Tim,

I am responding not to annoy you but because I find your approach typical for many Americans on both sides of the aisle.

Behind my persistence is my experience from my formative years back in my native Poland. Our political divisions were more dangerous than the ones Americans experience today. Despite that, I was able to talk frankly with my political adversaries. My close friend and a family member was a hard-core socialist. After reading the manuscript of my book, he told me that it was the most anti-socialistic book he ever read. And he still kept convincing me that socialism is the future. Wiesław Górnicki, a leading Polish socialistic political writer, wrote a crushing review of my book in 1982, just after martial law was declared. At that time, Mr. Górnicki worked as a chief political advisor to general Jaruzelski, Poland’s ruler. I wrote an equally pounding response and sent a copy of it to him directly. He was fuming, my publisher said, as he unloaded his anger during the phone call to her. But a year later, I visited Mr. Górnicki in his office, and we discussed how to get Poland out of its predicament.

With this kind of attitude, Poland avoided the fate of Yugoslavia, which due to Poland’s location, could cause WWIII.

But, do not take me wrong; this kind of approach was not the only one. We had many we called “the concrete,” meaning that their brains were as flexible as concrete. Fortunately, open-minded people prevailed. I hope to accomplish the same right now, here in America.