This actually brings up something that I think is interesting. When I first stumbled upon this site lo those many years ago, I was touched and honored by the comments and by the mere fact of its existence. I well recall the many interesting lines of discussion that were opened up at that time, the poems, stories, tales, etc... Soon, however the likes of Pat, the monomaniacally birth-obsessed KevinG, and others who I fortunately can't recall let loose with their predictable brand of SwiftBoat- style ugliness. While it was interesting at times to actually experience the stupidity first-hand, having been relatively sheltered from the kind of, um, thinking that those folks represent, it quickly became blood-boilingly infuriating. 9/11, and then the needless horror of Bush's Iraq adventure brought the temperatures to a steady boil, and the ensuing flame wars robbed the site of its many gentle pleasures... Watching Reg's writing grow, the many family tales from the participants, the book clubs, the music clubs, so many pleasant things... All became overshadowed by the knowledge that at any moment, some mind-numbing act of sub-literary violence could soon come slouching out of the shadows, forcing either a deep breath and an ignore, or more likely, an equally violent response. Make no bones, we are in the middle of a culture war, teetering close to something much worse, and I think we've seen ample evidence here of the underlying tensions that help to make this country such a touchy place. I make no bones on where I stand, and never have. If this place is to continue, at least with my name on the masthead, it has got to be capable of banning, sad to say. It's painful for me to say that, as I do believe in free speech, but if anyone were to sit in my living room and spout racist propaganda, they would soon be on the street, preferably with a broken nose. There are many venues for political debate available to us all. But I personally don't want to provide any kind of forum at all for the xenophobic, racist, ignorant, atavistic hogwash that spews forth from the right wing. I just simply don't want to participate in that kind of dialogue. If we can't do that, then I suggest we fold up shop, and meet in a saner day.