Official proceedings of impeachment are coming to a close with the up or down vote tomorrow on the removal of the President of the United States and the results of the Iowa Caucus or should I say the lack of results. Friends and family have raised objections about inclusion in discussions. Those issues have come from people I honestly view and believe are friends; however, their request to be removed from the discussion on political issues is troubling. It’s troubling because it flies in the face of having a robust conversation and being able to state your opinion freely. One’s opinion is subject to rebuttal and or criticism, as it should be in any discussion. No one here is “arguing” in a dramatic sense. Each one of us has an opinion of politics, this country, religion, world events and anything that crosses the public square that impacts us and our beliefs. All of us have a “worldview” based on our individual experiences and understandings of the topical area of discussion. I have never requested anyone to remove me from their email list due to their view or opinion being different than mine. I do not believe that it is productive and instead would rather discuss the issue.
Some have said they cannot stand the “strain” of the conversation; it is too upsetting. The remedy for that is, delete the comment and do not read it or reply to it. Requesting to have your email deleted or requesting not to be included in the discussion because the issue is too political says more of the person than the writer of the opinion or discussion. The “Politically Correct” group of Americans has taken the discussion, to the point that people will suffer punishment for saying “anything” that contradicts the view of another. PC was designed and inspired to shut down any free speech when it opposes the offended “groups” worldview. With all of that stated, we as Americans do have a certain level of what I call “political fatigue.” This constant hammering from the media as they try and shape your views is the biggest contributor to the fatigue.
Simply stated, it is propaganda no matter which side it comes from, Right or Left, fighting for a view each side believes is correct. The problem lies within the words spoken. Listening to the words of the media propagandist will give you clues on what to believe and what not to believe. How they shape their arguments and how much they interrupt others to push their views. All these utterances are clues of divisiveness. It is up to each person to sort through the BS, accept or reject the comments of the media. Do your research, hopefully through a balanced source, and reach your conclusions. We as Americans may find we have more in common with each other regardless of the party of politics we identify with during discussions. Do not be afraid to express a political point of view. Stop being paralyzed by the specter of the PC crowd. Be respectful of other’s points of view regardless of how you may view their position. Until you ask them, you have no idea why they offer an opinion. Have them explain themselves and learn something from the discussion.
Henry,
It does seem that the postings have the “right” picking on the “left” and I feel bad seeing it go to one side because we would all like to have a good discussion. The problem is, I would love to hear positive things from the left but I can’t find any. I try to only believe the words that come out of ones mouth without depending on the media to tell me what was said on either side. I have done extensive research, as much as you can these days, looking at multiple sources and it pretty much points to the “left” saying things that are not actual words coming from the person who spoke or they change the wording of official documents. I’ve also read many sources regarding the history and current situation of the Democratic party and there have been many scandalous actions in the past that are never shared with the viewers of the mainstream media. I’m not saying there aren’t any on the “right” side – too many politicians on both side are making a lot of money “serving the people.” I just feel that there are too many long time Democrats going back to the Kennedy days that are not doing the research to find the truth. And isn’t it always the line they have for President Trump that he is a womanizer or they can’t respect him – nothing is mentioned of the affairs of Kennedy and Clinton! It is difficult to find a person leaning left that has actually done the research to support the statements they make. I wish that was not the case – I don’t know what the answer is for those that feel picked on. My conversation with people on the left that are willing to have a discussion is – It’s not about Trump, it’s about this country turning Socialist! Then you bring up the facts and let them do the research.
Julie,yes, research is important and I as you have, have been involved in this for some time. I strongly encourage everyone to read and look for the truth in all matters, no matter where the truth may be, on the right or left. The play book used by the left does not include espousing on their failures only the failures of the right and that is why we must speak out.
I think this is a conversation that is healthy and very important to have and people not willing to discuss controversial subjects may not have the factual information to defend their position or may not feel strong about their opinion.
It is healthy to discuss these issues for sure. What is not healthy is avoiding the issue and name calling.
You nailed it!
Charlotte, thank you.
This is after all, a professionally created blog site. It is vastly different from other web sites such as U-Tube; Instagram; Facebook, etc. Opinions expressed should, therefore, be civil in nature. Disagreement promotes discussion. While a touch of humor and/or sarcasm (key word: TOUCH) is allowable, but not hate speech.
I applaud Henry for his efforts to provide a civilized forum. I for one, intend to participate of a rational level.
