"I'm not [...], but..."
Maybe it's just me, but I am being inundated lately with a mountain of "I'm not [item], but..." followed by completion of a sentence -- or omission of what SHOULD complete the sentence -- that would better serve to show that the individual speaking is exactly what they beckon you to believe they're not . Therein lies the power of the otherwise diminutive word "but." [ Phlip note - not to be confused with the immense power that a Big Butt and a Smile obviously holds, but that is another blog for another time] A 3-letter, 1-syllable word can change the meaning and course of everything spoken before it. Seems quite powerful to me. F'rinstance... "Now, I'm not racist, but I totally agree with the law in Arizona, if someone would have done this before, all these Mexicans wouldn't be a problem now " See, now... If you were so sure in your conviction that you weren't a racist, you might have done yourself the service of not followin