Several well known and respected bloggers in this group have undergone tragedies recently. The most recent is a blogger I rarely interacted with but I certainly would have been a better person had I read more of her work. Jennifer of Thinking Out Loud gave Z a far better expression of sympathy than I could have and I encourage anyone reading now to visit both Jennifer and Z's blogs to express their sympathies.
Most posts I rattle off in a few minutes. This one is difficult because I don't know where to begin or how to say what I'm trying to say without sounding either hypocritical or holier than thou.
I wish these blogs had a filter so we knew when we crossed the line from getting our points across and perhaps being entertaining to just plain being cruel. I've self deleted a few of my own and I'm sure most of you have as well. Sometimes we're not that careful and we can really hurt someone.
I want everyone that visits here to feel welcome. I don't like deleting comments. I'd just as soon let everyone defend themselves. But if it comes down to it, like it or not. We're all blogging because we have a passion for politics and want what's best for our Nation. Some of us see the Lefts point of view. Some of us the Right's. A blog gives us a chance to get our views out there. I'll do my best to remember whomever I address a comment at is also a mother or father. A wife or husband.
Wish me luck.
32 comments:
Nice post, Truth. I'll try to do the same.
I'll ditto what James said, Truth, very nice post!
We too easily forget that there is a person behind the screen. Sometimes it takes things like these...(Shaw, Z) to remind us of that. The one thing I must say though is that I think there is a line drawn and I don't know too many people who will cross it in times like these. When someone faces sickness or a death, it seems to bring out the best in each of us and that, my friend, is always a good thing!!
Truth: Very nice post. But I've always known you had it in you.
Jennifer: Yes, when times are tough or when tragedy strikes, it sometimes does bring out the good in people, but I've found it most often brings out the truth.
Good character is something that is displayed all the time, not just when the going gets tough.
Jennifer and Pam said it beautifully.
My heart goes out to Z. I am sorry for this awful tragedy.
A few of us have realized we can hold passionate opinions on politics, but that doesn't mean we have to forget our humanity.
Attack the idea not the person.
I think when a person is facing a difficult circumstance it brings into focus the fact that we are more alike than we are different.
Peace.
very good points.... of course you are correct and i'll be circumspect. of course the most difficult thing for me is extending Liberal principles of tolerance to those espousing political and religious viewpoints that are inherently intolerant. it is quite the paradox.
rightist historically have used that to their advantage.... have sometimes succeeded in capsizing entire Liberal Democracies (Weimar for example).
i'm not absolutely sure this statement is true.... however it is the title of a song i'd like to convey..... "You Only Live Once"..... from and existential point of view it is terminally true.... i've expressed my condolences. thanks for telling me.
Lets all hope that this sad news will bring us all together.
I'm as guilty as anyone of "troll baiting" as my friend Open Minded Republican said Ghost Dansing. So I hope nobody thinks I'm preaching. I guess I just want better from my self than what I've sometimes given.
It's good to have your comments GD. You've added much.
Thanks also to you American Girl for your comment.
Indeed a very thoughtful post. Despite the difficulty I'd say it came out quite well.
I don't like deleting posts either, or banning commenters. In five years I've had to only delete one or two comments and ban two people. I hated to do it but they just got out of control.
No one has a right to comment on your blog, Truth. If someone is abusive don't sweat deleting them.
I will also admit that I have trouble sometimes holding my fire, and as a fallen creature have gone too far at times slamming someone with whom I disagree.
Your excellent post reminds me that I need to temper myself more. For that alone I am indebted to you.
Very nicely put, but I'd bet that you will never live up to anything that you said.
Every so often in the blogosphere, the Left and the Right will tend to get into hostile debates, my money is on you being the first one to start the name calling and all the anger and name calling won't change. I know you must think your being cute but your just being immature. ... You ll be the first one to jump the ship. Yes you !
You state in the opening of this blog: “Address a comment at is also a mother or father. A wife or husband”
Unfortunately, I think it is too much to ask for.
As it is with your comrade like Ghost Dansing and PSI Bond as well as that lap dog TAO.
Very good post Truth, Don’t let anyone talk you into anything that ain’t true. The name calling comes from the rightwing asswipes, not from the left. The rightwing lunatic bullies understand only ONE language, ONE mode of discourse: THEIRS. It is the smear and name-calling -- substitution for actual discussion and debate of ISSUES because they are too ignorant to know the difference -- they borrow that lunacy from the phonies on FOX such as Beck, Hannity, and lets not forget Ann Coulter and Limbaugh, all of who are blatant racist’s .
