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Friday, March 09, 2007

Random

I went to see 300 with my wife today. It was beautiful, heartening, exciting, and tragic. Yet, at the end of the day it is not this spectacular movie that truly sticks out in my mind.

It is what happened after the movie.

While walking out I noticed someone abandon a video game he was playing. I took over as he walked out of the building. My wife was tolerant of my indulgence as I played. It was not long before a young man stepped out of the bathroom nearby and approached me. From his facial features and body I rightly guessed him to have Down Syndrome.

He tapped on my hand and sort of moaned at me. I thought maybe he wanted to play the game, so I offered it to him. Instead of taking over the game he tapped my hand again, moaned, and picked up the corner of his coat and showed it to me. Not understanding him I offered him the game again and told I did not understand him.

He repeated his sounds and gestures again. I held my hands up helplessly, unable to understand the sounds he was making.

I am still unsure what he wanted from me, but after thinking it over for several minutes after he walked away I came to the conclusion that he probably just wanted help zipping up his coat. I am saddened that I did not figure even this simple solution out before he gave up to seek help from someone else.

My heart aches for the plight of this young man. Unable to communicate effectively with the majority of us, reduced to vague sounds and gestures to communicate his every need. And equally so I ache for him because people like me are unable to truly understand him and meet his simple needs.

I finished my game, and as I turned to leave I realized what he may have been trying to tell me. Instead of simply leaving I went in the direction he did when he left me to see if he was still around and in need of help. I did not see him, and it is my hope that someone understood him and took care of his needs. I left then to go about my business, and still his face haunts me. That simple, innocent face of a young man in need but unable to tell me how to help him, and of my own inability understand him and help him.

There are those who consider such people to be unworthy of our help. These pitiless, dark souls have no place in a compassionate society such ours. They would see people disabled in this way tucked away, killed before birth, or simply abandoned. These, the least of us all deserve better than that. They deserve our compassion, our mercy, and our help however and whenever we can give it.

I do not think highly of social welfare programs for the able. I think that if you are able to work you should work, and if you will not work you should be allowed to wallow in poverty and hunger until you choose to work. It serves no one to allow the able to be lazy leeches on our compassion. However, people like this young man deserve all of the help we can give them. They are the unable, the ones social welfare should protect from cold, hunger, and nakedness. They are the ones the rest of us should spend time with from time to time to show them that they are not outcasts, but welcome members of our society and our families.

I say all of this not merely as an American. Belonging to a nation does not automatically create a compassionate heart in a man. I say it first and foremost as a Christian. One whose heart was turned this way by God Himself, and not by anything I learned in school, books, or television. One time long ago I was one of those who I now speak of with disdain. I was one who had no mercy in his heart for the least of us. It was the mercy of Jesus that changed my heart and gave me the compassion that drives me to write this tonight.

In the eyes of God the least of us are the most precious among us. It is they who keep an innocence the rest of lose at every earlier ages. These are the ones who remain blameless before the Lord simply because they cannot know any better. It is the rest of us who have filth souls that deserve the damnation of Hell and have no hope without Jesus.

These innocents are blessed in a way most of cannot appreciate. They are our very best because they show us what innocence is like. They show us what it is like to live with purity of purpose even when we err. They show us how to be happy with the simple things in life, and they openly express feelings most of us hide for the sake of appearances.

The least in this world shall be the greatest in the next. Any man who misguides an innocent is deserving of some of the greatest judgments of God Himself. Yes, these people deserve out mercy. Yes, one day they will be greater than most of us in Heaven. This is right. But for now, guard them, help them, and treasure them for what they are now.

21 Comments:

  • "I say all of this not merely as an American. Belonging to a nation does not automatically create a compassionate heart in a man. I say it first and foremost as a Christian."

    "next retarded, uniformed falsehood please!"

    Bravo, Sir. Bravo.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:01 AM  

  • Here is where the cynicism of the left rears its head. I never ue the word "retarded" to describe the mentally disabled. I do use it to insult fully functional persons who are behaving in a way they should know better than to act, including when they tell outright lies and expect people to believe them.

