River Tadpole do not be so self righteous.

Do you have any idea how many times in the next seventeen years of your life you will find yourself arguing the opposite of what you believe in? I understand you are in school and that things can be very emotional for you because you are surrounded by people who feel as strongly as you do. I know what it is like. You talk about a march on Washington? When I was exactly your age I was marching on Washington to protect women's rights by marching in a Pro-Choice rally. We had more people at that march during Senor Bushes administration then any other march in Washington. When I got home and turned on the news the mention of the march lasted thirty seconds. Almost like it never happened. Today I am not the extremist I was when I was seventeen... I understand both sides of the argument... and I can tell you I don't have all the answers when the issue is abortion. I truly understand the issue like I didn't when I was seventeen and yet if I were to get up and debate Ron Paul on it or anyone I doubt I would come across as informed because the one thing I know is that I don't know. That abortion is a horrible evil murder and yet we can't make it illegal because there are women that get raped and all kinds of grey areas. As someone who was a radical leftist and felt a women's right to choose was undeniable as compared to where I obviously stand today is almost laughable. When I look back now at where I was when I was seventeen I now know I was less concerned with right and wrong and more interested in talking women into sex without commitments. I just wanted a little tail. Other issues today have also unfolded to me in ways that a younger version of myself would of never accepted. As a seventeen year old artist who was being constantly busted for drawing nudes of people in school I felt that freedom of expression and speech were absolute. I learned even the first amendment has it's limitations years later when I came across such hate filled websites that were hiding behind the same laws that I wanted to hide behind because I drew nude pictures of the rabbi in my Hebrew school. Sometimes you get older... and the answers just aren't clear cut. Most older people felt tremendous sympathy with McCain when he was barraged by Paul with an economics test. People know McCain isn't an idiot though. He has one of the longest reputations in politics. Getting interrogated by Paul on stage didn't convince anyone that John was stupid. It actually reflected more on Paul and highlighted the antisocial demeanor in his own personality. Yes Paul doesn't go red in the face and look like Vietnam war vet that looks like he is going to crack like John does. Paul looked like a self righteous gremlin who cared more about being right then being wise.