01-09-2011, 01:35 AM
Unbelievable. I never thought I'd see the day.
Thanks, Dakota - you actually got my point.
And $tevie and Uncle Wig - thank you, as well.
I lurked on this forum and found that the majority of posters here were evenhanded. I don't agree with everyone, but I enjoyed the exchange of ideas. So I thought I'd join the discussion - hey, it beats the yelling matches on the Times and WaPo sites.
Apparently I misjudged the level of discourse here, however.
Special thanks to those who sent me special messages - Rick-O, Black ( "Go away" ) and John Dough ( "what the hell is wrong with you?" ).
To everyone who jumped on the ad hominem bandwagon, thanks for reminding me why I don't even feel like I can call myself a liberal anymore.
When people ask me, despite years of being overtly and unapologetically left-leaning, I now have to say that I'm a moderate because of one simple fact: You eat your own.
Dakota was right - I'm extremely anti-guns I have very good reasons for feeling that way.
I'm also extremely anti-death, especially unnecessary death.
Especially children.
Especially for imaginary things like "causes."
The fact that some of the people who were reported as dead have thus far survived is a great relief to me. I don't need any more reminders of how far we've fallen from our ideals that this kind of even is commonplace.
Which brings me to my ever-longwinded point.
I thought my first post was clear and as diplomatic as I could be without taking political sides. I hardly thought it required explanation.
Still, people did precisely what I said they would - they read between the lines, didn't like what they saw, then jumped all over me. I even replied to clarify, but that only increased the level of vitriol in posts directed specifically to me.
So for the benefit of Rick-O - and anyone who has suffered through this thus far - here's exactly what I meant by what I said:
Self-explanatory.
Translation: people bring guns to political rallies. We have open-carry laws. And mostly, people are angry. Whether they've been amped up by people with political motives (Palin), self-serving egomania (Beck) or they're just irresponsible (most of the media), the fact is that people are ticked. With our NRA-funded representatives, this is a volatile mix. Was I wrong to point that out?
Meaning that we've spent decades selectively interpreting an amendment to the point that I could now buy an assault rifle if I wanted to - and why on earth would I want to? - with less effort than it takes to buy a plane ticket.
See: the media, the paid-for reps, and especially this generation's Father Coughlins.
Translation: we're in two wars now largely because, as a nation, we're too proud of our past to recognize where we are now. And, more importantly, we embrace violence like few other cultures ever have. And we don't admit our mistakes because we're a proud, manly land - love it or leave it, my way or the highway, fer or agin'. Not much room for compromise here anymore - from either side apparently.
And I was not disappointed.
You get extra credit for answering this honestly - and internally. Don't tell me how wrong I am.
Not every German was a Nazi; how many years after the war was it that it was even acceptable to express that opinion? With that in mind, how do you think the people of the not-too-distant future will look back at us - and I mean all of us - for sitting idly by while we slid into times where events like this are even possible?
Where the greatest democracy ever pats itself on the back for so many past glories yet refuses to acknowledge what it has become? That we're polite to the rudest people, yet never fail to attack each other - case in point.
And I remain thus.
Perhaps because my warm-up for this was writing my mother's obituary today. One of the perks of being the guy in the family with a journalism degree. Cheers.
But also because this is probably the last thing I'll post on here.
I may still lurk, but I don't think the atmosphere here is as rarified as I felt it was.
My mistake; I should have followed the tenor of my detractors in this thread and simply judged them immediately based on my knee-jerk reaction to a single post of theirs which expressed a sentiment I disagreed with.
So again, to Dakota, $tevie and Uncle Wig - thank you.
To everyone here who has posted comments I've shared with my family and friends, thank you as well.
And if Rick-O, Black and John Dough feel like telling me that they won't miss me - or describing what they think is "wrong" with me - perhaps they should reconsider for a moment and think of whether they're steering the discourse in a productive direction, or if they're simply taking a cheap, easy shot rather than looking in the mirror.
Auf wiedersheen.
Thanks, Dakota - you actually got my point.
And $tevie and Uncle Wig - thank you, as well.
I lurked on this forum and found that the majority of posters here were evenhanded. I don't agree with everyone, but I enjoyed the exchange of ideas. So I thought I'd join the discussion - hey, it beats the yelling matches on the Times and WaPo sites.
