"YOu on the right. That's you. You sick demented psychopaths...That's you"
"...take no responsibility for the current problems of the world. That's you!"
"And it's obvious you have never learned of the effects of a nuclear blast"
"Just also remember Robert being a conservative puts you in the same bed as Rush, O'Reilly etc. whether you agree with them or not."
Over the past year, Erik Weinberger and I have engaged in numerous debates. In this time, I've been directly called "demented", a "psychopath" and indirectly called ignorant. Erik, on numerous occasions has called me a "Republican" even though I've repeatedly told him I'm an Independent. So, that's even more disrespect. I soaked all this in. I didn't like it but I figured Erik was just lashing out his anger. Anyone who reads Erik's blog or the comments he has put on mine will realize that Erik holds a lot of hostility. Erik places the bulk of his anger conveniently on right-wingers, of whom, he obviously hates. I'm not a psychologist so my assessment ends here.
Yes, I took the abuse and I'm proud to say that I did not reciprocate. I looked at all my comments and postings and I can honestly say I never called Erik names or drew conclusions about him simply because of his political views. The most I ever did was call Erik childish, only because he was. Erik also accuses me of getting offended by his political views. I never have. I will take issue however, when he attacks me personally.
"It's funny how it's ok if you are a conservative how it's ok for you to be openly racist AS THEY ALL ARE"
I drew the line here. Now, I'm a racist? According to this remark, not only am I a racist, but so are many members of my family, many of my friends, and many people whom I've never met but have great respect for. When I got angry for this and asked for an apology, Erik said I have sour grapes and also said the following:
"I'm not apologizing for stating facts for what your party and your views stand for and that's what they stand for."
He not only indirectly calls me a Republican again, he reaffirms his earlier statement.
"I will not apologize for calling conservatives racists WHEN THEY ARE"
This was his own response on his own blog. So, not only does Erik not apologize for calling me (a long-time acquaintance and someone I believed was my friend), a racist, he has repeated the accusation twice.
This is a blow I am not going to sit and take. Calling someone racist, in my mind, is very serious. I take personal responsibility and strive for fairness at all times. I know too many good people who are not racists to let this slide.
Of course, the irony really is that Erik tagged an entire group of people with a negative label. That's the very basis of racism - applying a belief on an entire group of people based on what one perceives in one or a few. Erik's statement doesn't apply to people of a different skin color than his, but the principle is still there.
I am angry. His accusations are uncalled for and have no basis, whatsoever. I have deleted the link to his blog. I will no longer contribute to his site. If any readers want to see his narrow-minded blog, just click on his name in any of his comments. I just will not openly endorse him. This isn't about freedom of speech. I am not censoring anybody but I am attempting to clear my name.
And Erik, if I am a racist, that doesn't say much for you. After all, we did hang around together all those years.
23 comments:
I always thought Erik was a little "off" but this is a peach.
I've heard this rhetoric before: conservatives are all racists. What rot! Only non-thinking dogma hounds swallow this swill. When someone tries to point out evidence of Erik's double-talk and blaten6t hypocracy, he goes in denial - EVEN WHEN THE EVIDENCE IS FROM HIS OWN BLOG!
I think, unlike my brother, I will ADD a link to Erik's blog to mine. Just to show my friends how ignorant and close-minded liberals can truely get.
I hope they all get a good laugh.
use the Third Reich, the big lie,” Inhofe said.
“The big lie,” is a propaganda technique Adolf Hitler attributed to Jews in his book Mein Kampf. It involves telling lies “so colossal” that no one would believe “others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.”
Inhofe added that every claim in An Inconvenient Truth “has been refuted scientifically.” He also admitted he’d never seen the movie.
UPDATE: Inhofe also compared An Inconvenient Truth to Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf.
Or it's ok for Steve Gil to generalize the left when he said (also on mediamaters) the left being willing to even align themselves with terrorists because, well, Bush is against the terrorists, so we must be with them
Or Bill O'Reilly to say You have a very big split in the Jewish-American community. You got a lot of Jewish liberals, a lot of Jewish far-left people, who basically feel that, you know, you don't have a right to go after terrorists because it's our fault, the United States' fault. And some say it's Israel's fault because we've been mean to them, therefore they have a right to do whatever they want -- behead people on camera, all this terrible stuff. OK? That's a far-left position.