    Of course, our anonomys leftie here cares nothing about the fact that every time I sepeak of the disabled it is with respect, love, and compassion. He has nothing good to say about standing up for the disabled. He has nothing to say in support of caring for the disabled. He has nothing at all to say to say in favor of the disabled.

    All he has is a guttersnipe where he applies a standard cultural insult thrown at a liar and tries to use it to degrade me for standing up for the disabled.

    Bravo leftie, bravo. Thank you for showing us all where your heart truly lies. You care nothing for the disabled. you only care about trying to make Christians look bad while ignoring the fact that Christians are the most compassionate people on the planet and do more good work for the disabled and the downtrodden than any other group on the planet. Bravo for demonstrating how your ilk lack compassion. Bravo for proving that the hard hearted, soulless people I described who have no compassion for the disabled not only exist, but are vocal, cynical, and reprehensible.

    Try saying or doing something constructive leftie. wait . . . never mind. If you were constructive instead of destructive you wouldn't be a leftie who is unable to do so much as agree that the disabled deserve compassion. Thank Gos not all lefties are as heartless as you are. I hope the good, misguided ones see people like you and turn to the right out of sheer moral outrage.

    I swear, some people just have nothing good to contribute. No wonder people like me have to fight so hard for what is right in the world.

    By Blogger Daniel Levesque, at 7:04 PM  

  • Of course, our anonomys leftie here cares nothing about the fact that every time I sepeak of the disabled it is with respect, love, and compassion.
    Except when using their condition as an insult against those you do not like.

    This is no different than calling someone a "faggot", "nigger", or any other distasteful slur. It takes a group of people that a person has no respect for and turns them into a curse word.

    You use the slur, "leftie", because you have no respect for the left of the country. You push everything distasteful in politics and society into that slur, and you sling it at people who are different than you. Us vs. Them.
    A leftie hates the military, wants to kill babies, wants to take away your guns, believes that animal rights are more important than human rights, and wants to shut down all big business through Global Warming legislation. I get all that right? There are a thousand and one other things that I'm sure you see the left as, and I'm sure you can give an example for every one. But that isn't the left, it's just some silly notion of what you want us to be.

    Try saying or doing something constructive leftie. wait . . . never mind.
    All of this is constructive! I'm making you aware of your insults and the effect they might have on those you abuse. Can the mentally handicap read at all? And if they read your comment that so-and-so is a retard? I'm sure they will understand. I'm sure they will see past the snide barb and grasp your love and respect.
    Half the time you can't even see it for yourself, and the other half you don't care.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:25 PM  

  • I'll have to agree with the aptly named, Sir Anonymous. To use the word, "retarded" as an insult is to suggest there's something wrong with being retarded.

    My dear friends with children with Down Syndrome and other disorders would and do find it offensive. As do I.

    Another man's opinion.

    By Blogger Dan Trabue, at 2:18 AM  

  • "This is no different than calling someone a "faggot", "nigger", or any other distasteful slur."

    Wrong. The way I used it has been, and remians a proper cultural insult. As such I never use it to describe the mentally disabled.

    "You use the slur, "leftie", because you have no respect for the left of the country. You push everything distasteful in politics and society into that slur, and you sling it at people who are different than you."

    I use it because it is accurate. And I used it on you because you prefer personal attacks to supporting the disabled. As for yuor listle list of what the leaft stands for that I find reprehensible, It does describe the lefties and it makes them moraly warped. You are so morally warped that you find cause to pick a fight even in a posting that you should, theoreticaly, be in favor of. This is proof of a lack of compassion on the left. Chew on that leftie.

    "All of this is constructive!"

    You have an intersting take on constructive, and it falls directly in line with the shenanigans of the left that drove me to the right years ago. I do not see construcive behavior on teh left. Al I see is politics of personal destuction in place of actually doing anything good. I see personal attacks used in place of cogent arguments about the issues at hand. I see hyppocrisy on a level that stuns me even for politics. You come here and start doing the same thing in response to a post about caring fo rthe disabled and you prove yourself to be part of this useless problem . . . leftie.

