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Encouraging Debate

Gideon MacLeish

Join Date 06/2004

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Encouraging Debate

I had a very interesting, very intellectually stimulating "live" discussion with an individual from JU last night. We disagreed pretty fundamentally on the topics we discussed, but when all was said and done, it was a pretty cool conversation. Neither one of us "converted" the other, and the individual gave me several very insteresting, very compelling points for discussion.

And so, I got to thinking: while it occasionally happens on my blog, there are several good, compelling articles I've written where almost no discussion takes place. I would like to make it very clear that, if the comments on my articles are not disabled, I encourage, and welcome healthy debate. Sure, I may strongly disagree, but if you hold an opposing position just as strongly, you should, frankly, respect that.

Despite what you may have read or believe, I rarely blacklist anyone. When I do, it is almost always because the attack got personal, on my end or theirs, and that I need a "cooling off" period, or that the individual is basically a troll and not really a healthy contributor to my blog. My reputation for blacklisting has come about because, in all but a few situations, the blacklisted individual was offended enough to feel it necessary to blog about it, and I was offended enough by their indignation to respond and thus "out" myself as the blacklister. because most of my blacklist has thus become public, there's a general perception that I do it more often than I do.

There are some individuals on here with which I STRONGLY disagree. And they know it. In fact, there's kind of a running "mini-feud" going on as we speak with a particular blogger. But the individual, though almost diametrically opposed to my position, is one who I respect because the debate never becomes personal. I can think of several individuals who fit that classification.

So, if you disagree, post away. If I didn't want dissension, I wouldn't have posted the article in the first place. If you have a well thought out point, you just may help me reconsider my position. And by bringing your POV out in the first place and allowing me to respond, I just may help you reconsider yours. The net result is that we BOTH grow.

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Blacklisting should not be the right of any blogger. It should be the sole right of the administrators who seldom exercise it and only in horrendous cases.

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Blacklisting should not be the right of any blogger. It should be the sole right of the administrators who seldom exercise it and only in horrendous cases.

You've got it backwards. Blacklisting "should" be the right of any blogger. "Exile" should be and is the sole purview of the administrators! After all what is said in a blog is the authors words and he/she is accountable for them if by nothing else than posted replies. Why then should the author have to endure idiotic responces by those that do not care enough to even respond on topic?

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>Why then should the author have to endure idiotic responces by those that do not care enough to
>even respond on topic?

Democracy at work here ladies and gentlemen!
Or rathere "their" version of Democracy.
You say what they want to hear and when they want it ... or its banned.

Then again with rampant corruption in the republican household ... their "minions" here would seek
to curtail a bit of our freedom TO speak ... (is there any republican NOT under investigation ...
not that I care much for the democrats ... but alas its the lesser of two OBVIOUS evils)

*******
Gideon I tip my hat to you for providing a forum were we can discuss any topic at lenght without
undue censor ... I am certain you dont agree with me on a host of subjects but I appreciate
your respect (as I respect you) in allowing us all the right to voice our OWN opinions.
***********

ON another matter:
by the way, Musharraf (dictator who took power from an elected government) is almost finished.
**********************
news.yahoo.comSLASHsSLAHapSLASH20060116SLASHap_on_re_asSLASHpakistan_al_qaida_attack
(replace SLASH with the keystroke)

For the second straight day, thousands of Pakistanis poured into streets in cities across the country on Sunday chanting "Death to America" and demanding U.S. troops leave Afghanistan.
***************************************************************

Winning "hearts and minds" and "breeding new terrorists" to justify "the war on terror"

. I so love this.
Wanna bet Musharaff is killed and those nukes fall into the wrong (or "caring" hands) soon ?

"They hate us for our freedom" but not because we murder innocense because we place so little
value on THEIR lives. imagine pakistan dropped a missile in Connecticut killing 22 innocents
in the pursuit of one guy (who btw has NEVER been proving to be behind 911)?

How would we react?
How would YOU react if it were your family members or friends?

Hence the FLAW IN LOGIC that "they hate us for our freedom"

By the way "Death to America" chant is becoming REAL POPULAR nowadays ... we got pissed at Iran
for starting it ... but wanna bet we wont say anything about its use in Pakistan.

They have nukes.

Any country that does not bend time and space to provide his country with a nuclear detterent
and missiles to deliver them (rocks are useless without a slingshot) is an absolute IDIOT.

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>Any country that does not bend time and space to provide his country with a nuclear detterent
>and missiles to deliver them (rocks are useless without a slingshot) is an absolute IDIOT.

that should read
"Any LEADER that does not bend ..."

personally if I were the leader of any developing country (in any stage of development) I would
initiate a drive ... sole pursuit of a nuclear detterent. I would weather the death through
starvation of 1/2 of the populous if we have a means to defend ourselves and our way of life at
the end of that drive said deterrent.

The Iranians are brilliant in this:
1) they have made it a national desire so much so that its the ONLY thing opposition groups have
in common ... their believe that Iran should possess nuclear technology vis-a-vis ...

2) they have home grown scientists ... which boggles the mind because we are told on western
media that the Iranians are living in the 7th century ... wow ... a lot of technological progress
for someone living in the 7th century ...

3) sanctions have made them delve inward ... they manufacturer whatever they need ... and are not
reliant too much on the outside.

The more countries adopt a nuclear detterent the more sanity there will be in this world.

Personally the LAST person I trust with a nuclear weapon would be the ONLY person to have used
it in a CONVENTIONAL war ... against a non nuclear opponent ... but that was then and this is
now.

THEN no one else had it
NOW ... there other "players" in the game and other countries with enough technological know how
to rampup production in record time.

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Reply By: rombios(Anonymous User) Posted: Saturday, January 14, 2006
anyone notice that we just murdered 18 people in the search of one man? "al queda" #2?

ANYONE notice that we murdered tens of thousands of people to depose one man?

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Why then should the author have to endure idiotic responces by those that do not care enough to
>even respond on topic?

Democracy at work here ladies and gentlemen!
Or rathere "their" version of Democracy.
You say what they want to hear and when they want it ... or its banned.

That is NOT what was said is it? why must you post such a clownish reply? ALL I said was " on topic". I said NOTHING about posting what the author wanted to hear!

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