I voted for George W. Bush on 11/2/2004. I figured I'd get that out of the way early on. I'm not a bible-thumper. I'm not a Christian. I'm reasonably intelligent, well-educated, and can (believe it or not) make up my own mind regarding the issues that are important to me. I know that there are quite a few people who can't understand this, but 9/11/01 had a profound effect on me. I believe the people behind this atrocity did it because they hate us, not because of our policies in the Middle East, but simply because we exist. Because we are a symbol of hope to people who are oppressed by regimes where the threat of torture and death are lived with each and every day. What I can't understand is the absolute hatred the left has for this country, from Michael Moore right on down to the person quoted in this article. Evil dictator? Hello? Yeah, there was one, hiding in a hole in the ground, but we found him. And his sons. And we'll continue until the job is done. What really pisses me off is the hysteria now within the pagan community with the re-election (I just love saying that!) of the President. Cries of "the burning times will come again!" resound. Oh, please. Are you that shallow/stupid/self-centered that you can't see that for millions in Afghanistan and Iraq the burning times were already happening? Don't you care that men, women and children were being slaughtered? Did you read about the mass graves? Did you see the pictures? Did you read the stories of those who were tortured in prison? And no, I don't think that what happened at Abu-Ghraib was torture. Humiliating, yes. Wrong, yes. Punishable? Yes. Atrocity? No. Why is the Pagan community more concerned with what happened in 17th century Salem & Europe than with what's happened in the last century?