[Bump in the night]

a fine tool for educating those who don't know all the stuff we run across here.

Absolutely! My little brother and sister now uses FreeRepublic for research when they do reports and current events at school. :)

[backhoe]

Funny you mention that- one reason I feel fairly hopeful about the new generation is my nieces- they tell me, "Thanks, Uncle John, but I'll get my own news..." and then do their own research- mainly via the web.

And I think that's great!

They are thinking for themselves, and reading a lot of different views, and forming their own conclusions.... much like I did 35 years ago, but they have easier access to so much more differing information.