A Liberal Lesson on Tolerance of Ideas

Well, here I am again with a post that has been taken from the local papers of the West Valley View. I have not written in for quite a while, but idiots like the one you will read below, require that someone with half a brain step in and set them straight -- and I have the necessary half a brain for the job! Enjoy.

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A Lesson in History

To the editor:

Mr. Stratford, your condemnation of me [May 10 letters] and those who share my philosophical viewpoint on the current administration is to say the least a little disturbing.

You say that we should jump to Dubya’s call to cadence and “march in lockstep” for if we don’t, we are the enemy. Let me give a history lesson. There was a nation where a leader, only this one was crafty and charismatic unlike Dubya, demanded the same blind allegiance to his agenda and if they didn't’t, they were simply purged from their great society. Those that chose to become immersed into the fervor preached by this leader marched impressively in lockstep and assisted this leader as he undertook the ambitious vision of purging the world of undesirable elements who hated someone else’s freedom.

He achieved this by taking unprovoked unilateral action against nations who he felt posed the slightest threat to his agenda. This nation became the most hated nation in the world and the leader the most loathed despotic leader in all of modern history. The nation was Nazi Germany and, of course, the leader was Adolf Hitler.

Some of us more enlightened people see very frightening parallels with us as we see mindless sycophants like you “goose step” to this maniacal administration’s neo-con agenda. I think you will also see that those who now understand the destructiveness of this administration now are a clear majority of Americans who choose not to do the goose step with them.

Wake up, Mr. Stratford! I love America and that is why we choose to speak up and thank God for Air America for debunking the lies of Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, Savage, Coulter and the sheep like you who believe them.

David Compton
Litchfield Park

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I wanted to thank the "enlightened" David Compton for writing in and explaining to the rest of us feeble-minded sheep how America under George W. Bush is on the same level as Nazi Germany under Adolph Hitler.

Not only has Compton personally offended a large portion of America, but he has undoubtedly made a number of his fellow Liberals blush in embarrassment at his obvious lack of moral and mental clarity in distinguishing between the two governments and ideologies.

I know that there are honest and critical-thinking Liberals out there who do not have to defend their dislike for George W. Bush by insinuating that Conservatives are somehow promoting a worldview similar to that of Nazism. I enjoy reading thoughtful and well-presented oppositions to my views, but people like David Compton only serve to turn the exchange of ideas into an irrational free-for-all.

Perhaps Mr. Compton's enlightenment has caused him to float too far beyond the borders of rational discourse and has contributed to his hysterical rants and ridiculous accusations. I would love to see one or more of his "fellow" Liberals write in and show the readers of this publication that disagreement does not have to result in absurd and unrestrained rhetoric.

Disagree with Bush and Conservatives all you want, but don't come armed with nothing more than a few jabs at talk radio and imaginary parallels to brutal dictatorships. The majority of us have an appetite for participating in thoughtful, meaningful debate, not petty playground scuffles.

Michael Gray
Avondale