Come on in, the water's fine!

I too very much hope we'll get more people joining us in time, Don.

My guess is that many are still reeling over the election results and not yet in the mood to engage in political debate. Others are concerned they'll have their heads snapped off. Indeed, that's why I'm waiting to try to rope in some friends who normally might enjoy it. Right now I'm not sure they would.

I'm sympathetic to that, actually -- I'm reeling, too, to tell you the truth, and I've had my head snapped off once or twice. But my way of coming to grips includes discussion (and, alas, jokes). Doesn't mean I don't take things seriously. Somehow, civil debate, discussion, and yes, jokes, make me feel...well, normal, for lack of a better word. I like to feel that there are civil, good-hearted, intelligent people with a lot of different political affiliations.

I have no interest in engaging racists, homophobes, sexists, and similarly ugly viewpoints in discussion. And I'm not particularly interested in self-righteous preaching. But otherwise, I am very interested in hearing what people have to say, even if I disagree with every word of it. I hate an echo chamber.

I'm really happy that the core group we have so far includes people across the political spectrum. In a country (indeed a world) where people are increasing hunkering down in their separate corners, I find it so heartening.

Nor will anyone bite your head off, c.e., unless they want to get bitten by me.

To be clear -- that applies equally to liberals, libertarians, communists, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Green Party members...

Support what you assert as fact, don't be a jerk, and we'll welcome your point of view, even if we utterly disagree with it. We already have Clinton voters, Trump voters, Johnson voters and others here -- you won't be alone.

Unless you are a jerk, of course. In which case we'll defenestrate you.

And fyi, if you have a twitter account, please follow the twitter page and retweet all of TheCollineGate's tweets. This drives traffic to the messageboard and increases its visibility on the web.

Ok, this is weird - has anyone experienced editing a post and then not being able to use the spacebar? That's happened to me a couple of times already and is why I didn't just edit the above.

BTW - I JUST SAW CASS POSTED 2 hours ago. hahahaha, I worried for nothing.

Sorry, c.e. I fell asleep last night, and then got preoccupied the next morning and forgot to respond. I've been more preoccupied than usual. Have also lost 7 pounds in two weeks -- fretting and forgetting to eat, not dieting. I have way too much going on. I will settle into normal soon! Forgive me.