  "Death to tyrants. " by A Better Mousetrap Sometimes when I think about the words John Wilkes Booth proclaimed upon shooting Abe Lincoln in the head, I get a little sad. Abe was no tyrant in the coiteries of that era. Most of the time I don't have to deal with divergent opinions; I've sort of prepared for this by surrounding myself with like-minded friends. We all like the movies that we're supposed to, for instance, "Lost in Translation. " But occasionally one of these friends will surprise me. They will say something like "Hey man, I don't respect gay marriage. I don't respect anything irritating. " So then, by no real conviction, I'm forced to confront this. 