Ann Coulter can generalize about liberals by saying like she did on the 700 Club "I think I would have noticed if somebody called me godless. But I really haven't heard people protest about that. No, they're upset about what I say about the Jersey Girls. But, oh, yeah, OK, we're all godless. So I think we all are on record now, officially liberals have admitted they are godless and don't even mind it. Maybe they are saying who-less. And as for their attempts to win believers over, they know they need the votes of Christians and you always hear them talking about how, "Gosh, how do we get the believer vote?" The way to do that I think is to be a believer and not to keep trying to fake a belief in God." Courtesy of media maters.
So it's ok for the right to do what you are saying I do? It's ok for the right to say whatever they want about liberals but if I do the same thing about conservatives I'm the bad guy. You really are a hipocrite on top of everything huh?
And Robert if you are angry how do you think I FEEL when I hear that BS every day from the right wing media? You don't like it when it's on the other foot and my website is my only outlet since the right-wingers won't let speak on their shows. Just remember that.
How do you think I feel, as a jewish person, being called a nazi by someone who wouldn't know a thing about the holocaust? How do you think I feel being told I don't believe in anything by someone who doesn't even go to the church she claims? You don't like it pal you get used to me being mean to your side cause the more they insult me for what I think the worse I'm going to get.
...And how do you think I feel when someone whom I called a friend calls me a racist?
If you had said "it seems that many of the right-wing politicians and pundits I hear and read are racist." I might disagree but I would also understand that you are voicing an opinion.
Using words like "every", "all", "always", and "never" as often as you do indicates that you are an extremist. You have free speech but with free speech comes responsibility, especially when you say it publicly.
"It's funny how it's ok if you are a conservative how it's ok for you to be openly racist AS THEY ALL ARE"
That is an utterly irresponsible statement.
Going to your comments about Ann Coulter (boy, is this becoming a dead horse),
According to Robert I can't generalize about conservatives but it's ok with Robert that enemies of the people like Ann Coulter can generalize about liberals by saying like she did on the 700 Club "I think I would have noticed if somebody called me godless. But I really haven't heard people protest about that. No, they're upset about what I say about the Jersey Girls..."
I've already stated this but it doesn't seem to be getting through to you:
I don't agree with Ann Coulter!
I don't agree with Ann Coulter!
I don't agree with Ann Coulter!
I don't agree with Ann Coulter!
I don't agree with Ann Coulter!
I don't agree with Ann Coulter!
Is this any clearer now? The reason I wrote that article was not because I am a fan of hers, it was to point out the unfair and biased way she has been treated by the media. I am stating an opinion. I explain why I have this opinion in the paragraph concerning the MSNBC interview.
You are welcome to disagree with me about this, but stop publicly insinuating that I support Ann Coulter.
You are the one who said ANN COULTER IS SATIRE. SO you do agree with her because you are in DENIAL (like all right-wingers) about the hate she speaks.
And remember you are the one ending my friendship for me using the same tactic your side uses. You are the immature one.
And you still haven't said how it's not ok for your side to do exactly what I did.
It was foolish to attempt to reason with you. I should have known better.
It's funny how I've given you a forum on my website. Even though I disagreed with you and what you said, never once deleted any comments you made allowed you to state what you think and never said you aren't entitled to it no matter what I thought of it. Also if I recall you started this website after going to mine regularly. Now yet again you are dodging my points about talking heads of what conservatives think. And I'm sorry The Coulters the O'Reilys the Limbaughs the Hannity's are the main representatives of your party. You are also the one who claims is an independent and what I said refers to conservatives. As usual it's double talk coming from you. I'm sorry you are ending our friendship I really am but unfortunately I can't control your feelings. 13 years is a long time but you are putting things before it.
You know here's what I find odd Robert. First you are supposed to be an independent as you claimed yet this sets you off. You still never condemned the many examples of how the right-wing generalizes the left but you are ending 13 years or so of friendship because I'm doing as has been done to me. As a conservative, you are represented by Hannity,O'Reilly,Coulter,Limbaugh,Savage,Fox News, MSNBC so many others. These are what you represent as a conservative. Also keep in mind I never said you were a racist but as a conservative they have racist views. Also keep in mind two other things: One is you would not have started this website had you not gone to mine and two I ALWAYS let you post on my website no matter how I felt about what you had to say. I disagreed with most of it but always no matter what respected your opinion and your right to state it. The only thing I'm sorry about is you are ending our friendship but I guess I can't change your feelings.
