[Oztrich Boy]

, is this really how we FReepers want to be perceived - as a crowd of "the most paranoid, xenophobic and reactionary characters the political landscape has to offer" who "attempt to outdo each other in posting the most pungent, juvenile reactions to stories"?

Unfortunately, yes.

[moonman]

"is this really how we FReepers want to be perceived ..."

Given the approximate 90,000 daily members and/or lurkers to FR and figure an average of 100 posts per subject article, it represents a mere approximate 1/90th of 1 percent. How one can draw conclusions from this sample needs to be a M.I.T. math graduate, not an English major.