wizardtim, incessant anti-Americanism gets to me too. However one man's "sewer of hate" is another's ardent, sincere means of expression of feeling and view. Art being how people reflect what they experience, there's no getting around the fact that creative output always has and always will have a large component of commentary on politics and world events. Personally, I sometimes find it amazing that there are some people in our community who make money from American businesses and customers, enjoy the benefits of American-based international Web communities, have friendly relations with many Americans, yet incessantly spew anti-American hatred in the political forums and galleries that appears to go beyond fair criticism and into the realm of earnest xenophobia. "Hate" if you like.

However, little could be more laudably American than freedom of speech. Just last week, President Bush rightly said that it's wrong to accuse anti-war Americans of hating America. His point was quintessentially American, and I think the gist of it may apply here. The staff doesn't necessarily enjoy anti-American sentiment just because they tolerate it. I think it's fair to say rather that they recognize that in any large community, a myriad of viewpoints, including those the hosts may or may not find offensive, should be tolerated within reason and boundries. Personally, I'm impressed that an events/commentary gallery exists here. I'd like to believe that it provides a healthy and appropriate channel for that sort of work, and also helps keep it out of the other galleries which is probably best for the general peace of a huge site like this. I just took a look through a few pages of the gallery, and have to agree that there's some really over-the-line stuff there. It angered me immediately for its vile stupidity and basic hatred of our country and people, but I gotta say, speaking as an old-fashioned American, I'd rather see that stuff tolerated in its place than censored. That would be Soviet. :-)    My two bits for contrast.