What's Really Important Answering Brad Jenks -- Sigh
And what did your Nov. 15 letter, responding to my Nov. 13 letter, accomplish Brad, except to further divide and separate people. You are exactly the type of person my letter was hoping to address.
No doubt upon first seeing my letter you went into a minor outrage because that liberal idiot had been given the space to say something. You just knew you’d have to respond and set things straight. That even took precedence over actually paying attention to what I was really saying, didn’t it? You just had to assume it was a partisan rant because you started projecting. You felt obligated to answer immediately, to set everyone straight, and protect everyone from another liberal rant.
Instead of agreeing extreme partisanship is tearing the nation apart, resulting in a dysfunctional government, something just about everyone has caught on to by now, and helping me to try to heal the political rift by finding reasons to bring people together again, you instead had to attack the messenger, ignoring the message. You didn’t really address what I was saying. You filled in your own blanks based on your own extreme brand of partisanship. Your very need to so quickly answer me reflects your intense partisanship. Your letter was inaccurate on almost every point, especially concerning my motivations. And I certainly never called you a liar; it was you that had called blankfort that.
The Post readers know I’m a partisan, and didn’t need you to point that out. That fact should have lent some credence to my message. My letter criticized both sides; it stated distaste for what the present Administration and Congress (all sides) are doing and not doing. It was asking everyone to realize how we are enabling that by fighting each other instead of demanding the government pay attention to business, not politics. You don’t seem to “get” that criticizing the government is something we are obligated to do according to Thomas Jefferson, and does not automatically reflect partisanship. People on all sides are presently speaking out about the travesties in our government, as well they should.
I was very gratified that perhaps Mr. Jim Qualls and myself might find some common ground in the coming days. I wonder if eventually the same might be said of you and I? Perhaps then, the nation might survive.
Comments
Stephen, this blog is a good thing because it is an attempt to reach out in a calm and conciliatory manner to someone who seems unable to do that himself. Perhaps he will "get" it if he will take the time to read your words and really think about it instead of just giving another knee jerk response to what he hears instead of what you are saying. Nice job.
Posted by: trish | November 29, 2007 08:58 PM