Reply #49: The life you lead and the nation you live in is worse with growing...

[originalpckelly]

discontent or anger. Are you really happy with Bush in power? I know I'm not, but the only way we can get people to respect our wishes and our choices is to respect theirs.

Respect is a kind of contract, you don't say things which piss them off, they do the same to you. Now you might say you are doing that by simply not talking to freepers, and it is true that indeed you can simply not call them names by not talking to or associating with them.

However, there are consequences for not talking to people:
1. You don't understand them, they don't understand you
2. They dehumanize you, you dehumanize them
3. The national debate, which even your informal conversations with freepers is a part of, ends when you do not talk to them.

You are not the only person on our side who refuses to talk with freepers. I am also willing to bet there are people on their side not willing to talk to us.

When everyone of opposing viewpoints stop talking to each other, the debate stops or is limited to a few people on cable TV shows and in Congress.

And if you watch those shows and/or ever watch Congress, the debate is very shallow. No one can really move the political dialog forward with a few minutes on a TV show, nor can members of the Congress, because they are usually the most partisan and petty of all politically oriented people, and they do not wish to really talk with each other; they are also all trying to get more power. That pretty much ends any real debate in America.

While it is possible that we may debate the issues in a civil manner, and STILL not come to solutions, I can guarantee you that it is absolutely impossible to create solutions when the debate doesn't even take place.

When they do not respect our will, I think you will agree that our lives haven't been as good as they could have been, right?

If they had treated our wishes with respect all of these years, we would probably be a little upset but we wouldn't be as angry as we are now.

What they have been doing to us is forcing their will upon us, and that is tyranny.

We could solve one of three ways: less of them, more of us, or we can get them to treat us with respect.

Here too, I cannot guarantee you they will treat us with respect if we treat them with respect, but I can guarantee they will never respect us so long as we disrespect them.