I will retract what I had to say with regards to the homosexuals seeking to validate themselves. I didn't really want to get into that, and I was wrong and didn't think it through well enough.
My comments were more motivated by the dismissal of Limbaugh as someone who was dropped on his head for stating that opinion. It's more about, as Upchurch points out, that I really dislike the antagonistic and uncivil exchanges here, and I felt the OP was along those lines.
I apologize, and Upchruch.. I don't know what to tell you.. who exactly are you refering to with the talk of Obama being a fascist,etc? I don't read every single politics thread, and the few people I have seen make such comments, like BAC, are people that I think are kooks too, and I don't give them any of my time. I felt it was pretty much given that they were kooks. I'll say right now that anyone who calls Obama a communist or a fascist is wrong. However, it's a far, far cry from calling tax protesters "tea baggers". Got similar examples of such vulgarity from right wing posters?
Would you really like me to go and search for Obama Fascist and go in and personally chastise them all? Or are you more likely trying to acuse me of hypocrisy here in only chastising people on the left? I know for certain I have, a few times, said that I thought people on my side were going over the line. Cicero for one. I don't remember specifically what he was saying, I think it was about Ted Kennedy. And I remember stating that I felt the opinion that Obama was breaking his tax promises when cigarette taxes went up was a big stretch. (yes I complained about the prices, but I am certain I said that I thought that those making that leap were reaching).
Honestly, I have been bending over backwards to be reasonable and moderate in the past couple of months. I came in here very hot but I'm trying to be calm, and certainly not insulting or pompous. I try to stick to the subject, and try to avoid ridicule and sarcasm as means of making my point. And yet, alot of good it does me, that some people still treat me with great disrepect.
But frankly, and I'm sorry if this disturbs you, I see alot more venom from people on the left, towards people on the right, than the other way around. Usually in an unwarranted manner. (ie, they were the first to become nasty). I'm sorry if you do not see that. But I feel it every time I read these forums. I will admit it may be partially my own biases getting in the way. But it's not just these forums. It's something I've experienced everywhere I've gone since about 2000. Every forum, or public gatherings.. You say you are conservative, or supported Bush, and people immediately dislike you, ridicule you, insult you as an ignorant bufoon, no longer want to be your friends, etc. This absolutely did happen to me, many times, whether you want to believe it or not. I lost many good friends on usenet in the aftermath of the 2000 elections.
It's like there is an attitude that there is absolutely nothing worthy of any value from anyone on the right, period. Only worthy of disdain and scorn. As if they are just sooo wrong and soo evil that it's not even worth basic dignity and respect anymore. There is no civil discourse. Just contempt.
I'm sorry but that is what I feel from many on the left.
For what it's worth, I'll try to be more vigilant about taking on people on my own side who cross the line. There was never any intent to be biased there. I mean, can you give me names of people besides BAC who often act in similar rude and vulgar ways? I see very few people over all that are openly conservative, and most of them seem very tame most of the time. Texas and Cicero come to mind as examples. I see them use sarcasm and so forth, but I rarely see them openly disdain and scorn liberals or democrats as if they are not even worthy of recognition, let alone respect. I see that kind of attitude alot from many other people here on the left though. Many.
And why does everything always have to ultimately come down to "your side does it too" or "your side does it first" or "you aren't being consistent in applying your beliefs to those you dislike" and so forth. It really irriates me that politics always comes down to this. It doesn't matter if one side does something too, or if some on my side or your side are hypocrites. Wrong is wrong. Imature, hateful and contemptuous comments are wrong by anyone, to anyone else. My failure to apply it to someone else is irrelevant to whether I was right or wrong where I did apply it.
We need to stop thinking that going to the old standby of "both sides do it" and similar arguments actually mean anything in the big picture.