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[Aristus]

4. I'm sorry you went through that.

We liberals are sometimes just as susceptible to fear and suspicion as the right-wingers. The Wall Street Journal is owned by ultra-conservative Rupert Murdoch, and it was a right-wing newspaper even before he bought it, so any content quoted from the WSJ is usually suspect around here.

I don't know if this helps or not, but there has been internecine contention here since the very beginning in January 2001. I remember lurking here and reading argumentative threads between members for months even before I registered as a member. They rarely lasted long, and the involved parties usually apologized quickly. But throughout the ugly, nasty B*sh years, conflict grew just as nasty here. Victories like those in 2006 & 2008 brought welcome relief from the bickering, but there is always some conflict going on.

On balance though, this place is a safe haven for liberals like me. I've never logged off for longer than a few weeks. If you hang around, you will make friends and acquire allies. And it's a great place to stay informed about politics.