The name calling and catch phrases has been a Republican strategy since the dark days of McCarthyism. This labeling is at the heart of the republicans... Like calling President Obama a socialist.
That they are fundamentally ignorant of even the rudiments of logic is exposed when their name-calling is interrupted with request for SPECIFICS on ISSUES: they then stumble into vacuous, empty-headed effort to answer the question -- by gravitating directly back to name-calling and smears. In essence this is the way of the republican illiterates.
Yes, the rightwing lunatic bullies understand only ONE language, ONE mode of discourse: THEIRS. And there is where the name-calling comes from.
Having dealt directly with these illiterates for over twenty years I've learned there is only one effective way to deal with them: combine their language WITH issues.
That's why I resort to calling the right wingers fools and idiots
They either learn, or they STFU
Lets see, I have no idea who W.E. Newcomb is....I know he claims to sell real estate and I know he claims to be from columbia, missouri....but his profile pic is of somebody else...
He has no blog and his profile is less than two weeks old....yet he calls me a lapdog?
As we say around here, 'bless his heart!"
Our friend TAO has made a conclusion...He concluded the following: "I know he claims to sell real estate and I know he claims to be from columbia, missouri....but his profile pic is of somebody else..."
Well my Brain Surgeon friend TAO.
First of all , your calculator is broken, my blog is 4 weeks old.
Secondly, so what?
Thirdly, YOUR picture is very different from picture of a Chinese Communist I expected to see.
New Anger in the blogsphere, has got to be far worse now than ever before. Anger is on the war path all over the blogsphere
There is so much anger, profanity and just plain uncivil behavior in the “Left and liberal blogs" that it’s getting to be a real problem.
It seems like the" Left and liberal blogs" are now off limits to anyone with an opposing view. Is this an offshoot of the Obama administration‘s way of leading the country? I would say yes, it is.
The Left who was always angry at everything for the past 8 years, angry at President George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and the administration, the war in Iraq, the 'right-wing media,' and more. Are now angry at everyone that has anything contrary to say about the Obama administration. It was just fine to Hate Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice, and even the Bush daughters. But don’t you dare to say an bad word about Michelle or Barack Omama or they will chastise you, call you all kinds of names and even insult your way/style of writing or typing.
Upon web-surfing yesterday I followed a link that led me to a Ultra-Liberal blog where the topic was the Gallup poll of Obama’s favorability. I thought nothing about posting my opinion and my position on this blog .......EXCEPT not realizing who I was dealing with, the author of the blog attacked me like a Pitbull dog... Calling me all kinds of names and insults and even insulting my use of words. (My grammar) she went to my blog and blasted me on her blog about almost everything I had written on mine. I foolishly always thought that I was free to write anything that I wanted on my own blog. I never thought that what I wrote had to meet the approval of another blogger.
Well within a few minutes, (not more that 3-5) my blog was invaded with sicko’s from her blog using all kinds of stupid and Anonymous screen names all attacking me to the extent that i was forced to close the comments.
I can’t think of one thing that I have wrote on this site that I would ever be ashamed of. Of course some of the sarcasm is probably over the head of many on the left and would need to be explained in painful detail. And even then their fragile minds still wouldn’t be able to grasp it.
Words are just words. You make of them what you want. I’ve never banned anyone from this site for swearing except when they make entire nonsensical statements of nothing by “bad” words because they are not literate enough to actually form an argument. And I never will.
Criticism of the administration is the American way. I never deleted, criticized, or banned anyone that posted those disgusting pictures of George Bush and company. The blogger that I am talking about now had and still does post every negative thing she can get her hands on about George Bush. But don’t dare and do the same about her precious Barack or Michelle.
I stand by my original argument posted on her blog and I have nothing to be ashamed of.
And I thank everyone that has come to my support both over here and over there.
It is always good in the heat of passionate debate to step back and realize that you are talking to another human being with feelings and trimuphs and tragedies to endure. No matter our disagreements, we are still all residents of the planet Earth and so we are forever connected, one to the other.
Well said Anonymous ... You comment is right on target.You obviously have thought this one through extensively. I look forward to continuing to read your comments.
I am so sick of the shouting every time I voice my opinion.
For a start I think...wait, I know I'd be more respectful of self-described "conservatives" if so many of them didn't have obvious anger-management issues. To me, the notion of a self-described "conservative" crying because someone called them names strikes me as the pot calling the kettle black.
