I used to have  respect for the Dear Comrade, but that is quickly
disappearing. Â How he can have any repsect for your arrogant
twittiness and worse your gutless hypocracy is beyond me.
Oh well. I am truly heartbroken. Maybe I don't want or need that sort
of 'respect' in the first place, and I'll thank you to mind your own
business and not worry who I chose to befriend.
Adam and I don't agree on everything, and I am quite frank in my opinions
and observations to him and everyone else I deal with. He's talked about
this thread to me, and I've revealed my relative lack of interest in these
sort of pissing contest on numerous occasions, as well as telling him that
he's trolling you.
Once I state my opinion on something, however, that's it. Whatever the
person does after that is their nevermind, not mine. I don't expect people
to follow what I say, I only ask for the courtesy of respect for my point
of view and my right to hold same. I don't have a problem with people
having a different view than I do-it's their right. Just because they may
think differently than I do does not mean we can't talk or have a
productive relationship.
I went round and round with Rich Peihl, the man you rudely address as
an 'Idiot Christian' about religion. We don't agree, but it was a civil
debate. We finally resolved to 'agree to disagree', and that was that. By
being civil, and not hurling insults at each other, I managed to gain a
friend and Rich sent some western US pictures on, and I had something new
and different to post on my site. So basically, the situation ended up
benefitting us both.
Now I represent differently than most people. I maintain a set of views and
an appearance that are not considered acceptable by most. Yet, I manage to
get by in a job that has me out in the public all day long, without
compromising belief or appearance. Mind you, I cop to a fair share of aggro
for it, it's a price I pay. But eventually the aggro turns into respect, or
at the very least, tolerance, because I'm not disrespectful or insulting to
anyone. People even sometime ask what I'm all about, and if I'm not too
busy, I explain myself. They still may not agree, but at least they respect
me. That's all I ever ask.
I've talked to Adam about this little pissing match of yours, and I've told
him my view on it, to paraphrase Truman Capote, is thus: 'That's not
debate, that's shouting'. It's an empty exercise. A lot of what passes
as 'debate' these days is of a like nature. It doesn't reinforce the
concept of an exchange of ideas, it merely serves to reinforce polarising
certain parties to a set of ideas that they are amenable to while
describing anyone with a different set of ideas as an 'enemy'. There's a
lot of smoke and heat, but when it's all said and done, nothing's
accomplished, and we're all worse off.
One thing that actually does bug me is yr yattering about 'the stupid
miliary'. I was a member of said organisation for 11 years. Does that make
me 'stupid'? The 'stupid military' is not who's making damaging policy
decisions(at least not in the ranks), and they are obliged by law to follow
the orders they are given, unless they are so egregious that they can be
justified as illegal. Of course, if you actually *knew* anything about the
military, I wouldn't have to tell you that. The military in this country is
in no wise related to transport funding or administration. Bringing it up
in this sort of debate is just tossing in a red herring, and it makes you
look that much more foolish.
Of course, I've noticed you tossing in the old 'liberal' talking point 'If
you like the military so much, why don't you join it'? What's this? Are you
wishing the same fate that has befallen some of our other veterans on Adam?
Would you like to see him come home dead, or short a limb, or racked with
the mental anguish of PTSD? If so, that's pretty cheap. If you knew any war
veterans, you might rethink that position. I know a few, and I can tell you
stories. I wouldn't wish their misery on anyone, no matter how much I
disagree with/dislike them.
I don't expect you to read this and understand it. Like TimBrown and any
number of 'progs' and 'liberals' I know, you're stuck in amber; and as such
are no better than the 'conservatives' you so revile. Fine. Whatever. Just
take this thought home: if you don't have anything positive to add to a
debate, if you can't respond to someone without hurling insults at them,
then you're better off not bothering in the first place.
--
Comrade Otto Yamamoto
http://mryamamoto.50megs.com
The Quality Goes In Before The Name Goes On!