    Dan T,

    "I'll have to agree with the aptly named, Sir Anonymous. To use the word, "retarded" as an insult is to suggest there's something wrong with being retarded."

    Of course you do. It was you I threw that at for presenting lies as fact. You should know better than that.

    And you both are demonstrating a complete lack of basic vocabulary here. From Webster's Dictionary:
    Retard- To make slow or late, keep back, impede development. Retarded - underdeveloped.

    Dan T's arguments when I used that insult fit the parts "underdeveloped" and "impede development" pefectly. This is why I used retarded to describe to his aguments. He presented lies, which means that he either didn;t bother to develop his knowledge, or that he knew better and still told them, which is actually far worse that the first.

    I love the way the "sensitve" left chooses to ignore proper use of the English language in order to create a false moral outrage. No wonder so many people are still being driven to the right you batch of hyppocritial, destructive, selfish, morally retarded, fascists!

    By Blogger Daniel Levesque, at 8:46 AM  

  • Wrong. The way I used it has been, and remians a proper cultural insult.

    I'm not sure what culture you belong to, Daniel. However, that's very kind of you not to throw it at those who are disabled. You also might want to keep from using it in their presence. You know, behind their backs, where such language belongs, from someone who has so much respect for such people.

    Addressing the 'leftie' issue:
    I use it because it is accurate. And I used it on you because you prefer personal attacks to supporting the disabled.

    Is this the only forum for supporting the disabled? I don't stand with those who contradict their own beliefs, and I don't stand with you. I have other avenues in which to support the disabled - respectable avenues.

    As for yuor listle list of what the leaft stands for that I find reprehensible, It does describe the lefties and it makes them moraly warped.

    Thank you for agreeing with my list. Now please allow me to counter.

    A leftie hates the military
    My roommate is an Iraqi war veteran, and I can't say that I hate him. I support the troops in Iraq and the job they are doing, and yet still wish that we had never gone to Iraq. I do, however, believe that we need to finish the job there and to support them financially with whatever is needed.
    Score 1 for me not being a leftie.

    wants to kill babies
    I only support abortion when the mothers life is in danger, and then I believe it should be left to her whether to continue with the pregnancy or not. No person should be forced to give their life for another, it should be a choice.
    Score .5 points, since I am not fully against it?

    wants to take away your guns
    Not at all. I would like to see a gun in every household. I believe it would be a fine deterrent. The gun laws of Washington DC disgust me.
    Score 1 point?

    believes that animal rights are more important than human rights
    No. Period. I love my pets, but people are more important. Animal testing is a necessity in drug research - I know, I deal with it.
    Score 1 point?

    and wants to shut down all big business through Global Warming legislation.
    I believe an economic and environmentally friendly balance can be struck. One that does not cripple our ability to thrive in both areas at the same time. I enjoy clean air and water, and hope my children will too some day.
    0 Points? I must be a lunatic environmentalist.

    Am I a terrible, horrible leftie? Of course I am, because I don't agree with you 100%, so what else can I be? You, on the other hand, are an extremist, while I fit the model of a moderate. I have a mind to change, I have the pick of both sides for what I believe. You disgust me, you divider, you hate filled boy. Grow up.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:38 PM  

  • "you both are demonstrating a complete lack of basic vocabulary here."

    And you appear to be demonstrating a complete lack of basic understanding of our culture. Do you personally know any mentally disabled people and their families? Ask them if they think it a positive thing to refer to people as "retarded."

    Ask ten such families. Get the blessing of nine out of ten of them and I'll back off.

    Of course, you are free to say any legal thing you want and I wouldn't demand that you lose the freedom. I'm just telling you the reality that using that word is offensive, at least to my loved ones who are mentally disabled or who have mentally disabled people in their family.

    http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/002348.php

    By Blogger Dan Trabue, at 3:05 AM  

  • "I'm not sure what culture you belong to, Daniel."

    AMERICAN culture moron.

