" I think the only place left is up from this point that our dear idiot President has dug this country into. "
I made this statement a couple of days ago, in response to some anti-Democratic comment some one made, suggesting that the country would somehow implode and self destruct, if Obama or Hillary were elected as President. Whether this may occur or not, whether this is true or not, is not the point of this posting, the fact that the author of the article found it necessary to delete my comment and censor me is.
I personally have never deleted anyone comments from any of my articles and postings, no matter how much I might disagree with them. I have never been even tempted to censor the most die-hard extremists or Bushie defender. But I guess, being a Democrat that goes against my nature.
Is censorship the new tool in our current political system? Is silencing those that oppose your way of thinking easier than responding to ideas and views that question how you see the world?
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, an Independent or an Undecided, what are your views on censorship used as tool, here on Gather and throughout the country? Is this right or wrong? Is this an acceptable reaction to your views being challenged?
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Comments: 28
Independent, by the way. - Mark
Our Founding Fathers thought free speech so important, it was number one on their list. Coincidentally, it's number one on mine!
You, though, will always be number two in my eyes. ;-) j/k - couldn't resist...
Those who wish to censor the speech of others are, quite often, the loudest brayers if it happens to them.
Methinks it's all a matter of childish insecurity, and I happily (snobbishly) am above all that.
How true. This is one of the major problems we face in America today. We have evolved into a nation that cannot discuss our differences. I am reading Susan Jacoby's book, "The Age of Unreason". One of her points is that we used to be a nation who would listen to the other side's arguments in any kind of debate....we used to read books by people who had contrary opinions, so that we could understand their POV's.....we used to attend lectures and speeches by people who had different opinions than ours. And we would take in their arguments and weigh their value and even end up seeing the value in what they had to say. How can we ever function as a nation, as a citizenry, if we can no longer listen to other's opinions and weigh them against our own? How can people learn about others if they will only listen to people who totally agree with them?
It's interesting to note that we often find ourselves not so far apart on issues. Generally, our difficulties arise in how to get from "A" to "B", not whether or not we all want to get to "B" in the end.
That said, I refuse to get into the pit with the snakes and resort to childish tactics.
It starts with one, and I try to be the one. If all of us try our best, soon one will be many.
Hey, I know I'm just one, small, voice, but I'm loud. ;-)
We've become so saturated with 24/7 events, and there's such a fierce competition for ratings and revenue, but we don't have to swallow the bait, do we?
Keep up the good work, CA. Hopefully, you'll convince others that it's the right way to go.
The ways of politics have not changed in the U.S. in over 200 years. The technology has changed but the basic tactics have not. You might check out some of the charges leveled against Lincoln in his Presidential elections. Those are realtively easy to find. But we no longer censor by destroying the print shop. Now we have many more means of communicating so the censorship has developed new techniques. Fortunately the communications changes are outrunning the censorship means so far.
There is censorship and there is plain old ignorance. A recent article author posted a reply such as "here comes the Obama sheeps" as a response to the rebutal of his thesis. What is that? It's his form of censorship. I agree with Obama and often disputes what that author says. Now I no longer comment on his articles. He has censored my voice to his articles. What is the point of commenting when the author believes that everyone not supporting his thesis is a sheep?
These people you speak of are the same idiots who make such asses of themselves at the football games. I say leave such comments and let them prove their stupidity.
This does appear to be the case. I stay pretty much in a small space on Gather. Does anyone know of liberal publishers who delete comments?
I DO but only one individual and thats because they slander, defame, ridicule all the other posters in every thread they enter. I have never censored a person because of their beliefs and I won't have someone posting on an article I've written shout down and attempt to censor someone.
This individual could post the cure for all of mankinds ills and I would delete it.
Because to leave one good reply only invites him to leave a caustic reply.
Yes, it is. And lazy, too. And to touch on Jared P.'s comments, I've noticed that quite a few of the people who regularly delete comments they don't like also regularly plagiarize or otherwise publish other peoples' content.