Howdy folks!
I've done some review of my own topics over the past months, and frankly I'm not happy with them. While I am comfortable with my positions, I am not comfortable with the direction the conversations have taken, nor am I happy with my less than complimentary comments about others here.
I in particular want to apologize to Tom, Map, and Paul McKenna. You folks are simply presenting your views and while I most heartily disagree with them, that in no way gives me the right to disparage you as individuals. You are intelligent, outspoken people with views I just happen to disagree with, however strongly. From them, I've learned that I need to let my views co-exist with opposing views - live and let live.
I wuold apologize as well to Eugene and Ravish, but I don't think either of them actually care
. Unlike some of us here, neither of them seem to particularly care what we think; they're comfortable in their own world view and quite able to express it. What I've learned from the two of them is that there are honest, intelligent people who can have views that I think come from the planet Jupiter (as no doubt they consider mine).
Anyway, I've managed to piss a lot of people off in a fairly short time. There is a second list of folks like Joe King and Ernest who I've been less than civil with on occasion. It really wasn't my intent, but it would in fact probably be quicker to list the people I haven't pissed off than the people I have. And, believe it or not, that's really not the way I like to behave. If you knew me personally, you'd know that I prefer to have clean, civil debates where everybody learns something. Heck, you might even like me
.
I've learned a lot here. I now know more about various religious and political outlooks than I would ever have known before. I can understand why many non-Americans distrust and even hate my country. I know that there are things that need to be worked on for the world to be a more peaceful place and that Anmerican interests don't always coincide with the rest of the world. But by and large, I still think we do more good on balance than bad.
I believe it is right and just to depose evil regimes. I think it should be done by a coalition, but I believe there are times when politics gets in the way of what is right. I don't have a good answer for what to do in all situations, and I know that many things about Iraq were handled poorly, even though in my mind the outcome was correct.
I think outsourcing and visas pose a serious threat to the economy of America, but I can see where many developing countries simply see it as a necessary harmonization, and that they all deserve a standard of living equal to ours. The truth, though, is that such harmonization can't happen overnight and that if the trend continues, the American economy is in danger of a crash. The last time the American economy went casters up, it threw the world into a tailspin, and we were much less interdependent back then. Another Great Depression in America, and the whole world is going to be in trouble. I think we need a way to moderate this "harmonization", and it has to be done by building up developing countries WITHOUT tearing down America.
I believe that religious freedom is an absolute requirement for freedom worldwide. If you want to live in a global world, then everybody is going to have to accept everybody else's religion. There is no room in the world for fundamentalism of any kind, be it Christian, Muslim or any other flavor. All religions will have to co-exist, and the best model of that is right here in America. All religions live together; a bit uneasily at times, but we manage. We cannot live in a world where religious practices infringe on human rights.
Anyway, as I said I've learned a lot. The reason I'm putting down my views here and donig some apologizing is that I really do have to leave for a while. The time and energy I've put forth over the last few months is energy that from now on needs to go to my wife and children, both the new baby and the wonderful step-daughter I was blessed to gain in my marriage. In the great order of things, the time I spend here can be better put to use there.
I know I've said this before, but I really am going to bow out of the political battles here in MD for an indeterminate time. I wanted to make sure everyone knew it was not because of any differences with anyone here; in fact, any hard feelings are at least in part due to my own crotchety nature
.
Peace to you all.
Joe
. No seriously, please do disagree, ahve your own mind a-and express it. It s normal sometimes, in the heart of a warm debate that things get a bit out of hands, but I don t think they really did. 
