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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> Cathy--I'm not just disagreeing with these men.  I'm
> wondering if the blue team thinks they need to know
> more about the religious red side.  Immediately after
> the election, a couple of blue guys at work talked
> about studying the mindset of the religious red, but
> they've abandoned that pursuit in favor of painting
> with broad brushes and making analogies with fascism.
> Do you think it's important to understand where the
> other guy's coming from?

For some people, their primary focus is politics and, in politics, winning 
is everything because the winner has the power. For others, primary focus 
is their religious beliefs and leading a life that honors those beliefs. 
And, yes, I think those two positions are incompatible. For the politicos, 
it is important to understand other people if that knowledge will cause 
them to get the vote for their candidate. For some religionists, it is 
important to proselytize for their church, and if they understand where 
their targets are coming from they have a greater chance of success. None 
of this is right or wrong. All of it is important to someone's success. I 
would prefer that we all attempt to understand each other and accord 
respect--unless and until it is known that respect is useless, that it 
cannot be accepted and acted upon.