50) The making of a 9/11 Republican
San Francisco Chronicle
by Cinnamon Stillwell
"As one of a handful of Bay Area conservative columnists, I'm no
stranger to pushing buttons. Indeed, I welcome feedback from readers,
whether positive or negative. I find the interplay stimulating, but I
am often bemused by the stereotypical assumptions made by my critics
on the left. It's not enough to simply disagree with my views; I have
to be twisted into a conservative caricature that apparently makes
opponents feel superior. They seem not to have considered that it's
possible to put forward different approaches to various societal
problems and not be the devil incarnate. But in some ways I understand
where this perspective comes from, because I once shared it. I was
raised in liberal Marin County, and my first name (which garners more
comments than anything else) is a direct product of the hippie
generation." (02/24/05)