[Rhodes22-list] Soap Boxes

[Bill Berner]

I've been prompted to write by Brad's last couple of posts, especially
"Rumsfeld apologizes"

I started in to write a suggestion that the list charter be modified to ask
that members be refrain from soap boxing their political positions.

Then I realized that it would be asking for the group to curtail Freedom of
Speech.

So, I'm left with a conundrum. 

I am personally sick and tired of the inflammatory conservative claptrap
that shows up here.  It's isn't always the substance that irks me so much,
but the belligerance, sarcasm and school yard bullying quality of so many of
the posts. I have rarely seen any acknowledgement that issues can be
multifaceted and complicated. 

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like all of the cannon fire comes from the
starboard side, and I'm pretty tired of it.

Chances are that I'll have to quit the list to resolve the issue, not a
choice I easily make.  There has been some good company here, and lot's of
good information.  

Curious to see responses, then I'll shut up and make a decision.


Bill Berner
191 South Broadway
Hastings on Hudson, NY  10706
 
v 914 478 2896
f 914 478 3856
e BBerner at optonline.net
 

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of brad haslett
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 12:37 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Rumsfeld Apologizes

May 26, 2003 
Rumsfeld Apologizes for Hyping Saddam Threat 
(2003-05-26) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld apologized to Senate Democrats today for
pre-war "hyping" of the threat posed by Saddam
Hussein's regime. 

"I'm sorry Senators Biden, Rockefeller, Byrd, Roberts
and others," said a contrite Mr. Rumsfeld. "We
overestimated the threat posed by a lunatic dictator,
who hated the U.S. and Israel, and who paid rewards to
families of Palestinian terrorists. In an age when two
of the world's tallest buildings can be brought down
with tools used by the stockboy at K-Mart, we should
have demanded more concrete evidence of exotic weapons
of mass destruction. Saddam was helpless as a kitten
up a tree."

Sen. Rockefeller, D-WV, said Congress must determine
whether the administration "intentionally
overestimated" Iraq's weapons program, or "just
misread it. ... In either case it's a very bad
outcome."

Mr. Rumsfeld agreed, "What an awful outcome. We deeply
regret freeing the Iraqi people from a murderous gang
of thugs masquerading in the United Nations as a
representative republic. We're sorry that the Iraqi
people have discovered thousands of graves of their
Saddam-murdered relatives. It's none of our business
if people want to live like that."




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