    "You also might want to keep from using it in their presence. You know, behind their backs, where such language belongs, from someone who has so much respect for such people."

    Have you ever used the word retard to describe someone around teh mentally disabled? I have. Let explain what happens since you live in lala land and apparently have no concept of reality.

    They laugh at the person being called a retard because they think it is funny to see a "normal" person described that way. At least, that has been my experience. I am sure it is not universal.

    "I don't stand with those who contradict their own beliefs, and I don't stand with you."

    Since I do not contradict myself then you should not be picking stupid fights here.

    The REAL reason you are behaving this way here is bnecause you hate Christians first, and the disabled second. You hate that a someone is stating that Christianity is responsible for turning him from being like you and making him actually care about people. YOu hate Christianity because it sets rules and standards for behavior that you do not want to follow, and because it sets punishments for breaking these rules. You hate that Christians claim a higher moral authority than you can claim. So when a Christian comes out and does something good you reflexively look for ways to marginalize that Christian so you can feel better about yourself.

    Your entire set of responses here is motivated by hate.

    As for your list, allow me to put in the big things. understand that not all lefties will stand for everything on that list.

    A leftie defends abortion, even the most egregious and unneccessary forms of abortion in order to "protect the right of the woman to choose", or to "ensure that women have abortions available to them as a lifesaving procedure". In thier zeal they do not discrimiinate when they should.

    A lefie believes in globalism.

    A leftie that an environmentall y freindly balance in uman activty requires steps that are not scientifically sound.

    A leftie believes global warming is manmade and ignores the evidence tothe contrary.

    A leftie practices the politics of personal destrcution because he/she loses on the actual issues.

    A leftie lies about his beliefs in order to make himself not look like a leftie when he is confronted.

    A leftie typically believs socialism is a good thing.

    A leftie suports homosexual marriage.

    A leftie claims to support the tropps while he works to undermine the actual mission the troops are on.

    Lefties ignore the facts so they can avoid having to change their views.

    Lefties deny it, but they are fascists.

    Lefties support the ACLU.

    Lefties hat tradidtional Christianity.

    Interestingly, all the anti-semites that I know of are lefties.

    And the list goes on.

    you don't need to have everything on the list, including what I did not list for time to be a leftie. You just have fit enough, and some of them are so bad and contrary to American society that it only takes one.

    "You disgust me, you divider, you hate filled boy. Grow up."

    Coming from one who hates Christians a much as you I take that as a complement. You are the one who brought divisiveness here, to a post that only a hate-filled divider possibly could. You have a problem, morally, mentally, or both. Grow up child. There is a real world for you to be in, and it has no place for the hate, hypocrisy, and deciet you have shown.

    I find in infinitely interesting that you have not simply said that you do not hate Christians or the disabled yet here despite my repeated accusations that you do. Instead, you take offense at being called a leftie, as if that is worse than bigotry and hatred against Christians and teh disabled. It proves me right on every count leftie.

    However, I shall give you an out from being called leftie. Use an identification that is not anonymous. As long as you remain anonymous the only name I have for you is leftie.

    Dan T,

    " Do you personally know any mentally disabled people and their families? Ask them if they think it a positive thing to refer to people as "retarded."

    Yes I do, and nobody, including me thinks it is a positive thing to call people retarded. that is why it is an insult. That is why I used it to insult you. However, it comes nowhere remotely close to the racial and sexual epithets that leftie described.

    You should know that the families are a mixed bag, and the fully functional family members are infinitely more sensitive to the use of the word retarded than the diabled family member.

    "I'm just telling you the reality that using that word is offensive"

    All insults are offensive. if they were not they would not be insults.

    Tell me, what is your take on the mentally disabled calling someone retarded? I only because because I have seen it happen.

    CLUE: if you say it is okay you are a hypocrite. I oppsoe the use of racial epithets no matter who says them because they bespeak hatred. I don't care who uses the word retarded as long as it used properly either as a description of development, or as an insult thrown at a normally developed person who is behaving below standards. Everyone I personally know has used retarded in these fashions, and also been called retarded at one point or another. On the other hand, I only know 2 people who use the "n" word, and one is a member of the KkK who I stopped having contact with many years ago, and the other is a very old man who suffered a massive, lifeliong head injury during the time when that word was still common and is unable to grasp that it is not the proper word to use to describe black people.

