Mr. Nelson, You are correct in saying that there is a lot more going on than reasonable disagreement. However, there are honest disagreements with sincere debate founded on rationality and scientifically sound principles and knowledge, and then there are squabbles based on fear, ignorance, superstition, and appeals to the “baser instincts”, i.e., fear, anger, hatred, prejudice, closed-mindedness, etc. Thom has done his homework. He not only knows the principles, theories, facts, and history from whence he comes, but he is well-versed on the ideas, beliefs, and histories represented by those people on the “other side” to which you have referred. The reality is that they are not on a “side”. They are on a crusade which at its roots derives from a fundamental distrust of human nature, a denial of common interests, a faith in things unseen and represented by mythology and bad religion, and a wish for a past bliss that exists only in the mind of the reactionaries and far right radicals. Mark Levin “rational”? That seems like a bit of a stretch. Democracy and the civic processes on which it is based have been undermined. That extreme media which is the point on which the current discussion started has been strategically funded and built up by people who practice according to the “noble lie” which Thom has been talking about on the show. It’s a version of the “ends justify the means”. For decades the plan has been to dupe a gullible and anxious public into going along with all manner of low-level thinking and reaction against rationality, reason, decency, trust, and courage by feeding them false or badly sourced information, opinion, and slanted “news” for the purpose of promoting a vision which is undemocratic, un-American, and unchristian. Listen to Thom. He will explain it again on a daily basis until more people get it. My point is that compulsory attendance laws have led to the desensitization and dumbing down of the population allowing the right-wing media to sell their incendiary garbage.