I think you're absolutely right in so many ways, and I want to believe that we could all get along. When it's not politics, I think we do. But I spent most of my life as one of maybe a dozen Democrats (four of whom are members of my immediate family) in a very conservative, Christian, Republican area. I have tried for years to figure out why they think what they do--and many of these people are my dear, dear friends, whom I know intimately, respect, love and trust. Yet at the end of the day, the polarization is still there. My sister had random people coming up to her and screaming at her in recent days because she has a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker on her car. I gave up and moved away, first to NYC and then to Canada. How will we ever move past this if we can't even understand and respect one another?

(((hugs everyone because I need a hug myself)))