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Yeah FrimFramMan!!...i totally agree with you! Proud to be an American! United States Of America the BEST country in the world!

Hi, Fore15:

I think your comment was aimed indirectly at me. So let me say--directly-- that I'm still proud to be an American. But I believe in looking at both our problems as well as our blessings. I don't think that makes me unpatriotic. If I went to a doctor and he/she told me only what I wanted to hear about the state of my health, and not my problems, would that doctor really be a good doctor? I don't pretend to be a doctor, but I believe that one of the best things about America is the Bill of Rights that allows its citizens to disagree with the status quo and still be patriotic. If we don't have that right anymore, then this isn't America.

I am glad the election is finally over, but I must agree with FrimFramMan and harpfingers in being of a conservative mind. I do think they are spending too much money up there, though.

I wanted to go on the "marry an american" web site and, as a joke, advertise that I am an American looking for a blonde jazz singer / pianist from Nanaimo and see if anything happened. (I know, she's taken!)

I, too, am pleased with the outcome of the election, and am glad that it wasn't so close that it caused a circus like the one in 2000, and I am proud to live in "Redland" as I like to call it. Actually I had a bit of a different map, with Quebec and Ontario going with our "Blueland" and the rest of Canada going with our "Redland." Someone mentioned the birthplace of jazz, which I always thought was New Orleans, which is in the heart of "Redland."

If it had gone the other way, I would have gotten over it and gone on with life. I cannot believe these people losing it over an election! I saw a cartoon once that suggested that God thinks that American politics is an ongoing comedy! You have to think that or you just may lose your mind like some of these folks!

Hi, Rick:

I think Americans today need a sense of humor more than ever, in talking about politics or life in general. I've found lately that when I crack jokes face to face, the humor often flies right over people's heads. I think it's because so many of us are overscheduled and uptight.

In some ways I think I'm conservative. I consider myself a fiscal conservative (I prefer a pay-as-you-go policy although I'd allow for an occasional stimulus--just not as a political "lifestyle") and I very much want to conserve the Bill of Rights. For example, I'd certainly want our tax returns to stay private information (unless law enforcement has a legitimate warrant for that info). I think many people in both "Redland" and "Blueland" can agree with all that, whether they think they hold some conservative, progressive or moderate opinions. Overall, I think labels are a disservice. Unfortunately, I think our society is relying on labels so much today because there's just so much information we process everyday that it's convenient to peg people or ideas quickly without examining the details or looking for gray areas.

BTW, I think it's great that we can all be so civil on this board.