    And the fact that you are chiming in on the side of our hateful, dicisive, and anonymous leftie is unsurprising. I was wondering why somone who claims to be surrounded by the diabled like you do had nothing to say. It seems it takes an argument for you to speak up, and have come out on the side of personal attacks motivated by hatred of the religion you claim.

    I wish I could say I was dissapointed, but I expectd it.

    By Blogger Daniel Levesque, at 8:55 AM  

  • Dan T -
    Ever feel like we just stepped into the ring with an unarmed sock puppet? Pointless to argue with this guy, he actually believes he is right.

    - Sir Anonymous (a.k.a. The Apparent Leftie)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:14 AM  

  • "The REAL reason you are behaving this way here is bnecause you hate Christians first, and the disabled secon"

    "And the fact that you are chiming in on the side of our hateful, dicisive, and anonymous leftie is unsurprising... and have come out on the side of personal attacks motivated by hatred of the religion you claim."

    I've not read anything by anonymous that indicated a hatred of Christianity, or that sounded hateful in any sense, as far as that goes.

    He (she?) mocked your use of the term "retarded" in what I believe the majority of folk in our culture consider offensive context. He also correctly pointed out that the Left that you so revile does not, for the most part, exist in reality.

    I AM pleased that you are concerned for those with disabilities. That's why I (and, it appears, anonymous) were appalled to see someone who cares for the disabled to use their condition as epithet.

    As to your question, No, I don't think it okay for a person from any given group to use offensive slurs to refer to themselves. But neither do I think it the same as someone from outside the group calling them the same name.

    Context matters a great deal.

    By Blogger Dan Trabue, at 10:45 AM  

  • Leftie,

    Since I have given you an opportunity to chose and identification other than leftie and you have chosen not to take it I can deduce the following:

    You are a leftie after all.

    You do not want to be identified because you are afraid that having an ID will allow people to recognize you when you come back and speak more hatered. You want the safety of anominity. This makes you a coward as well as a guttersnipe.

    Since you devoted so much time to the issue of being called a leftie I can deduce the following:

    You are fragile. You enjoy sniping at people, but can't take it when people fire back you leftie guttersnipe. This is one of the hallmarks of leftism.

    You enjoy the negative attention even though your little feelings are hurt by it.

    Also, you behavior here has revealed something very important to the observant. You don't actually believe anyhting you said about the use of the word retarded to insult somone being equal to a racial slur. You are simply using it as a tool to try to marginalize with whom you disagree. False outrage not only makes you a liar, it makes you a joke.

    Finally, I AM right. You know as well as anyone that calling someone a retard is a common occurence when people want to insult someone's intelligence. I would bet money that you have personally done the same thing many times. This makes your pretend outrage not only a lie, but hyppocritical. The fact that you actually have the balls to pretend you don't know this puts you in a league of (bad) liars that will ay anything to get what they want.

    You are a joke. Next time you decide to attack someone make sure they really are a sock puppet and not someone who is informed, insightful, educated on the issues and on psychology, and ready to take people like you on anytime.

    Take you hatred of Christians somewhere else. Pretend outrage being used to try to marginalize the Faith and its followers will not go unslammed here. Count yourself lucky that I decided to stick with the standard blogger comments. I made that decision to prevent myself from editing the comments of people like you to self-insults when you guttersnipe and behave in a MORONIC fashion.

    You like that? Moronic. Stupid. Idiotic. Do you prefer those words to insult a person's intelligence? I noticed you had nothing to say when I switched it up earlier. If you realy did have a problem with the use of the word retarded being used as an insult you would have had the same outrage when I switched to moronic since it is exactly the same thing when used in this fashion.

    Seriously, did you honestly think I wouldn't slip ways to prove your fakeness into this discussion? You must really think we conservatives are retarded. Especially us Christians, seeing as how we believe in stuff that brilliant individuals like yourself are simply too enlightened to give any credit to.

