Brian Austin said:
Telling someone that he BELIEVES she "never considered herself a Republican" is not a personal attack in my book. And posting the list that she provided prior to that (a bit of a thread hijack in my personal opinion) opened the debate up to include her own politics.
Take responsibility for what you say and be prepared to be held accountable.
First of all let me apologize for hijacking the thread. That list that I posted was definitely off topic and if I would have thought about it a little longer I probably would not have posted it there.
That list that seems to have Joe so hopping mad was not posted as a troll or to make anyone angry. It's something I ran into lately that I found a bit humorous and I posted it for the sake of a little humor. Obviously not everyone is capable of seeing it for what it was. But, based on recent experience, I figured that it might get negative response. That's why I made the statement that I did about the viciousness that some people show toward those who do not agree with them. And yes, I've seen that far more from Republicans than I have from Democrats.
Your comment about him telling me that he BELIEVES that I "never considered myself to be a Republican” is not, in itself, a personal attack is true enough. But I would say calling me a liar, as he did, and accusing me of posting "hate speech" is something that I do consider a personal attack. But I can also deal with that and take it for what it is.
For the record, I have always considered myself an independent but my past voting record has been far more Republican than Democrat. I have always voted for those who I thought were the most qualified for the office they aspired to and who I thought were what we needed in the particular times we were facing. The Jimmy Carter administration reminded me of an episode of M.A.S.H. where Hawkeye was sitting in Henry Blake's chair and he said, "just think, here I am sitting in the chair from which a thousand indecisions have been launched". I thought Jimmy Carter was a very ineffective President but he has done more for humanity since he left office than anyone I can think of right now. In my book that makes him a great human being and a person we could certainly use a lot more of.
I voted for Ronald Reagan both times, I voted for George Bush senior and I'm ashamed to say I voted for his son the first time around. Personally think junior will go down in history as the worst President we have had, but that's just my opinion and I DO have a right to MY opinion even if it goes against someone else’s. I also declared myself to be a Republican at a time when a party affiliation was a requirement in Michigan in order to vote in the primary. If Joe wants to call me a liar I'll just stand by my voting record.
For the sake of honesty I will also say that I have actually joined the Democratic Party a little over a year ago. I did so because I am tired of the quest for power and unbridled greed I have seen from the Republican’s of late. But more so because of their affiliations with right wing religious organizations that are bent on controlling peoples lives. Personally I don't see them as being much better than the KKK or other religious extremists. I didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me. Hey, that sounds familiar!
God gave us all free will; society has the right to protect itself but not to preempt free will. It is the purview of religious groups to teach and spread the word not to exercise control over an individual's free will. An example of recent Republican behavior that really gets to me is the gay bashing that they have engaged in to garner the support of the religious right and to sway independent voters in these tight elections. It seems that sexual minorities are the last vestige of discrimination / persecution. Talk about hate speech! God made all of humanity, even the gay people are his children, he just didn't make as many of them. That does not give the sexual majority the right to persecute them. They deserve and are entitled to the same right to pursue happiness that the constitution is supposed to provide for all of our citizens. But that is also under attack by those who are seeking to write discrimination into the law of our land. That to say the least appalls me.
I am also a former business owner who has felt the burden of taxation. I was put out of business and nearly killed by a teenage drunk driver. I am the founder of a chapter of Mother's Against Drunk Driving and I am vocal about personal responsibility.
Finally, I am a person who is capable of individual, rational thought and I have the ability to feel compassion toward others. I don't know everything and I never claimed that I did. But I am entitled to express my own opinions without being viciously attacked for having them. I am also perfectly capable of discussion on a much more cerebral level.
Sorry for the length of this post!
Jeannie
