Everybody is name-calling ... He's a Nazi 'cause he's a republican -- she's a Commie, 'cause she's a democrat --- you're a bigot ... no, you're a bigot ... no, you are ... you are ... arghhhhhh !!

The very first order of business is to define the words we use ... often carelessly. ----- exscuse whilst I reach over for my RANDOM HOUSE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ... hmmm, bigot, bigot, ... bigot ... oh yes, here she be !

BIGOT: 1) A person who is uterly INTOLERANT of any differing creed, BELIEF, or OPINION" ..

and further ...

INTOLERANT: 1) "not respecting beliefs, opinions, usages, manners, etc. differing from one's own."

And now that we are all settled on WHO the Bigots are in our little circles -- let's reiterate a picture of a fellow we all know, or have known ---

Urban Sidewalk Artist ? .. check --- Vegetarian ? .. check --- Drugs ? .. check --- Believer in Free Love to the day he died in shackin up with his Bitch (and by all accounts, such a flammer was Eva Braun) ? .. check --- Advocate for socialism's answer to society's ills ? .. check --- A self-styled "progressive" that laid harangues against the blood-sucking bankers and corporations ? .. check --- An advocate for Gov't sanctioned Politically Correct Thought Police ? .. check --- A lambaster of Christianity ? .. check --- A cutting edge hi-tech geek who had a savvy media knack in manipulating the downtrodden Masses ? check -- A bigoted rabble-rouser from the flophouse tenements whose answer to everything was "revolution" .. check .. check .. check ---

Mister Hitler was no conservative railing against the state for his Liberty -- and he sure weren't no liberal (egads!) -- but he was, in fact, from his Beer Hall days on, a full-fledged, self-styled "PROGRESSIVE".

"Oh no, not me -- I ain't no bigot -- I'm a -- (ta-dah !!) -- Progressive !! ... "

Well, well -- musta ruffled some feathers --

I simply pointed out the fact that our nation is full of Right Wing Bigots and Left Wing Bigots -- but hand it to a Leftwinger to get all jittery in his seat because he found himself to be dictionary-defined as a .... full-blown Bigot. (how could he sleep tonight with such a thought)

Being at a web connected PC at the library today, i quick grabbed a small paperback, for transcription ease-sake.

"Random House Dictiony? ... Please", he sniffed.

At home with my 'garage-sale' bought OED (2nd edition, 20 vols.), i will satisfy his hi-browed haughtiness with the following ....

BIGOTRY: "The condition of a bigot. Obstinate and unenlightened attachment to a particular creed, OPINION, system or party" (didn't mention which party)

He continued a half-moment later charging that I was "confusing populists with progressives" Fact iz -- don't really give a flame.

Mister Hitler, however, had NO scrupples in declaring that he was both a "progressive" (progressive) and a populist leader of the "volk".

A moment earlier, another reader insisted i was "Michael Savage" or "one of his fans" because of the parallels drawn with the American Left and the Brownshirts of old.

Fact iz -- never read a word he ever wroteded -- seemed like a fat noisy slob of a fellow to me (if he be the same fellow i sawed on the boobtube) --

Fact iz -- i've voted in every election possible, but never once for the republican bloke running.

So the charge simply shows the accuser as being a dim thinker, given to quickly compartamentalizing every "enemy" who ruffles his feathers & makes him feel bad about himself.

Such is what was alluded to when I suggested that both the Right & the Left across our sunny land are die-hard Bigots -- Both wings, .... B I G O T S ...

And if ye denies the charge ... then you're simply stOOpid Bigots, --- as defined by the OED.