Thank you Henry.
Duane, thank you. As usual you went right to the heart of the issue.
I feel that it’s appropriate I comment since I’m one of the people Henry has identified in this post. First, for those that don’t know me, I’m neither a democrat or republican. I have voted equally in my 45 years as a registered voter. My views are just that, my views. That said, in my opinion, the discussions in email are not looking through a lens of thought and information in most cases. It’s a target of one party only which I don’t buy in. In the email threads I have asserted my points on data and facts but ignored. Even the previous comment “I just feel that there are too many long time Democrats going back to the Kennedy days that are not doing the research to find the truth.” This is a hypothesis based on opinion. Fundamentally, the discussions do not accept counter arguments but rather intensify to support an original email or post without acceptance of other points of view or data that contradicts claims. While I appreciate Henry’s desire and goal to have an open discussion, they are not. They are closed minded and directional an attack. We are all Americans. IMO, the two party system is BS. Never liked it, never will. We should all be voting for the right person for the job, not because they are republican, democrat or independent. This applies to the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the government. Problem is, most all Americans vote on two ways only, by emotion and what they hear on the news or social media or on party lines. Rarely does anyone vote on the right person for the job. So, to end, I don’t want my email cluttered up with one-sided discussions. Henry, your blog is the perfect means to have these discussions. That way, those that want to engage in a blog environment can, those that don’t, won’t. Email people have to read to see whether or not its something to keep or delete and are many time not even wanting to be involved by cluttering their email box with these discussions. So for me, email is a no-go, the blog is the place where it should happen. Thanks Henry for taking the time to pull together the blog site. I will certainly participate.
Alan, are you saying that discussions are not opened minded to me or to everyone? Using phrases like that automatically shut down discussions, piss people off and in general ruin an intelligent discussion. I posted an article that addresses some of those instances, how about you reading it. Like I said when I started this blog, it is an open and free discussion as long as no one threatens anyone. That would be the one instance I delete the comments. Just so others understand, your comments were removed by the security element on this domain due to conflicts of URL and address. I do not understand it, perhaps you do since you are in the computer business. So welcome to the discussions that will take place. I look forward to your input.
Henry, I can see now where the confusion came regarding my statement on open minded. It was NOT directed at you! It was my opinion on how responses have been in the past and in email. That said, I will work to choose my words more carefully in the future or at the least, try to get my punctuation correct so it doesn’t lead to misinterpretation. I take responsibility for the incorrect wording.
Regarding the security element, I can’t answer that. I used the new Microsoft Edge browser to respond via the comment box in your blog. For this response I’m using Google Chrome, from my office at work. Let me know if you see the same result. Perhaps there is something with the new Edge browser that caused this. I don’t know.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to respond.
Alan
Alan, everything worked appropriately this time. The fix my computer expert put in must of worked. I understand better now your comments, and agree, in the heat of easy emails, we all say the wrong things. One of the subject areas I plan on addressing is critical thinking and choosing one’s words appropriately to make a point. A slight mistake can and will cause unnecessary angst. Now that the impeachment BS is over, it is time to move on to another subject of interest. ~ Henry
I will begin with admitting to all that I am not a fan of things Trump says or tweets sometimes. He comes across as childish and rude. I would also say that I am an independent. I vote for who I believe is best for this country. I voted for Trump, not because I am fond of him as a person, but I believed he would put our country first.
I watched the SOTU address last night. I thought Trump hit a home run. He highlighted all that has been accomplished for ALL Americans; the military; economy; unemployment; crime reform; tax reform; recognized hero’s and on and on. Yet, no democrat felt any of those accomplishments, that benefited all, were worthy of getting off their asses.
At the end, I was flabbergasted and disgusted by Pelosi ripping up the speech. Really! How dare you disrespect those recognized. You have solidified for me that the Democratic Party is dead. You say Trump is rude and childish? What kind of message did you send? You allow your own State to fall apart and now clearly don’t want to accept the positive things Trump has done for all in this country.
I believe all American’s will see this for what it is. Pack your bags Nancy. You are done!
Esther, I agree with you one hundred percent. President Trump makes it difficult sometimes to support him, but I honestly believe his actions are always for the country first. This constant clamor over the tiniest things he says or does drives most people to support him. The stunt Pelosi pulled was so outrageous and killed whatever I thought good of the Democrats. She has intentionally moved her Party into the Socialist arena. We must take back the House and end this madness.