TCO--I don't see a clique here, but a lot of opinionated fellows who all like to argue and who occasionally get a little pissed off or angry, even. It doesn't make their views any more or less valid and certainly doesn't stop them from thinking that they are right.
This includes you, just as it includes MLA and Squiddy and others.
As for your meltdowns, knowing that they might happen is a big step forward because then it's something that can be avoided or dealt with, so the admission alone deserves respect. But also consider that the only thing you can change here is how you react and deal with things, never how others do it. That is why arguments made in anger are seldom successful, no matter how right they may be.
The same is true for everyone, so there's mostly very little point in continuing a fight.
