I correspond, by e-mail, with a group of veterans who are members of the American Division Veterans Association. I was in the 132nd Infantry Regiment on New Caledonia, in 1942, when the division was formed from a task force. The division was named for America and New Caledonia, and the only unnumbered division in the United States Army.

After the end of WWII, the division was deactivated, only to be reactivated during the Kennedy-Johnson Vietnam war.

Thus, the association has members of the WWII and Vietnam eras. But, over the last few years, the numbers of WWII veterans have diminished rapidly, so that the percentage of members on the Web is predominately Vietnam veterans.

And it has been a most interesting admixture. Especially during the Clinton-Wilensky affair, impeachment proceedings, and election. As one can imagine, the President is not the most beloved person to the Vietnam veterans. On an average day, I received about 20 e-mail copies of postings from various members, all lively and well thought-out.

During a discussion following the election, one of our members from Minnesota discussed the election of Mr. Ventura, an independent, beating the Democrat and Republican in the governor's race. Our member cited that, even though the media tried to belittle Ventura as a wrestler, he in fact is a smart business man, and a man with ideas, among which are cutting the size of government, and taxpayer relief. I replied by posting the following:

Ventura sounds like an OK fellow. Hubert Humphrey, III, comes from a line of Socialistic forebears, and I am sure the media was in his corner. I hope the Democratic Party and the media don't do the hatchet job they did on Newt Gingrich.

My thoughts have been for some time to realign the party system, more in the pattern of some of the European and Canadian traditions. There are so many liberal Republicans in Congress, especially in the Senate, that even with a majority membership, the Republicans could not pass legislation unless a few conservative Democrats voted with them.

I suggest the renaming of the Democratic Party to the Socialist-Labor Party. For the Republican Party, a split the Christian-Coalition Party, and the Conservative Party.

That way we can clearly understand what each party stands for. And, I might say, it looks like Ventura has been reading my mind. My feeling has been to Keep the Republicans out of the bedroom, and the Democrats out of people's pockets.

Actually, most of the almost solid Republican South is made up of the traditional Jeffersonian Democrats whose Democratic Party left them, beginning in the election of 1932. For years and years, the Democratic Party ignored them, because of their always voting solidly for the Democratic Party nominees, regardless of the neglect of the South.

I know my idea for a realignment is not practicable, but, certainly it can be clearly seen that the umbrella approach of the Democratic Party, with its coalition of basic special interest groups, such as government employees, unions, college professors, media, minorities, and feminists, to name a few, is good for about 43 percent of the American vote.

So, if there be a third party, a la Perot, or in-fighting among the Republicans, a la the so-called "Christian right" and so-called "moderate" Republicans, the election of the Democratic nominee for president is almost assured.

And unless the Conservatives realize that if they are ever to recover the White House, the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers, and/or neutrals, will have to accept the fact that the Democratic Party, the party of pro-choice, big government, federalized school control, smaller defense forces, nationalized health management, limiting uses of private property welfare, and tax and tax and spend and spend, is their adversary. Not the opposing members of their own party.

They must find some way to work together. Or, just keep the House and Senate, maybe, and bow to the bolder, and media-supported, Democrat president, regardless of his or her morals.