and i wouldn't call it disingenuous or drivel. it was an argument. you don't buy it and that's fine, but that disagreement doesn't ipso facto define the comments as drivel, just not yours.

one other bit that i've been pondering is the 1776 reference. i'd argue, fairly strongly, that while aristocracy and nobility were factors, the revolution was just as much about tax policy and representation in the House of Commons as it was about the monarchy. by that point in Britain's history, Commons was almost as powerful a political force as the king and nobility.