I was hugely dismayed to walk into a local doctor's office recently and see the following sign: Please be advised that your waiting time could be extensive. If you are unable to continue your wait, please let the receptionist know and she will reschedule your appointment.

For decades, I was a polite, deferential guy. You want that parking spot I've been waiting for that you just stole? No problem, it's yours. You smash into me on the train with that oversize backpack? Hey, I'm sure it must be hard to carry. But some of my behavioral filters are eroding.

Just when you thought they couldn't be any more annoying.

Liberals love to bemoan the extreme right -- seeing them as allergic to critical thinking, representing the fortress that blocks enlightenment. But this conversation is not only arrogant; it is shortsighted in that it can blind liberals to the shortcomings on its own side.