Hey Keith, I asked him to stay, not because I'm an old hunting buddy of LD but because I like looking at the pictures he posts of recently caught and soon to be eaten fish. Especially when it's something stupid like minus 20 up here in the Great White North.
Hope that doesn't mean you think I've switched sides and joined the Rainbow Coalition. Although I may if they start admitting advocates of small, fiscally conservative governments that spend money carefully, believe they have an obligation to serve their constituents, support strong property rights and believe in the Constitution of the United States. Oh snap, I'm not American. Ignore that last part.
But I won't be holding my breath.
In all seriousness though, and perhaps it's just me but I like it when Dave in Maine, nca255, Gnomon and the rest post on here.
I like it better when the foolishness or hypocrisy of their positions is clearly revealed when subsequent posters, yourself included, take them to task and dissect their position. I mean, if we can't do that, maybe our positions shouldn't be so firmly held. Their usual inability to cogently respond to a challenge to their beliefs ( i say beliefs, because they operate from a position of faith, rather than truth ) reminds me I'm most often on the side of truth.
I believe firmly in both the idea and actuality of free speech. This leads me to the old rights and responsibilities issue. I like our right to free speech. I therefore have a responsibility to allow others the same opportunity to exercise their right of free speech, no matter how stupid or repugnant. I also, and this may just be a personal peccadillo, feel like I have a responsibility to sift through the shit and try to discern if there is anything worth keeping.
IMHO, we shouldn't be driving them away with relentless personal attacks, we should be destroying their positions. We should be making it clear to anyone who takes the time to read these threads that there are curtain ideas put forward by a few members here that, if I'm being generous, are ill considered. And if I'm being more blunt, are either stupid or disingenuous.