    Dan T,

    "I've not read anything by anonymous that indicated a hatred of Christianity, or that sounded hateful in any sense, as far as that goes."

    This is where your basic lack of understanding of humanity comes into play. He specifically chose a portion where I describe my mind about the disabled being changed by becoming a Christian, then he attempted to marginalize that Christian testimony. This is a standard tactic of people who despise Christianity. They are morally offended by Christianity and Christian principles laying claim to goodnes and morality. They mock the idea of faith in Jesus changing people for the better because they cannot reconcile religion with goodness. Had he chosen a non-religious segment of tis post and then atacked me it would have been purely personal. However, because he specifically chose a part that spoke strongly for Christianity and Christian principles in respect to the disabled as his avenue of attack he placed himself among the Christian hating left. Hatred of Christianity is one of the items on the list of leftism that is capable of qualifying someone as a leftie all by itself. As is support of socialism, communism, and terrorist rights. If you ever bothered to talk to people who despise religion, and Christianity in particular you would have been exposed to all of this long ago. Of course, you can also check out any of the numerous anti-Christian websites out there and get a crash course on this topic. I don't expect you will, but one can always hope.

    "He also correctly pointed out that the Left that you so revile does not, for the most part, exist in reality."

    Which has nothing to do with compassion for teh disabled, which this post is actually about in case you forgot. And if the left that I am forced to fight did not exist then we wouldn't have a gay rights movement, communists, socialists, a myriad of racists groups, violence against conservatives, abortion on demand without the need to prove medical neccesity, the ACLU, Americans United for the Seperation of Church and State, and a myriad of other evils. The left that I revile as you put it absolutely does exist. The problem is that people like you see it as favorable, or deny its existence based on the fact that very few lefties fit the full spectrum of leftism. Most fit between half and three quaters, and are weak on the areas that are not leftist or are vocal about thier leftist views while remaining silent on more moderate views. And the left that must be fought so strongly is less than 1/3 of America. Around half of America is conservative, and the remainder are moderates. Also, many conservatives are not 100% conservative. Most do have some liberal views as well.

    "That's why I (and, it appears, anonymous) were appalled to see someone who cares for the disabled to use their condition as epithet."

    He was not appaled by anything. He just wanted to try to marginalize my Christian testimony in this post because he hates Christians. And don't bother defending him on that because he has had numerous opportunities to deny that and has not even after I pointed it out. He also has not denied that he hates the disabled. As I said in my last response, I take this as proof that I am right, taht he really does hate Christianity and teh disabled, and that he is honest enough not to deny the truth. Rather, he is avoiding the issue in the hopes that no one notices.

    Here is what really blows my mind here:

    Theonly person to say anything positive about an article encoouraging people to treasure the disabled and to care for them as precious jewels of humanity was a conservative. No liberal had anything to say until one leftie decided to try to sneak in a personal attack designed to destroy the whole article. After that it was all about defending personal attacks and trying to make an article that is completely right ineffective by attempting to destroy the messenger. Such tactics harm the disabled and show hate for the disabled.

    This said, I fell very confident calling upon the left to quit pretending to have compassion and just admit that the glue that binds the left is hate.

    By Blogger Daniel Levesque, at 7:57 PM  

  • "You know as well as anyone that calling someone a retard is a common occurence when people want to insult someone's intelligence."

    No, Daniel. I don't. In the world where I circulate, adults for the most part don't call others names. We discuss ideas. (Although I do read many places where all sorts of folks are reduced to name-calling.)

    And certainly not "retard" because that is patently offensive to the population at large.

    I wouldn't, for the same reason, call you a fascist, nazi or a "retard." Even if I disagree with you.

    He specifically chose a portion where I describe my mind about the disabled being changed by becoming a Christian, then he attempted to marginalize that Christian testimony.

    Daniel, I think you're looking for offense where none exists. Anonymous may well be opposed to Christians, I don't know. But the reason I don't know is that he hasn't said anything about Christianity.

