Some of you may have noticed recent comments on some of my posts from Tod Eberle. Rather than reply to each of his comments, I'm going to post a general reply to his comments here.
Tod, you wrote, “And, I guess that you are appalled by me. However, I am not appalled by you, but rather by the level of intolerance.”
You are correct. I am appalled by you and I have become extremely intolerant of people who continue to support the Republican Party. You perhaps don't realize that I have developed these attitudes after decades of being what I consider to be extraordinarily tolerant and patient.
I was tolerant when Reagan campaigned with the phrase trickle-down economics and claimed it meant tax cuts would lead to greater investment in the people. I was tolerant until I realized I had been naïve and it had been a lie. The tax cuts were simply a gift to the wealthy.
I was tolerant when rather than working on governing the country as they were elected to do, the Republicans focused all their energy on impeaching Clinton because he had extramarital affairs and lied about them. Their hypocrisy becomes clear when you realize that 10-20% of people have affairs.
I was tolerant when the Republican Party gamed the system to steal the election from Al Gore and elect G. W. Bush, a barely competent failed baseball team owner.
I was tolerant when G.W. Bush ignored intelligence community briefings and arguably let 9/11 happen.
I was tolerant when G.W. Bush and his administration lied to the international community and started the war in Iraq.
I was tolerant when G.W. Bush squandered the greatest international support we’d seen in my life time.
I was tolerant when G.W. Bush passed the Patriot Act, created the Department of Homeland Security, and ushered in the surveillance state.
I was tolerant when G.W. Bush used torture in direct violation of international law and then imposed indeterminate length imprisonment without trial.
I was tolerant when rather than governing as he was elected to do the leader of the GOP vowed he would make Obama a one term President and did his best to stop him from passing any legislation.
I was tolerant when the GOP’s Supreme Court justices passed Citizens United so wealthy individuals could use money from their corporations to buy elections.
I was tolerant when the GOP would not hold hearings for the elected President’s Supreme Court nomination.
I was tolerant when the GOP again gamed the system and gerrymandered districts so they could win enough Electoral College votes to legally elect a man President even though he did not win the most citizens’ votes.
Perhaps most of all, I’ve been tolerant as the GOP impedes any progress on addressing climate change and at the same time say they want small government but spend 18% of our federal revenue on the defense department whose primary mission is to support the fossil fuel industry.
I was tolerant and patient through all that. I didn’t like it, but I did not say that the Republican Party was illegitimate or that people who supported it were traitorous. I think I might have been justified in saying that, but I was patient and tolerant.
But then, you’ve spent the last three and half years supporting an imbecile and idiot who has destroyed our international relations, rather than working to avert climate change catastrophe has actually dismantled environment protections, made racist and misogynistic attacks on the population, attacked the Constitution and the Press, fostered distrust of the government and science, and fucked up the nation’s response to the coronavirus so badly that we’ve already had over 150,000 deaths and will be lucky if we don’t have several hundred thousand more.
You’re damn right I’m intolerant. I think you and anyone who does not abhor and disavow any connection with the Republican Party is a traitor to the United States and humanity. I am unwilling to remain silent and tolerate any more.
And Tod, you said in a private message, “I only wish to share the concept that reasonable people can disagree in good faith, and that news broadcasters, in the quest for ratings, will recklessly gin up emotional rage. Please consider me an alternative, but not antagonistic, viewpoint.”
I have three responses:
1) I agree that reasonable people can disagree in good faith. However, as should now be clear, I do not think any reasonable person can accept or support Trump and the current Republican Party.
2) Some news broadcasters do in fact foment rage in pursuit of ratings. However, I believe this fact is irrelevant to the topic under discussion. The actions of the Republican Party throughout the last 40 years are fact. No news organization fomented my rage; the Republican Party did it all by themselves.
3) I do consider your viewpoint as antagonistic. As I said, I consider the Republican Party and its supporters as traitors. I do not believe you and they simply have an “alternate viewpoint”.
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