2 Comments about commenting on APOSTATE

Comment the First:

I just upgraded this Movable Type install, and comments might be broken -- for certain, the "comment from your LiveJournal account" ability is busted.  I ask for your patience in this.

Comment the Second:

This is as much for other areas I post in, as for here.  For the lay of the land, I turn to a recent post at Talk to Action, a space that combats the Religious Right:

Back in the 90s, for example, the DC PR shops told us that all we had to do was call everyone we didn't like "religious political extremists." They had focus-grouped this and other such phrases, had power point presentations and contracts with major interest groups and the Democratic Party. Problem solved! No one actually had to do (or pay for) the hard work of learning enough about the religious right to be able to make sound, fact-based judgements about what was important; what was not; how to make an effective argument; or develop effective means of communicating it.

I think recent history has born us out, as the Democratic Party has had to scramble to recover from the widely held perception that the party was unfriendly, if not actually hostile to people of faith. This perception was partly due to many years of pounding unfair characterizations of the party by the Religious Right and their allies in the GOP. But it was also created by this particularly counter-productive response from the party and related interest groups.

Knowing the difference between bigotry and fair criticism is an integral part of the task of contending with the religious right.

What does this mean?   I work my tail off to make commentary that's informed by my experiences and study, by careful observations and thinking outside the box on the critical issues of the day.  I do expect to be countered, encourage it in fact.  I do expect people to challenge my assumptions, and to make me think through every aspect of what I say and do, here.

And when you do so, you bring some damned facts, or at least informed opinions.

As we grow in numbers here, as people add their voice, I will be diligent in not only what I say, but in allowances as to what others say.  If you can't string together something that brings light to the discussion, expect it to be snipped like an enunch.