May 24, 2004 6:51 AM

Piss into the wind and two things are likely to happen: 1) You get wet, and 2) You end up smelling badly

Presidential Material?

Every now and then, I prove to myself that I have a pyromaniacal side. I like to start fires and watch things burn. Not in the literal sense, of course, but purely in the metaphorical sense.

Yesterday, I started a discussion here, I suppose because I wanted to see what sort of responses I could get and what sort of discussion would ensue. Yes, I know that Michele and most of her readers are fairly Conservative, and I fall on the Progressive side of the political fence. Still, I enjoy a good debate- that is, when I can find one. Clearly, I was looking in the wrong place. From the beginning, the debate turned ugly, and commenters seemed less interested in discussing the issue at hand than tossing gratuitous insults in my direction. One person (who I will not stoop to linking to, but his initials are Jeff Goldstein) seems to lack even the most rudimentary debating skills. Goldstein's idea of making a convincing argument seemed to begin with, end with, and consist only of calling me a "f*****g troll" and telling me to "f**k off." Oh, well then, I guess that settles everything, eh? Goldstein even invited me to his weblog so he could have the pleasure of banning me. Well, I did visit, and there is absolutely nothing there worth wasting a keystroke on. Mental masturbation does not a weblog make.

Oh, and since when does the war in Iraq have ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE WAR ON TERROR? When last I checked, most of the people involved in 9.11 were Saudis (one of our closest allies, no?). No one to my knowledge has ever presented a credible argument that links Iraq to 9.11. If you believe otherwise, present a credible argument and leave the name-calling behind- or is that all you have to offer?.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. People who have no argument rarely have anything to resort to BUT name-calling and insults. I am not the arbiter of Ultimate Truth, nor do I claim to have all the answers, but is it too much to expect Conservatives to be able to engage in a reasoned, dispassionate debate? Apparently so. And then they have the balls to refer to Progressives as "wingnuts". Jesus Christ on a go-kart, people, have you looked at yourselves in a mirror lately?

I wasn't expecting to change minds, and no one was going to change mine. Still, is it so unreasonable to expect to have a reasoned, dispassionate discussion of the issues? As if people of different opinions can't occasionally learn something from one another....

Sometimes I grow so weary of the divisiveness that surrounds the discussion of political issues. Perhaps I should just write about more prosaic topics, like why one of the neighborhood cats took a crap on our Sunday paper yesterday morning?

I enjoy the give-and-take of a good debate. Sometimes I really DO learn something from people who think differently. Unfortunately, there are too many trolls out there like Jeff Goldstein- people that are best ignored until they crawl back into their richly-deserved obscurity and mediocrity.

Live and let live is generally a pretty workable philosophy. Those of you who do not agree with my political viewpoint might try keeping that in mind.

I will continue to write about the Progressive point of view and about the travesty that the past 3+ years of the Bush Administration has been. Thinking people need to understand the importance of the choice that faces them come November. Those who vote reflexively and unthinkingly have already made their minds up. Sadly, most of those folks seems to be Bush partisans. There will be no changing their minds, but all we need is one more vote- scratch that, one more ELECTORAL vote than Bush garners. If I can contribute to that result, even minutely, I will happily do so. We deserve better than the mediocrity, the lies, and the deception of George W. Bush.

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About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on May 24, 2004 6:51 AM.

Perhaps we really AREN'T so far removed from our knuckle-dragging days was the previous entry in this blog.

He knows of which he speaks, #2 is the next entry in this blog.

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