There must be a way to strike a balance beteween the two and inspire productive dialogue between people with vastly different opinions….right?

I should subscribe to your Chron blog, I don’t know why I haven’t yet.

Talking to an audience who agrees with you: this isn’t just podcasts, it’s everything online. Everybody can now create their own media universe that reinforce what they think, so conservatives read and listen to conservatives and is convinced that they’re right, and the rest of us are crazy… and the rest of us can go do the same thing. It’s a problem. It increases the gulf between people of different opinions.

One of the weird things about writing my own blog, and the one I do on the Houston Chronicle web site, is how different the audiences are. The Chron one is frustrating sometimes, but I feel like it’s useful to talk to an audience that doesn’t self select to be like me.

Leaving America: I agree with you, though the thing is, it’s a valid choice to decide you’ll be happier elsewhere. I like the US & even Texas despite the things that are screwed up about it – spending all that time in France last year was interesting, because in some ways it’s paradise compared to here (for gay people) but they have their own set of problems.