Bill Pirkle opines:

>Democracy tends to reduce everything to the mindset of the average, called
>normal (statistically true), and everybody else as gay, elitest, snobish,
>nerdy, bookwormish, etc.  Usually, when I improvise at the piano in the
>style of Chopin, say at a party, the women gather around.  Then when I join
>the men for a drink, I can feel the distance they place between me a them.
>Their topic is always sports, a real man's interest.

And yet is Jefferson who is brought to mind - by Mr Pirkle.  And I
would quibble here - the man he names is capable of contributions in many
fields, the man he describes is simply a well rounded gentleman.  It is
not democracy alone that reduces everything to the average - Aristotle
questioned whether any government would let its best citizens live without
pressure from the outside.

Please, let us not slander the name of Democracy on this particular day -
it is beaten upon enough all the others.

Stirling Newberry
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http://www.mp3.com/ssn