Note too, that I've taken to referring to "conservatives" in quotation marks. That's because so many self-serving thieves are using something they call "conservatism" as a figurative mask and gun. You can't even dignify these amoral thugs by calling them political extremists insofar as their thefts, deceits, hypocrisies, and use of pejoratives to silence debate aren't actually political positions. Conservatives are uncaring, idiots, fools & bigots..
Why are conservatives always complaining about liberals?
I thought you all loved freedom of speech? What happened to that? I asked a simple question on what you thought of what someone wrote and I got bombed with neocons bitching and moaning about me.
Everyone is so freaking uptight here!
Conservatives have never loved freedom of speech, they just like to complain that they don't have it.
The world community wants nothing more than a weak, contrite America. And Obama is more than willing to give it to them. Unfortunately, it is us that has to live with the consequences of Obama: The constant lying. The staggering arrogance. The dangerous narcissism. The astounding incompetence. Consistently, polls show that 50 percent of Americans strongly disapprove of the way he is performing as our president -- the fastest decline of any president in modern history. Americans know Obama best. Let's continue to stand strong against Obama in every way and get Congress out of the hands of the insane Pelosi and Reid in 2010. Obama is a smug, smirking con man. Nothing more.
After reading everyone's comments I can only come to one conclusion. I hate to admit but I have been a tremendous ass. I express my deepest apologies to Tao and of course to the blogger that made me realize that all I have been doing is stirring up anger and hatred. Thank you Truth101 for helping me see what the internet could really be for. A force for good and civility. I have been nothing but a wretched force for hostility.
God bless you Truth 101 and may you continue your good works.
The left is attacking Limbaugh with every lie and innuendo in their arsenals. They are no longer even trying to be journalists as they are simply partisan hacks. They clamor about him being a racist but none have listened to him. He is color blind and wants everyone to be given an opportunity to succeed through their own efforts. If this is racism then so be it. The left sees everyone of color and points this out and decides how to respond based on color, not as an individual. You decide who is racist.
The sniveling knee-jerk Obamamedia must be held accountable for the falsehoods they have been trashing Rush with. The media ought to try just checking on the nonsense they are reporting once in a while, lest they be viewed as the irrelevant group they have increasingly become.
The pinhead leftist author of this blog truly thinks this president actually has a mandate and that he should ignore any and all criticism, gird up his loins and force his agenda on a public that wants no part of it.
The conversation has been enhanced with your welcome critique of the shape of my head Senseless Man. Thank you for stopping by.
i'm not really seeing it Derrick.... i love Obama and everything he is about.
Ghost Dansing said...
i'm not really seeing it Derrick.... i love Obama and everything he is about.
Then I guess you like socialism
And I guess I'm a racist.
If socialism means you getting a decent health insurance policy, then by all means, count me as a socialist also Derrick. And I forgive you for being a racist. Try and do better my new friend.
if by "socialism" you mean centralized command economy as in "Communism".... that is never going to happen in this Country... and i'm not for it.
if by "socialism" you mean government using collective monies for the common good, and filling in where laissez fair free market capitalism fails..... then yes.
i think America has historically been in more danger of falling into Fascism then Communism.
Communism just never took hold here. even i the 30's, after the Great Depression, FDR's Liberal policies undermined Communist rhetoric and Stalin's draconian dictatorship soured American Communist ideologues on Communism.
America is based on principles of Liberalism that sprang from the European enlightenment.... it emphasized God-given freedom and liberty for the individual, as opposed to the former concepts of the "Divine Rights of Kings".
the Founding Fathers saw a need for a governmental structure with checks-and-balances.... also a Liberal concept, in which no sociological power block, i.e. Political, Religious, Economic, etc., could easily gain absolute hegemony.... at least not for long.
both Communism and Fascism (and the Republican Party) hate Liberalism for that reason. Communism, essentially socio-ideological totalitarian advocate of centralized control of the economy, and Fascism, a military-industrial totalitarian form, both disdain Liberalism for its tolerance and the inefficiency of its control.
but back to my original point.... America tends toward the fascist forms due to its worship of industrial, financial and economic strong-men.... the plutocratic elite.
in the 30's there were American industrialists and financiers that admired Hitler and conspired against the Liberalism of FDR.
to a large degree, that is exactly the same group that we are dealing with in current times. they essentially have no concept of human value other than the profit motive and greed. concepts of environmental protection, universal health care, etc. are all anathema to their often short term, short sighted profit motives... and so they resist.
they have gained hegemony, and our government is far right of center toward fascist corporate plutocracy, with hooks in both political parties. however, it is the Republican Party that truly embodies this concept.
they are indeed the enemies of Liberalism. but it is not because it is Socialism. it is because it Liberalism enforces a wider range of human values that interferes with profit-making.
another fine distinction for Liberalism versus Socialism. Socialism, of which Communism is a totalitarian form, typically disdains Capitalism.
