PERSONAL ASSAULTS

My editor and I banter from time to time on some of my writing and my tactics.  She has given me subtle, constructive criticism and sometimes not so subtle, concerning my enthusiastic and robust commentaries about issues.  Her criticisms concern my personal attacks on those that would take my freedom.

When I make a personal attack or remark about a person and his issues, I am motivated to do this on many levels.  What are the reasons that we like or dislike someone?  What attracts us to people or repels us from them?  I think for the most part we all would agree that it is their outlook on things.  We typically do not associate with people that entertain ideologies far removed from our own.

I also use my “attacks” as a heads-up for the person saying things that expose his ideologies that are so far removed from my own.  When this person sees his name in print, he will read what I wrote.  He may hate what I write and may hate me for writing it, but he will read it.  While he is fuming and hating me, there may be one word or statement that I wrote that sticks in his head.  In a few days, weeks, months or years he may come to challenge himself on the way he feels because of what I wrote, or he may just continue to hate me.  But what have I lost?  This person may say, “I hate that guy and I will never agree with anything he says.”  That person probably will never agree with anything that anyone says that is contrary to his beliefs anyway.  But on the other hand, someday I may be thanked for opening up the person to a new perspective.

In this day of political correctness, I find too much caution.  People become fearful of saying what they mean.  Our country fights an open-ended war on terrorism that challenges my freedom.  I will speak out against that, but more important is my stance on the way the war is being fought directly against those that would attack us.  We play by politically correct rules where foreign combatants are concerned while removing our politically correct Constitution from the play book when it comes to our citizens.  Our government can expect to win neither war, because our enemies do not play from the same book, and our citizens will eventually say enough.

Through this entire little tirade my point is this; I do not play by the book.  When you attack my freedom or the underlying principles of my freedoms, don’t expect courtesy.  You may hate me, and that is okay, because, if I have “attacked” you, I obviously don’t like you either!