1 We have so many things in this country that we somply take for granted. You've mentioned before how Americans react to you living overseas, and how wonderful that must be. Everything else is "so exotic." Yes, and everyone else in the world lives at a level considered middle-class to them that the poor people here would turn down.

2 Welllllllll, to be fair, I still haven't gotten over the fact that I was once called a "dirty Gentile" (seriously) by a Jew at UT-Austin because I know how to read, if not speak, Hebrew since it's central to what I study (Hebrew is probably the main language of the occult--a fact of which J.K. Rowling is evidently unaware with her Latin spells...heh). He then had the arrogance to ask me if I knew that my name was Hebrew. I laughed and even gave him the proper pronunciation (Yirmeyahu) and meaning. As you well know, I'm a "proud friend of Israel" as well, but I have to admit that a few of them do seem to *try* to alienate those who would be their friends. I didn't tell him that I'm 1/4 Jewish by blood, if not by religion: that probably would have *really* set him off. And that's not the first time it has happened--but my dislike of the other side is strong enough to keep me from even thinking about supporting the Palestinians because of some stupid thing like that (cf. my earlier entry on gay marriages vs. Islamism). And besides, being a next door neighbor to New Mexico, I know that many of the people who live there (as much as I love the state in general) are head-up-in-the-clouds liberals. It was indeed, excessive, especially with the Palestinian comments, but I really expect nothing less from most of them. They're out there finding "enlightenment" and all that, you know. (Where have you gone, William H. Bonney?) And, a barely related rant: I'm so tired about hearing about others' "rich" heritages: we're a nation made up of nations--how much richer can you get? Plus, we've made our own culture--it's just so embedded that none of us see it (which is probably true for those elsewhere).

3 they're alienating themselves...time for a good ole hangin...