"let's keep business and government separate. if we do not, then we shall see more fannies . . . " - - - - - I was right there with you, but then this last left me strangely conflicted.

Private business exists to create profits. Long-term and stable jobs exist only to the extent that they help foster this creation. Most Congressbots know and understand this relationship deep in their informed-intellect brain centers, but all thought must travel from those deep centers out through the partisanship-and-re-election post-processing sites, where their intense need to vilify and debase the crass, unconcerned, neanderthalic business class causes that knowledge to be suppressed. Congress cannot accept that any group other than Congress should be - can be - making long-term policy decisions that guide and affect our society. Such thought will only lead to a lessening of the power of Congress, ceding that power to people who don't even care that a ditch-digger makes less money than an engineer.

Too many cannot allow themselves to feel admiration for such a warrior, or feel pride that he comes from their tribe, or feel love for his strength and character and heart, because they cannot accept that a warrior can be anything but a destroyer of peace. They fail to understand an essential point: A good man of peaceful intent who carries a sign that says "peace" is nothing more than a self-promoter, and brings with him nothing of value. But a good man of peaceful intent who runs across the road, at personal risk, in order to beat off the large bully attacking the child, truly serves the values of peace, and eventually makes it possible. Thank you for all you've done for us, and for all you continue to do every day. We're all made better by it, we continue to exist as a free country only because of it, and we are very, very grateful for it. Again, thank you.