Maybe it's just because I live in Ann Arbor, which is a very left wing place, but driving around earlier reminded me of yet another reason I prefer the right wing to the left wing. By "prefer," I don't mean which "side" I'm on politically so much as whom I find less offensive. (To the senses.)

The fact is, the right wing is more discreet. Even if you hate them, you don't see them. People who are on the left, OTOH, are more visually offensive. They love to advertise what they think with endless bumperstickers, signs, demonstrations, and noise. At any party or event, it's the left that makes noise; the right is usually silent. And it's always the lefties who want to know what you think, who you voted for, etc. If you want to spot a conservative in these situations, look for the silent ones.

The reasons for this are another matter. I understand that many on the right feel intimidated, and keep their politics strictly in the closet the way gays did in the 1950s. That's a regrettable situation, and many have advocated changing it. But still, I think the silence is one of those little peculiarities that gives conservatives a certain unique charm. Think about it: Americans love an underdog, and the more they see conservatives as embattled and driven underground, the more they'll tend to like them.

Similarly, the more they realize that the last coffin nails are being driven through the freedom which was once their birthright, the more they'll sympathize with those who seek to resurrect it.

With any luck, the left will continue to turn up the volume.

If the left gets loud enough, it might not even matter whether the conservative silence is seen as cowardly or dignified!