<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"> We WORK so hard to fight the religious tyranny in Afghanastan & Iraq, run by religious fanatics who have no tolerance with those who differ in their spiritual convictions. The separations of church and state does NOT exist in those countries. BUT somewhere along the line the religious RIGHT stomps FEAR in the hearts of decent Americans, and it is out of FEAR, not conviction, that one votes for religious fanatics such as BUSH and CHENEY. We are on our way to becoming that exact same level of religious intolerance and fanaticism we witness and fight against in other countries! <BR>
I have always respected this news group as INFORMATIVE and unpolitical, but CLAIRE, your rant deserves a response! You are wrong about the first settlers to come to this country. If you're referring to the Puritans and Pilgrims, they escaped religious tyranny in England, to create a healthy freedom of religion HERE. BUT since when does THAT become RULING the nation through religious dogma? And your blatant reference to, and I quote here: "It appears to some of "us" that<BR>
those who want a handout usually vote Democrat and those who want to<BR>
protect their hard-earned investments usually vote Republican" is laughable. So many corporations do NOT pay taxes, the richer the company, the more loopholes they find. And tell the republican farmers in the midwest that they can no longer wait in line for their farm subsidy checks from the government! The ultimate "handout"! So much for UNITING the country, eh? Sounds like more devisiveness to ME!<BR>
You stated at the conclusion of your personal ranting, that such personal opinion should NOT be included in this newsgroup, but you still offered one anyway. It would have been best simply stating it this way: "this is not appropriate political banter! there are political newsgroups that would welcome opinions of this nature, but this is NOT one of them."<BR>
It's important to allow creativity to flourish, and that CANNOT happen when right wing religious bigots restrict what we see, what we hear, and what is "acceptable" creative subjects. You cannot legislate morality, although the more you attempt it, the more our basic human rights are taken away from us. Remember, "the only real evil, is the attempt to eliminate it!".</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"></FONT></HTML>