Is every different point of view considered "altercation" on your planet? Then, are you now starting an altercation with Fishweed? as Fishweed said Zab responded out of courtesy whereas you disagree.
When Zab's original post veered off to the political, I was simply presenting a different point of view, with no personal enmity intended. It did not become an altercation until your "nice" Zab launched into a self-conflicting content-free personal attack.
As for whether Zab is a nice person, as you claim, before I'm convinced I need to verify whether it's a person instead of a fictional character first. So far, "he" claims to be 62, yet has been enjoying Medicare for a few years now. Medicare has an eligibility age of 65.