Liberalism does not disdain Capitalism, but neither does it worship it. Capitalism has a lot of myths associated with it, and a lot of flaws.
one myth, for example, idealizes Capitalism as a perfect system where competition reigns always delivering the best products and services to society.
the flaw in this myth is Capitalism is not a game of perpetual competition, but rather a game of monopoly.
whenever and wherever laissez faire or near laissez fair has prevailed, the society had to sooner or later deal with the fact that eventually the "capital" ends up in the hands of the few..... and that the more wealth that more accrued wealth provides advantaged position to the wealthy to accrue and consolidate more wealth.
that is why Teddy Roosevelt had to invent governmental "trust busting" in the age of the Robber Barons.
i think Teddy Roosevelt's Party circa 1912 was called the "Progressive Party".... interestingly, Liberal partisans today that are exceptionally politically active in Liberal causes often refer to themselves as "Progressives".
a characteristic of both Socialism and Liberalism is that they are essentially compatible with, and freely espouse Democracy and Democratic concepts.
totalitarian forms in the Communist and Fascist modalities are quintessentially un-democratic.
Ghost Dansing ..
The real tragedy and what most people here don’t realize is that Obama's supporters don't care. In fact, many of his supporters are delighted that he promises to usher in a new era of socialism, and push the memory of capitalism further into history.
Socialist’s like Obama call for a "steeply graduated" tax policy to redistribute wealth. Obama has promised to increase the tax burden on the rich to redistribute wealth to the poor. He revealed his philosophy when answering a question from Joe the plumber, who complained that he was being taxed for his success.
Didn’t Obama promised to dramatically reduce defense spending?
It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success too. My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody
Socialists, who are in perpetual revolution, who believe that the end justifies the means, have worked through educational institutions, non-government organizations such as ACORN and by electing socialists to public office to silence teaching the virtues of free enterprise, capitalism, private property, individual responsibility and personal achievement. For nearly two generations, students have been fed a steady diet of socialism under a variety of disguises, including Outcome Based Education, No Child Left Behind, School-to-Work and a host of other "feel good" slogans.
Students and young adults no longer know why capitalism is better than socialism. Like Obama, young people really believe that when government redistributes wealth, "it's good for everybody." They do not realize that wealth redistribution is no substitute for wealth creation. They are never taught that the only way to create wealth is for an individual to combine his energy and intellect with resources to produce a product that improves his life, or for which someone else is willing to pay.
Obama's "Robin Hood" approach of stealing from the successful and giving to the worthless will only wreck the economy.
This is reparations in disguise. Obama is following Karl Marx'x handbook to the letter. Misrepresenting the truth, telling every group whatever they want to hear, flip flopping to the middle to get elected. Marx stated that it is okay to lie, cheat, steal, and kill if necessary to accomplish one's goals, which is exactly what Obama and the Democrats are doing. This financial crisis that has just recently became an issue is the fault of the Democratic Party, and no one can deny this truth. Watch how the Democrats and Obama lay the blame on Bush or the GOP and watch how the MSM will follow along
Private property, the accumulation of personal prosperity and individual achievement are anathema to socialism. Socialism sees the individual as nothing more than a cog in a government-run machine designed to ensure equity for all.
Capitalism seeks prosperity; socialism seeks equity. Freedom increases as prosperity increases. In a socialist system, there can be neither.
thanks for the history lesson, now go back to school .. I hear that they are serving Twinkies today.
i think it's you that missed a few classes.
You know GD, even Bill O"Reilly said on his show a 50% tax rate for those at his income level was fair. Even Newt Gingrich at one time said he was for universal health care. I was called on this by one of the biggest righties in my hometown and when he googled it, he had the class to come back and admit I was correct.
I don't think that your last post about Newt was accurate.
http://84rules.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/grading-the-big-health-care-speech/
I'm always accurate anonymous. It's one of the things the righties hate about me. I try not to be smug about it though.
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