Apparently I misjudged the level of discourse here, however.
Special thanks to those who sent me special messages - Rick-O, Black ( "Go away" ) and John Dough ( "what the hell is wrong with you?" ).
To everyone who jumped on the ad hominem bandwagon, thanks for reminding me why I don't even feel like I can call myself a liberal anymore.
When people ask me, despite years of being overtly and unapologetically left-leaning, I now have to say that I'm a moderate because of one simple fact: You eat your own.
Dakota was right - I'm extremely anti-guns I have very good reasons for feeling that way.
I'm also extremely anti-death, especially unnecessary death.
Especially children.
Especially for imaginary things like "causes."
The fact that some of the people who were reported as dead have thus far survived is a great relief to me. I don't need any more reminders of how far we've fallen from our ideals that this kind of even is commonplace.
Which brings me to my ever-longwinded point.
I thought my first post was clear and as diplomatic as I could be without taking political sides. I hardly thought it required explanation.
Still, people did precisely what I said they would - they read between the lines, didn't like what they saw, then jumped all over me. I even replied to clarify, but that only increased the level of vitriol in posts directed specifically to me.
So for the benefit of Rick-O - and anyone who has suffered through this thus far - here's exactly what I meant by what I said:
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
I'm saddened by this news - and horrified.
Self-explanatory.
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
Who among us didn't know, or at least suspect, that this day was coming?
Translation: people bring guns to political rallies. We have open-carry laws. And mostly, people are angry. Whether they've been amped up by people with political motives (Palin), self-serving egomania (Beck) or they're just irresponsible (most of the media), the fact is that people are ticked. With our NRA-funded representatives, this is a volatile mix. Was I wrong to point that out?
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
Really, that this is even possible in this great nation is humiliating.
Meaning that we've spent decades selectively interpreting an amendment to the point that I could now buy an assault rifle if I wanted to - and why on earth would I want to? - with less effort than it takes to buy a plane ticket.
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
We should hang our heads in shame for allowing - and in many cases encouraging - the toxic climate that in all probability is at the root of this tragic event.
See: the media, the paid-for reps, and especially this generation's Father Coughlins.
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
I'd like to think we might learn from this, but when has America ever genuinely learned from its mistakes?
Translation: we're in two wars now largely because, as a nation, we're too proud of our past to recognize where we are now. And, more importantly, we embrace violence like few other cultures ever have. And we don't admit our mistakes because we're a proud, manly land - love it or leave it, my way or the highway, fer or agin'. Not much room for compromise here anymore - from either side apparently.
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
I await the reprimands from those who will read between the lines of what I've written here and find a reason to attack my words.
And I was not disappointed.
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
Perhaps this is because they recognize their own reflections staring back at them from between those same lines.
You get extra credit for answering this honestly - and internally. Don't tell me how wrong I am.
Not every German was a Nazi; how many years after the war was it that it was even acceptable to express that opinion? With that in mind, how do you think the people of the not-too-distant future will look back at us - and I mean all of us - for sitting idly by while we slid into times where events like this are even possible?
Where the greatest democracy ever pats itself on the back for so many past glories yet refuses to acknowledge what it has become? That we're polite to the rudest people, yet never fail to attack each other - case in point.
seeing.the.unseeable wrote:
Sad, sad, sad.
And I remain thus.
Perhaps because my warm-up for this was writing my mother's obituary today. One of the perks of being the guy in the family with a journalism degree. Cheers.
But also because this is probably the last thing I'll post on here.
I may still lurk, but I don't think the atmosphere here is as rarified as I felt it was.
My mistake; I should have followed the tenor of my detractors in this thread and simply judged them immediately based on my knee-jerk reaction to a single post of theirs which expressed a sentiment I disagreed with.
So again, to Dakota, $tevie and Uncle Wig - thank you.
To everyone here who has posted comments I've shared with my family and friends, thank you as well.
And if Rick-O, Black and John Dough feel like telling me that they won't miss me - or describing what they think is "wrong" with me - perhaps they should reconsider for a moment and think of whether they're steering the discourse in a productive direction, or if they're simply taking a cheap, easy shot rather than looking in the mirror.
Auf wiedersheen.