Things I've Said

Thoughts I've had from time to time

Why I Write The Things I Do

by Leave a Comment

People ask me why I write the things I do. Some people say I’m just wasting my time. Some people say I am just poking a bear. Let me clarify.

I write first and foremost because writing helps me clarify my own thoughts. There are things that I had believed for years, and thought I knew why I believed them. When I tried to write out my argument, I realized that I was wrong.

I also usually have to do a bit of research to write. Which means I am learning more about the topic, or ancillary topics as I go. I like learning.

Writing is not a waste of time to me, even if no one else reads what I write. Writing makes me a better, more informed person.

I also write because my ideas are different from those that I hear elsewhere. Sometimes I come to the same conclusion as other people, but I usually have different reasons for it. And I really hope that my ideas will help other people understand their beliefs.

I hope that other people, when reading what I write, will learn another way to view the world. I hope that my arguments will help people who agree with me to be more confident of their beliefs, and to have more solid arguments to support their beliefs.

I hope that those who disagree with me will challenge my ideas. I hope that they will engage in a constructive exchange of ideas, and that we both come away from it more capable of understanding each other, even if neither of us changes our mind.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I don’t even want everyone to agree with me. I’m not writing in order to poke the bear, but I have to admit, I like the battle. I like mental challenge of defending my point of view. And I sometimes take a guilty pleasure in some of the outraged responses I get.

But I write what I mean, and really appreciate everyone who reads and comments on the things that I have to say.

I May Have Been Wrong About Trump

by 1 Comment

More than once, I predicted with great confidence that Trump’s presidency would not have a great impact on the country. It has barely started, and I am beginning to fear that I was wrong.

It’s not Trump I’m concerned about. It is the left. The people who say that they want equality, and peace and social justice. The people who claim that those on the right are bigots, war mongers, violent and greedy.

It’s not just this thing with UC Berkley. That is the latest and (so far) most egregious of the outrages. Since Trump’s startling win on election day, the left has made a point to say that everyone who didn’t vote for Hillary is a racist, bigot, vile, despicable human being. It isn’t good enough to say “I disagree with your judgement”, or “I disagree with your priorities”, or even “You are flat wrong for what you did”. None of these goes far enough to satiate the left. They will not tolerate anything less than outright condemnation of every non-Hillary supporter, and far less the genuine Trump supporters.

I can live with that. Immature as such behavior is, hurtful and unproductive as it is, it is similar to the outcry from the right when Obama was elected. Worse in degree, I think, but still the same in kind.

But since the inauguration, things have stepped up a couple of notches, and I am starting to think that it just might be worthy of genuine concern. These lovers of peace and freedom and equality are turning radical in a way that I didn’t expect. I have heard people on the left, in no uncertain terms, state that they were going to intentionally engage in disinformation campaigns. I have heard repeated cheers of support for the guy who sucker-punched Richard Spencer, which I can almost understand. But I’ve also heard the left tearing apart others on the left who decried violence. These are not things I expected to hear from the left.

Now UC Berkley. I’d love to know how many of the rioters have ever actually listened to Milo Yiannopoulos give a talk? How many of them know who he is only because they have been told by their shepherd media that Milo is bad? Milo is a provocateur, no doubt. But he’s just a guy with some ideas. I’ve never heard him promote violence. He doesn’t promote causing harm to anyone.

Maybe if the left would take the time to listen to Milo, they could make an informed rebuttal, rather than being the raging, violent mob that tolerates no dissenting opinion. For all the fear people have of vicious dictators who crush anything in the path of their vision, torture and kill any people or group that does not sufficiently support that vision, it somehow slips past the sight of the leftist that it is their political ideology that has actually lead to these horrors.

I know just enough history to be aware that the most merciless people in history are on the left of the political spectrum. I know that those people who have pitilessly crushed and slaughtered all who oppose them have claimed to be doing so for the good of the people.

If the left proves me wrong, if we descend into darkness and chaos because of their violent response to Trump’s presidency, I will concede that I was indeed wrong. I had more faith in the left than I should have.