I've been thinking that maybe we get a little too enthusiastic with TR's here sometimes, and send some visitors to "The Netherlands" where their statements are safely out of public view.
It occurred to me that we are being unfair to ourselves and shutting them out of a two way conversation. No non-TU, casual lurker gets to see them in their full flower, if at all. What's left are our snarky or frustrated posts detached from the sources.
With that in mind, I declare this a No Donut Zone.
In this thread, rather than hand out donuts, let us engage our visitors civilly, no matter how harshly they prejudge us. Give them a nice recipe if you reach the end of your patience, but not flippantly or prematurely. Try to hear them out. Ask questions.
Ask for clarification of their positions, and be polite. Treat them as guests in our home.
Some will be party crashers & show up drunk & behave badly, but you wouldn't let them drive away like that. You'd offer them a spare room where they can sleep it off. You wouldn't toss them in the cold, damp basement, with no windows, would you?
Think of it as a house party in a flat in DKos Web City. Some neighbors from ten blocks away come up drunk & rowdy & make a scene. Or they could be your Uncle Bob's friend William's kids from El Segundo. Offer them a plate, a cup of coffee, a seat, & ask them about themselves. "Where are you from? Who sent/brought you here? What do you want for our country? How did you arrive at that conclusion?"
I'd like everyone to hear their opinions. We all need to know their opinions. Let's hear them out.
Pass the Hor's d'oerves. Be civil. Offer a warm blankie & a spot to sleep on until they're sober enough to drive home.
But don't bring dozens of donuts to the party. I prefer apple pie, cannoli, rum cake, eclairs, and esp tall napoleons. Bread and cheese, grapes, a nice chopped chicken liver pate', prosiutto and melon, shrimp coctail. Civilized food. Food you wouldn't bring to a food fight. If that's too European or French, grill some burgers & wieners. This is America. Fire up the grill.
They went to a lot of effort to meet us, and I think they should have a venue for their views, where they can stand tall and feel free to say what they think and feel to our faces. This thread is that venue. They'll never be heard in the MSM if we keep sending them to The Netherlands, and we'll be left here, apparently railing at the walls.
Welcome to the DK Web City No Donut Zone!
Discuss.