The truth is, we are all now grown-ups, and our arguments have grown-up, upsetting repercussions.
In Washington, frustration with Israel's arguments has grown equally tangible.
That argument has grown more resonant as Turkey's membership negotiations have stalled.
This line of argument has grown louder in recent years, as democratic politics has become more unpredictable and, to many, deeply alarming in its outcomes.
For a long time I found this difficult to believe, but with each passing year the argument has grown more credible.
The volume on that argument has grown louder in the last couple of weeks, as Telmex's competitors, including Mexico's dominant television company, Televisa, have released a barrage of publicity against Telmex and Telcel, the cellphone company that is also controlled by Mr. Slim.
This argument has growing appeal in Washington: Sept. 11 revealed America's vulnerability and its slowness to recognize the depth of the threat.
Collingwood makes this point by saying that "… in its immediacy, as an actual experience of his own, Plato's argument must undoubtedly have grown up out of a discussion of some sort, though I do not know what it was, and been closely connected to such a discussion.
Over time, arguments based on a right to privacy have tended to weaken and crack; arguments based on equality have grown only stronger.
But its apparently impressive roster of staff has dwindled in the past weeks as internal arguments, particularly about payment, have grown.
