First off, sarc, I never said I hated anybody. Although I try to be as positive as I can, I'm no Pollyanna; I recognize that humanity DOES have problems, and that religion is at the top of the list (I'm not even sure there's a close second). That said, when it comes down to discussing and debating serious things, I find that, in general, I prefer talking to a hardcore religious person over a hardcore leftist. Why? Because, in my experience (and again, I'm speaking in generalities; I don't mean to imply that this is my exclusive experience, or that my experiences apply to everyone), a religious person is far more likely to tell me what they believe, as opposed to leftists, who are far more likely to tell me why I should believe what they believe. It's an interesting irony that I generally feel less proselytised to by christians than I do by Democrats. Maybe religious people are more likely to be taught the maxim of good manners which states that there's an appropriate time and place to be pushy about your viewpoint; I dunno. What I DO know is that religious people seem to be more content to simply have their particular viewpoint, and to honestly state the truth as they see it. This is in sharp contrast to leftists, who seem to feel like they've somehow failed as people if they can't convince you how right they are. Although they may be wrong (and BOY HOWDY, are they), I respect religious people's approach more, as it's more like my own (however stridently I might express my points, try to remember that all I'm ever doing is telling the truth as I see it). People who are constantly trying to politick me come across, quite frankly, as a bit insecure that anyone could possibly be okay with things not being the way they want them. One thing to understand about me is that I reject utterly ANY philosophy which demands that other people change; to make your happiness dependent on other people being the way you want them to be is a surefire recipe for a life of abject misery. I mean, think a minute about those morons with the bumper sticker on their cars that reads, "Is It 2008 Yet?" Apart from the civic laziness of such a credo, how pathetic do you have to be to make your own ability to live the life you want for yourself conditional on who the fuck's in the White House?
Second, as far as Randy's tone goes, I only said what it felt like to me; I tried not to assume that he meant it that way (if I came across like I did, I apologize), and I believe him when he says he didn't.