remember 4 years ago when I was new to this forum. I would read practically every single thread and at first I had this crazy notion that people who really cared about politics were participating. It was only a short while later that I discovered that many people are here to begin threads just like these.

"FALSE OUTRAGE" threads.

Threads where people take offense because someone like Obama clearly went on defense, but posters who act as though Obama started it. It's nonsense.

The hate-machine in America drives it's own citizens against one another and I'm happy to point it out whenever possible. The hate-machine got McCain in 2000 when it successfully derailed his bid for president then because it got many conservative voters to turn on him precisely because of the race card; remember his "black baby out of wedlock"?

McCain hadn't armed himself and didn't strike back. Obama has. In my mind, I don't think posters should be able to get away with that kind of baiting right off the top when they introduce a new thread.

This thread, off the top, reads kind of like something you'd get from a very new member who doesn't know any better.