Gatekeeper, we do not need to kiss ass in order to convince people we are good, and I wish you would stop thinking that this is what I am requesting of you. But we do need to act like good people who are responsible and approachable, and that is only fair. We cannot demand that people see us as good, we have to actually act like the people we truly are, and this includes displaying consideration of others. That means there has to be times when our hostile "warrior" side is turned off, because if this is the only side we ever show Nons who approach us, then we need to expect them to look upon us badly. It comes from the old saying that you have to give a little in order to get a little.

As for Andrew, you can rest assured I will be keeping an eye on him. I don't agree, however, that in order for an MHP to be a good therapist for MAPs, that they have to be fully and enthusiastically on the pro-choice side. It's going to be a while before we can expect to see that on a wide scale. What MHPs like Andrew do have to learn, however, is to put the needs and requirements of the patient over that of their personal ideology (whatever it may be compared to what that of the patient happens to be), to view themselves as social scientists and not as moral advocates, and to realize that it's not their job to convince the patient of a specific way of believing.