Some recent exchanges, on this list and Louis P's, have brought to full consciousness a previously unconscious, or semi-conscious, practice of mine: I use anti-Zionism as a litmus test.
For me, it really does separate the sheep from the goats. Anybody who self-identifies as a Lefty but can't come out forthrightly against the odious State of Israel is a goat, and needn't be taken seriously, though s/he may be otherwise an intelligent and amiable person.
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Michael J. Smith mjs at smithbowen.net
http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org http://www.cars-suck.org http://fakesprogress.blogspot.com