This morning, "Anonymous" left a comment under my post about Rev. Haggard. I'm going to post it here, along with my reply. The comment isn't specific to the Rev. Haggard post, and I'd like to respond in a more prominent way. The comment provides the opportunity to highlight a theme that I hope will become increasingly clear as this blog grows: If you see things as black and white, you've still got a lotta livin' to do -- literally or figuratively -- no matter how old you are.
Anonymous posted the following at 10:54 AM:
Let's see. Based on this and your other posts, I conclude you are a Leftist who buys the "party" line 100 percent. Are you even capable of independent thinking? What's the point of being you if you never know who YOU really are and what YOU really believe, if you just swallow what every Leftist toady accepts and repeats without ever checking opinions that differ from those of the unthinking Left? Have a nice day.
Dear Anonymous:
Hey, thanks for reading my stuff! I love blogging. I love the debate and free exchange of ideas. It's really funny that I was listening to Limbaugh when I got your post. He had just announced the surprising and sad news that Bo Schembechler died this morning. Did you hear his show today? I usually listen to conservative talk in the mornings, liberal talk in the afternoons, and I watch C-Span as often as I can, particularly on weekends when they cover a wide range of topics and all manner of political opinion. If you watch C-Span, I'm sure you appreciate how incredibly fortunate we are to have it.
I'm glad you took time to comment on my blog. I don't mean to dissappoint, but I'm moderate by just about any measure you can find. In terms of modern American politics, I don't qualify as truly liberal, let alone leftist.
You might be surprised to hear that I'm pro-life for the truly innocent, pro-death penality for those truly guilty of the certain offenses, and pro-war when it's truly justified. But I'm absolutely passionate about the Miracle at Philadelphia, about each person's God-given right to the best life they can possibly attain, and about each person's inescapable responsibility for their fellow humans and the good stewardship of our planet. I cannot sit idly by and watch the myopic rich and powerful run roughshod over others. I cannot sit by and watch politicians behave with wanton disregard for the law and Constitution and their profound responsibility to govern with integrity for the common good. (OK, in the strictest classical sense, I could be considered liberal, because I believe that "all [people] are created equal.") Nor can I accept the God-usurping dogma and hatred of fundamentalist fanatics, be they Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or otherwise. Unlike George Bush, I do think about Osama Bin Laden, not an isolated blow-hard dictator, but a proven, capable, and influential mass murderer who desires the absolute destruction of all people and governments not subservient to his brand of fundamentalism. If all that sounds leftist, then it just goes to show how insane our culture has become. (Apparently you haven't heard what honest-to-gosh leftists are saying about all this. Ahhhh, but that's a topic for another day.)
In closing, I ask you the very questions you posed to me. I sincerely hope you are not doing the things you claim I've done--not thinking, buying the party line, being a "toady"-or a dittohead. You see, being pro-gay rights and "anti-Bush" does not a leftist make. The world is a complex place. Pay very close attention to its complexity while you are still young. If you do, I guarantee you'll be very surprised at what you learn, and it will serve you well. It's only your future, the quality of your life, and the future of this world that are at stake.
Oh, and thanks, I did have a nice day--actually, a great day. You do the same!
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