Don, you are certainly one of the people I most respect on this board, mainly for your intellect, your humor, and your sophistication. I must say that within your chosen genre', you're no slouch as a musician and entertainer either. But you're wrong about me having a chip on my shoulder. As a minority member of this little community, I admit that I may be a tad bit more sensitive to some of the asinine and insensitive things that come out of the mouths of some of our members.

I have no problem with people disagreeing with some (or all - although that seems unrealistic) of the policies of the 'present administration' (the nice way of saying 'Obama'). Fact is, I too believe in fiscal responsibility, on both the personal and governmental level, and I am vehemently against even the concept of drone strikes. In my mind there is just no way to justify the killing of innocent women, children, and other non-combatants. There is no acceptable 'collateral damage' as far as I am concerned. But I'm sure you'll agree that the deep-seated hatred for our President in some quarters, goes far beyond these transgressions.

Again, I didn't start the conversation on race or politics, just responded to it. There have been many non music related topics on this board. How it's perceived usually depends on who started it. As you yourself noted, you didn't even notice Dave's racial reference. Could it be because it was .....Dave? As some of you know, one of the guys I most like and admire here is Captain Russ. Aside from his obvious musical talent, he is one of the most generous, kind, and caring individuals you're likely to meet. But most importantly, he's not afraid to speak his mind or take a position, even if it's not the popular one. Furthermore, it's not just talk. If he believes in a cause (say Nursing Home Reform or housing for the homeless (ie. HH), he has and will, back it up with action and his wallet. You happen to be one of his favorite people here, and that's good enough for me since I think he's a pretty good judge of character (although he also likes me and Diki ). Ok, now we can go back to talking about music. Did I tell you about my KeyB Mark III? No arranger functions but a killer organ sound. If you're ever up this way (ATL), stop by for a visit. I'm surrounded by golf courses. Lots of good quality Country music around here as well, in fact two of the guys I play (jazz) with play in one of the top Country/Southern Rock bands in Atlanta.

Take care,

chas