Yesterday, I posted this article to my Facebook account. I thought it was an interesting, witty look at the debate Laura Schlessinger has raised regarding her rights under the Constitution, and what tea-baggers continue to rail against publicly whilst simultaneously ignoring both history and legal precedent.
This morning I received a comment from an old "friend" who proceeded to rail against liberals in the name of the Constitution. I commented very dryly that I was sorry he bought into such a heinous lie, convinced as I was that he probably heard it on Faux News.
Then, I thought about it a bit. Having been in FB flame wars once too often, I realized that, by merely responding to this person, I was giving them both ammunition and a platform to continue their malice against both truth and integrity. So, I did something that I thought would quash the war before it started:
I deleted the other person's comment.
I then wrote this person a five-paragraph personal message explaining why I deleted the comment, invoking both the writers of the Constitution and logical conclusions to be drawn from this person's obviously-angry missive toward me.
I got a quick response, saying that THEY were offended because -- wait for it -- I was DENYING THEM THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.
This is just sick. Is this really what the extreme right have come to? AT this point, I really believe there is no hope for reconciliation with the tea-baggers, if they are willing to forego every bit of rational discussion regarding our nation's laws.
So, I want to put this to a vote, and see what people think.