If this posted twice I'm sorry I had problems with this..
I never deleted any comment of your's either.
It seems obvious that you don't read everything I write so:
"The Coulters the O'Reilys the Limbaughs the Hannity's are the main representatives of your party."
I am not a Republican.
I am not a Republican.
I am not a Republican.
I am not a Republican.
I am not a Republican.
I am not a Republican.
I am not a Republican.
You keep telling me why you think certain individuals, who happen to call themselves conservative, are racist.
I can quote many liberals who have said things that I would consider racist. But I will never make a statement claiming all liberals are racist.
Going back to Coulter. She pointed out something that is really poignant here. She calls all liberals "Godless" and is ducks her head for cover from all the flak she expected from that. It was a blatantly grossly over-generalized statement and she knew it. Instead, liberals, by and large, ignored that claim and chose to blast her on the widows remark. What's funny is that she was referring to 4 and only 4 individuals. Yet, the liberals turn that into something like "Coulter claims all 9/11 widows are enjoying their husband's deaths."
This is exactly what we have here, you, a liberal, make a claim about every conservative. I don't know how I can explain any more than I had about how wrong you were to make such a remark. I can just put you to this test. Can you quote anything I have ever said in my blog, your blog, or to you personally that you would consider racist?
You are a conservative they represent your views. As I said I never said YOU were a racist BUT conservatives are. I've by far proven that point by saying what CONSERVATIVE talking heads say on the radio and tv and what the CONSERVATIVE congress and what the CONSERVATIVE SENATE and what the CONSERVATIVE President has done by their actions. I have given so many examples of this it isn't funny. Now you are putting yourself in with them by being how you are right now and you have still never denied any example I have given. I know we are both to stubborn to change each others minds but the only one who is not listening to reason here is you. You are the one who is blowing this out of proportion YOU are the one who is ending our friendship this is all on you. You are the one making this choice. As for me I wish you and I will be friends forever but if it's not to be it's not to be. You are being completely unreasonable and not really listening to what I'm saying. So be it.
Fine. I'm getting sick of writing about this, anyways.
And one last thing if you are as you claim an independent why are you upset when I said nothing about independents?
First my sister tells me to F'off now you. Thanks for nothing.
YOu and Michelle have a wonderful life together and if you ever decide to get over whatever bug you have up your a$$ I'm around to talk but until then take care.
I never said to "F" off. All I asked for was an apology - not an apology for your views, but an apology for overstating a point where you unfairly are too inclusive of your attacks.
Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity, O'Reilly, etc. I rarely care about what these people say. They don't speak for me. Most conservatives I know don't listen to them. I actually wonder if the primary people who pay attention to them are liberals, like yourself, who use their rhetoric to apply to all people who call themselves consevative.
It's similar to how people like Jesse Jackson are called "black leaders". Black people were polled and only a small percentage considered him to be their "leader". Yet, the media insists on calling Jackson a "black leader".
Trust me Erik, I can confidently say that racism is nowhere to be found in the conservative's creed. I would know more about this than yourself.
If you value our friendship, you will understand that you offended me deeply and show me some respect by apologizing. Again, not for your viewpoints (unless you really do think that I, and every single human being who calls themself "consevative" is racist), but for making too general a statement.
If you don't want to apologize, I wish you well, anyways. I would advise you to stay away from words like "all", "every", "always", and "never". These are the most dangerous words in the English language and your going to get in trouble by using them.
Again I'm not apologizing for having different views then you. I'm not apologizing for excercising my right to freedom of speech I'm sure not apologizing for not being a yes rebot like you apparently are. And yes you have told me to f off. Like I said when you wake up from whatever bug you have up your ass you see me. As I said I never talked about what you claimed you were (an independent) but if you wanna feel like you do I can't control it. The only thing I'm sorry for is you not seeing how stupid you are being throwing away 13 years of friendship over our different pollitical views but I should expect no less from what you think.
And if anyone who should apologize it's you who should apologize to me for disrespecting my views. For disrespecting my rights to free speech and for disrespecting my opinions
Post a Comment