The late, great Mike Royko once did a column about the meaning of "freedom of speech." I can’t find the column nor the exact quote, but the gist of it was that a person has an absolute guarantee under the Constitution to say whatever he/she wants to say, but just be prepared for someone who doesn’t like it to punch you in the snoot.
I’ve only been blogging here for a short while, and already I’ve managed to attract one disturbed individual who doesn’t understand the meaning of "go away". I ran the risk of that when I decided to post my thoughts. People aren’t going to agree with stuff I say, and that’s not a problem. It’s when they disagree and do what, in the online world, is considered a form of stalking—that’s when things get a little weird.
I enjoy the many threads on this page, and I think there are some incredibly insightful, thoughtful, and talented writers here. I like it here. There were other sites I could have hung out on, but this one in particular has some very cool folks. I may not agree with everything I read, but I am absolutely convinced that it all has a right to be posted here and I’ll punch anyone in the snoot that thinks otherwise. :)



5 Comments







Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
http://marilee.us/desiderata.html
Unpleasant to be a target. I got some nice words of encouragement from people here when I experienced my first ‘attack’ a short while. It seems to happen to most of us sooner, or later. Disengage..don’t respond..
Keep up the good work, MadCabbieJan,
Midway through this post, I was worried you were about to tell us you were stopping. Please don’t. I re-read your previous posts and comments sections, and I have to agree with bluebutterfly’s advice.. don’t respond. Unless a comment presents a cogent, factual argument against your positions or opinions, there’s no reason to engage. The wide readership of HuffingtonPost makes it extremely likely that there will be disagreeable comments on almost every interesting blog. Score one for the home team that you triggered counter-comments, but its ok to let your readership squabble. I think you get a lot of positive comments, which equates to many more positive non-commenting readers, and would guess you will continue to. Keep it up.
Ooops – sorry, typo – this is the Lake, not HuffPo, and I know that! Too early on the left coast…
Thanks for your bravery. You’ve been a welcome addition here.
thank you for posting here. FDL always was compelling and informative, but lately, with the addition of new voices, it has been my absolute favorite. its brave writers like yourself who make it happen.