    If anything, though, your decision to mock the menatlly disabled by using "retard" as an epithet WOULD be a reason to have a hard time reconciling Christianity with goodness.

    By Blogger Dan Trabue, at 2:52 AM  

  • " though, your decision to mock the menatlly disabled by using "retard" as an epithet WOULD be a reason to have a hard time reconciling Christianity with goodness."

    And again you display your ignorance. I do not mock the disabled. I have never mocked the disabled. I mocked YOU. And even then I didn't actually call you retarded personally. I called what you said retarded, and with good cause. Your uneducated lies were well deserving of that title.

    And as for your assertion that there is no way to tell if Leftie hates Christianity, you again display a complete lack of knowledge and basic understanding of humanity. however, wuold it help you if I said that I recognize his writing style as belonging to a particular individual who has made very specifically anti-Christian statements here in the past? Yes it could be someone else, but out of the three different regular readers here who place occasional responses, all have serious issues with Christianity.

    Again, your lack of basic observation skills continues to amaze.

    By Blogger Daniel Levesque, at 8:24 AM  

  • Small question for the lefties as they have been so aptly termed.

    You guys usually object to the term "retard" even when used to describe a mentally retarded person. Most lefties I talk to do. They prefer "mentally challanged." So isn't it the left who regards the term "retard" as an insult? Aren't you being hypocritical Mr. Leftie?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:18 AM  

  • We're saying that it is insulting to the families and friends of those with mental disabilities to toss around "retard" as an epithet. How is that hypocritical? If we say that it's offensive, then used it ourselves, THAT would be hypocritical, but I don't see how saying that using it is offensive is hypocritical?

    By Blogger Dan Trabue, at 8:36 AM  

  • As to whether or not some here are "aptly termed" leftie, let me offer my occassional reminder of how ineffectual such terms as descriptors.

    I, of course, can't speak for our unknown "anonymous" friend, but speaking for myself - I'm opposed to big gov't. Our military is grotesquely massive. So, some of my reasons for wanting a smaller military is because:

    1. I think such a large military actually works against nat'l security, and
    2. I'm a proponent of smaller, effective gov't

    Does that make me a "liberal"? Not exactly. Those are classic conservative reasons.

    I'm in favor of personal responsibility and picking up after ourselves and, therefore, am highly opposed to pollution and polluters.

    Does that make me a "liberal"? Not exclusively, as those are certainly conservative reasonings.

    I'm opposed to abortion BUT I'm also opposed to intrusive gov't and therefore, I'd like to see us take actions that discourage or disallow abortion-as-birth control, but I don't want Big Brother intruding and making that decision.

    I'm a Church-going, Bible-believing Christian and husband of one wife, with two beloved children. I'm a non-smoking tea-totaller, a deacon and a Sunday School teacher. I believe in family values and faith-based values. I believe most of what I believe because of my deeply held religious convictions. Does that make me a liberal? A Conservative?

    Do you get my point? for me - as with most of us - I have conservative and liberal reasoning in getting to my personal beliefs. Oftentimes, in our rush to demonize the Other, we like to engage in mindless name-calling and oftentimes, such ridiculous gradeschool actions are just not based in reality.

    That's why most of us get past the name-calling stage sometime around high school or college.

    By Blogger Dan Trabue, at 8:49 AM  

  • Been away a while, looks like I've missed a lot of great blow ups.

    You do not want to be identified because you are afraid that having an ID will allow people to recognize you when you come back and speak more hatered. You want the safety of anominity. This makes you a coward as well as a guttersnipe.
    Or I just don't want a blogger account. You don't like Anonymous posters, then remove the option. Hey, it'll even get me to stop posting, yay, right?

    You are fragile. You enjoy sniping at people, but can't take it when people fire back you leftie guttersnipe. This is one of the hallmarks of leftism.

    I handle myself just fine, and with better composure than you. With all of the spelling errors you have, I assume it is because you shake with rage and occasionally hit the wrong key. Tsk, tsk. Settle down, Daniel.

