Reply #73: I assume you are kidding.

[imdjh]

And while I have a sense of humor , your remark is the kind of dismissal that some otherwise intelligent people often find sufficient to avoid looking at the true impact of something they have a philosophical rather than practical position on.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if the Russian immigrants tended towards social conservatism. Some Muslim immigrants to parts of Europe, the ones who went from being the poor in their own country to forming a ghetto in their host, have certainly shown a trend towards social conservatism and resistance to social or cultural assimilation. Once they get the right to vote, would we expect them to magically start voting for liberal ideas?