Reply #13: I might have mentioned the couple with the draft age son.

[Virginian]

John and Mary, over there, aren't looking forward to sacrificing their only child to Bush's war, and we're not a fan of it either. Can we all discuss other, less contentious, topics at the table.

or ...

Have you seen any of those pictures of the Iraqi toddlers with their limbs blown off. Their poor mothers look so helpless trying to sooth their suffering babies. That's what I think of when I think of Bush's war. It ruins my appetite to think of it. Do you think we can discuss a different, less bloody, topic at the table?

or ...

Have you heard that Bush used to force fire crackers down the throats of frogs so he could watch them blow up. Did you know that Frist adopted cats from the pound, treated them as pets for a couple of days and then cut them open for vivisection. Sounds a little like Jeffrey Dalmer to me. How can you have a purring ball of fluff on your lap one day and slit it's throat the next? Oh, pass the salt, please.

The bottom line is that they weren't discussing table topics, so why should you be considerate of those people's appetites?
It used to be bad form to discuss politics or religion at the table as they were not polite topics. When did people lose their manners?

Edited for clarity.