I would like to thank those that run this forum...

[RgrF]

I like hanging out with oddballs, makes life a bit more interesting.

[hal]

$tevie wrote:
Read it again, hal.

Black: I'd settle for a right-winger who was able to demonstrate basic topic maintenance and at least occasionally argue their corner with some degree of effectiveness.

Me: Forgive me for saying I'm not sure there is such a person.

Which has NOTHING to do with "conservative" or "non tea party types".

Do you know what "right winger" means?

Come on!

I have always used the literal definition of right winger - those on the right side of the isle. I've never used it to describe extremists. All repubs are right wingers by my definition. I just looked for a definitive definition and didn't have much luck finding something other than that.

[Black]

hal wrote:
[quote=$tevie]
Forgive me for saying I'm not sure there is such a person.

Nonsense - I have several conservative family members that are as smart as they come and can very competently offer their case and defend it. I know several other non family members that fit the description.
Please find out what it will take to get them to post here.... if it's a money thing we'll hold a bake sale or a car wash or something...

[voodoopenguin]

I've never thought about putting anyone on ignore, everyone here has something to say. Some I agree with, some I don't, some make me laugh and a couple probably don't mean to make me laugh, but they do.

Keep on keeping on.

Paul

[$tevie]

I think that "right side of the aisle" and "left side of the aisle" means conservative and liberal. Right wing and left wing mean the outside edges of those two sides. The extremists.

[RgrF]

Time was that some people on the left side of that aisle out conservatived (newly coined) folks on the right side, those days are gone.

Not that they meant much before but these terms have lost all meaning since the advent of the Tea Party No Nothing Party.

[Mac-A-Matic]

Perhaps the truth to this forum is that any right/conservative viewpoint is immediately bashed by those on the left/liberal side. You talk of participation by what I guess would be a "moderate right" person but your treatment of anyone with a disagreeing point of view chases anyone but the thick-skinned from discussion.

On top of that, most of the liberals here are not interested in discussion, the interest here is in backslapping, self-congratulation and mutual hatred of opposing parties.

A great indication of this are the thread topics of the past couple of days. I didn't even bother reading the actual content because it's going to be filled with like-minded hatred and narrow thinking.

If you desire actual discussion and moderate thinking then you will need to foster that environment. So far, you've cultivated an environment as toxic and narrow-minded as the republicans in Congress.

[Lemon Drop]

Mac-A-Matic wrote:


If you desire actual discussion and moderate thinking then you will need to foster that environment. So far, you've cultivated an environment as toxic and narrow-minded as the republicans in Congress.

Look at the last two threads you started, "You didn't bake that," and something about something related to guns not being on CNN, when in fact it was.
How are those threads representative of the types of conversations you say you'd like to see here, and how are they different from the types of threads you say others are starting that don't foster "moderate" conversation?

[Dennis S]

I think the left-side of this forum would respond more to your liking if 75% (basically 3 out of 4 right-leaning posters) didn't present in a paranoid, juvenile, or unintelligible manner.

[$tevie]

This goes back to my point about what's-his-face.

If someone posts a link to a long article and gets a response like "What did Saddam do with the oil? Drink it? You are frozen in your 70s state of mind reading Workers of the World Unite." what is the point of trying to have a conversation with the person who responds like that?

I am under NO obligation to cater to morons and do not have to do so just to placate anybody.