    You don't actually believe anyhting you said about the use of the word retarded to insult somone being equal to a racial slur. You are simply using it as a tool to try to marginalize with whom you disagree. False outrage not only makes you a liar, it makes you a joke.
    Ask the guy last year at Benihana's restaurant if I have 'false outrage' when I put him in his place for calling his own children "Retards". He didn't like it, just as you don't like being put in your place, but I am intimidating. I handle racial slurs the same way.

    Finally, I AM right. You know as well as anyone that calling someone a retard is a common occurence when people want to insult someone's intelligence.
    Unfortunately, there are people in this world who do use that word as an insult. Maybe you shouldn't strive so hard to be one of those people?

    You are a joke. Next time you decide to attack someone make sure they really are a sock puppet and not someone who is informed, insightful, educated on the issues and on psychology, and ready to take people like you on anytime.
    1 out of 5 ain't bad.

    Take you hatred of Christians somewhere else. Pretend outrage being used to try to marginalize the Faith and its followers will not go unslammed here.
    You're doing fine on your own, I don't need to touch Christianity when you show us on a daily basis what your brand of Christianity is. I think when people ask, "What would Jesus do?", they won't look to you as an example, given your responses and quick anger. I'd point to Dan T. as a Christian before you.

    You like that? Moronic. Stupid. Idiotic. Do you prefer those words to insult a person's intelligence? I noticed you had nothing to say when I switched it up earlier.

    Is that the game, now? I have to point at every childish remark you make, and if I don't it's okay? I never liked playing "Where's Waldo?", and I won't do it with your remarks either. I'll choose what to write about, not you.

    Seriously, did you honestly think I wouldn't slip ways to prove your fakeness into this discussion?
    You had already sunk to the lowest level of professionalism and childish antics... why should I have expected more from you? Name calling is your style, and the internet has immortalized you for it. Congratulations.

    You must really think we conservatives are retarded.
    No, I don't use that word to describe others in a slurring manner. Nice try though, attempting to drag me down to your level.

    And yet, you still reply to Dan T. with remarks such as:
    And again you display your ignorance. I do not mock the disabled. I have never mocked the disabled. I mocked YOU.
    You are just so disconnected with reality. If people began using your last name as a slur, how would you feel? Could you convince yourself that it actually meant something nice, even knowing that in the context of the situation it wasn't? Careful what your answer is, I can be quite the trend-setter.

    Oh well. It's all pointless up until the point where you think twice the next time you are about to call someone "Retard", "Moron", "Idiot", or resort to any name-calling at all. Just making you think would be raising the bar just high enough to put a smile on my face.

    - Sir Anonymous

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:50 PM  

  • I've just skimmed your comment Dan. But you're missing why conservatives and libertarians support the military. They benefit from it. The military protects us. Welfare etc. doesn't, not all of us. Thus I prefer not to pay for that which I do not benefit from.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:37 AM  

  • 1. From my classically conservative point of view, a military THIS massive does NOT benefit me. It's a threat to my security, not a protector of it.

    2. And I don't think Classic Conservatism would be so narcissistic as to insist that the only things that gov't should do are the things that benefit the collective Me.

    3. We all DO benefit from welfare, or at least the case can be made. Just as we collectively benefit from our children being educated, even if I individually didn't have children.

    And all of this is just a reinforcement of my point that we all have many and various reasons why we support policies. So, to take my small gov't loving, big Gov't distrusting, compassionate and fiscal responsible reasoning for my positions and to just dismiss it as "liberal" thinking is a disservice to our greater discussion as a nation.

    Just as it would be a mistake to dismiss "conservatives" as "Those who hate the poor and love warring," - when, in fact, some conservatives hold those positions precisely because they love the poor and hate war - so it is to dismiss another group as merely "leftists moonbats."

    Not that you have done so ever with me, to your credit. But many have.

    By Blogger Dan Trabue, at 5:49 PM  

  • This is why I started calling them leftards.

    By Blogger The Conservative UAW Guy, at 1:33 PM  

  • By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:01 PM  

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