"The Tattered Banner of Common Sense"

Richard Cohen:

It’s hard to know whom to loathe more – religious zealots who would censor my reading and deny me the fruits of stem-cell research or fervid hallucinators who belittle Saddam Hussein’s crimes (or even 9/11) and wonder, in the throes of perpetual adolescence, whether the assassination of the President would not amount to a political mercy killing. It’s all pretty repugnant.

But some of us cherish moderation, recoil from conspiracy theories and would like, if possible, to stick to the facts. We may dislike Bush’s policies, but we do not vitriolically hate the man, think he stole the election or blame our own country for the crimes of 9/11. We are the proud Purples – once the royal color, now the tattered banner of common sense.

(via Anal Philosopher)