It's funny/ironic/sad that I've more than once had the conversation where the person I was talking to swapped "Americans" for "Christianity" in the above sentiment. With the undertone that I was doing something wrong for being among the enemy.

Lessons in why one shouldn't generalized, and why it's sometimes very hard not to do so.

There's a christian left too and lots of christian liberals. However, they are not politically important.

I know, the vst majority of my Christian friends and family are lefty, or at least lean left. That doesn't make me any less soured, or make the conversations any easier.

There are lots of people who think that the democrats stand for abortion, gun-control, more government regulation, and more taxes. Who the heck wants that?

And that's why I'm starting to sour on the Democratic party, even though that leaves me with options numbering zero. I grew up in the area around a very working class city, believing that the Democratic party was the party of the working class, and of individual rights and freedoms. Hell, Detroit was one of the cities that helped make the Democrats the party of the working class.

And that's part of why I won't be a Libertarian -- I believe there should be and needs to be laws regulating business, protecting the workers and consumers. This is, as I understand it, completely antithetical to the Libertarian party, which I would otherwise be inclined to join.

There are lots of people who think that the democrats stand for abortion, gun-control, more government regulation, and more taxes. Who the heck wants that?

Me! Me! And I'm down in quasi-Bible-Beltish North Carolina too, y'all. (Maybe not for much longer if some folks in Traverse City want to give me a job, but for the moment.)

Hey, my ex-military, prison guard, former O'Reilly watching brother came out to me as a Democrat with a capital D the other day.

I'm full of sunshine and hope.

There are lots of people who think that the democrats stand for abortion, gun-control, more government regulation, and more taxes. Who the heck wants that?

Me! Me!

And I should be clear, I actually want all those things too. It's not the issues that are driving a wedge between me and the Dem party leadership, it's the way they handle it, and the way they can't understand that the image they project nowadays is causing them so many problems come election time.

AND you have an adorable nephew!

I envy you. Last I saw mine, he was totally monopolized by the evil other grandma.

Let's see, I'm not really for abortion, but I'm not comfortable with the state deciding that for people there might be some restrictions I'm okay with.

I'm not that big on gun-control either. I do think local governments should be able to do some things if they are having a problem with gun violence, but the 2nd admendment limits what can be done. I do think there are resonable limits. Like banning 50 caliber rifles. I'm pretty sure that letting anyone buy a sniper rifle that can hit someone a kilometer away isn't a good idea.

Some government regulation is okay, some is outdated, some isn't a good idea. I think regulations are something that will never be perfect.

I'm not a fan of taxes, but we are probably stuck right now because the deficits are pretty bad.

I'm really not pro-military. Our country is way over-militarized. I don't think we need to spend the same amount on our military as every other country in the world combined. I think this weakens the U.S. economically in the long run an a weak economy is a greater threat than a weakened military. Can't really cut it during the Iraq fiasco though.

I'm really not pro-military.

Things are much more complex than that, Gud. Most of the science funding my group gets is from the military. The military funds some great science.

I'm not a fan of taxes, but we are probably stuck right now because the deficits are pretty bad.

This is one inparticular that's always left me feeling like the imposter among humans. I know nobody likes the government taking part of their paycheck, but taxes help pay for things we all need.

Or should, anyway.

I wouldn't even call them a necessary evil. Just a necessary annoyance. But I also think that the people who should be complaining about how much money they have to pay in taxes are the rich, especially the super-rich, and large corporations.

Exactly the people who fund right-wing campaigns so that they don't ever have to.

Traffic accident right in front of our building. Bad enough for an airbag to deploy. Ambulances, firetrucks, etc. Didn't see the injured driver, but the paramedics are taking her to the hospital.

Things are much more complex than that, Gud. Most of the science funding my group gets is from the military. The military funds some great science.

Then let's just fund science. I'm not against that. But our military spending is just huge. In the 80's our military was about 25% of the military spending in the world. Now it's about 50%. I think we can cut back and use that money in more direct economic investment (including research) and to prevent tax increases that will be necessary with our current deficit spending.