With my apologies to the Moderators;
The quotes by me in the posts above were made on June 17th, and I thought we had moved on. I was absent from the Forum for about five days as I had a heart attack on June 27th. So believe me when I tell you that stress is the last thing I need in my life at this point, and as such I have taken many deep breathes, and a nap, before diving back into this...
I am a newer member of this forum, and while I can appreciate the idea that politics is not allowed, how can you have a thread on this subject without it becoming political? These are the times in which we live, and frankly always have.
I believe that to a great degree, the biggest problem we face here in the United States is that we cannot have honest, intellectual dialogs between opposing groups. We tend to retreat to our respective corners and hurl invectives at one another. When I was younger, I watched my Fathers generation argue with my Grandfathers generation over Watergate. While these conversations were heated, they were civil, and when they were over everyone was still talking to each other.
I have never directly called another member a name, nor ascribed a negative trait to a member. I personally believe such name calling and labeling is a sign than the member cannot defend their position intellectually. I don't want to retreat to my corner, I want you to convince me my thinking on the subject needs some fine tuning or perhaps a complete re-think. I do not believe I have a monopoly on good ideas.
This requires that all of us are at least respectful to other members, regardless of how their comments may make our blood boil. It also requires that we take into account those things that others find offensive, and avoid them if possible, and when necessary.
Highest Regards,
Kim Neelley