A question for the political Right

[Lanya]

Pooch, I think you would have made a fine ambassador...or maybe I mean diplomat. Mediator.  Anyway, you have the idea. 
The cultural divide is very hard to bridge, and that's where many meetings with the other side help.   It helps the distaste people feel for the differences diminish.  Peace Corps workers help.  Movies, books, music, art, sharing food.
 Anything to let the two groups see each other as people, not 'the other.' 

[BT]

Anything to let the two groups see each other as people, not 'the other.' 

Do you really believe that? Do you practice it?

[sirs]

Anything to let the two groups see each other as people, not 'the other.' 

Do you really believe that? Do you practice it?

If she does, I sure haven't seen any sign of it.  Have we seen even 1 op-ed that wasn't decrying how bad, how miserable, how evil "the other" side of the ideological spectrum is?  Bush is?  Any effort at any time advocating a Plane/Pooch approach to diplomacy??

[Lanya]

I don't believe in lying, so I won't whitewash the present administration's lies and bad actions.  I'll call evil when I see it. 

I choose to think of you guys as misguided rather than evil.   Easily led.

I'm not here in an ambassadorial role. 

[BT]

I'm not here in an ambassadorial role. 

of course you aren't. but why do you espouse diplomacy for others and not yourself.

Are you just talking the talk yet not walking the walk?

[sirs]

I don't believe in lying, so I won't whitewash the present administration's lies and bad actions.  I'll call evil when I see it.  I choose to think of you guys as misguided rather than evil.   Easily led.

Funny, how I can project the same conclusions upon yourself.  Just need to substitute "present administration" with "present core of the Democrat party", though I wouldn't go so far as to reference the hard core libs as "evil".  I'll call evil when I see it myself, which would include the likes of militant Islam.  Those that want to lay claim to the garbage of how evil "the present administration" is supposed to be, just reinforces how well you can be led.  You would make them proud with as well as you're being led to believe, Lanya.     

[Amianthus]

I don't believe in lying,

So, what would you call that whole "Republicans want women to die of cancer" thing?

[sirs]

I don't believe in lying,

So, what would you call that whole "Republicans want women to die of cancer" thing?

I think she applies the same rationalization techniques to "stand by what she said" then, as she does in supporting the pseudo Fairness Doctrine.  Though of course we're always left to deduce that ourselves, since she refuses to defend those positions.  Simply "stands by them", and claims how important it is to "let the two groups see each other as people, not 'the other.'"         

[Lanya]

I'm not here in an ambassadorial role. 

of course you aren't. but why do you espouse diplomacy for others and not yourself.

Are you just talking the talk yet not walking the walk?

If I were in a diplomatic role, I would walk the walk and talk the talk.  I'm not.

[BT]

If I were in a diplomatic role, I would walk the walk and talk the talk.  I'm not.

In a way we are all diplomats. Either by words or example.

[Universe Prince]

If I were in a diplomatic role, I would walk the walk and talk the talk.  I'm not.

Why are you not in that role?

[Lanya]

  I don't see debating as mediating, or having much to do with the duties required of an ambassador or a diplomat.   

[Plane]

Al Gore has said very little with which I wholeheartedly agree but in his (second) concession speech he siad this:  That which unites us is greater than that which divides us.

....................

Well said .

I think it is a very big mistake to assume that another person wants the same result of diplomacy that you do , it should be step one to learn what the truth is in respect of what he desird results are.

There really are people who want no peace , or who want peace but want something elese more . For them diplomacy is usefull for reloading.

I  expect tho that there are people of good will and wisdom amoung every nation, it is a lucky nation indeed that has these ones in charge.

[Stray Pooch]

  I don't see debating as mediating, or having much to do with the duties required of an ambassador or a diplomat.   

So what you are basically saying is that objectivity, persuasion, finding common ground with others is not your intention.  You are just here to spout your opinion.  That is the opposite of open-mindedness.

I view debating as a process of analyzing, seeking to understand, attempting to persuade others or come to possible means of resolving conflicts.  In other words, to me debate is an equal mix of learning andf teaching.

Since you will not "lie" and like to call it as you see it,. I will follow that course.

You are a fierce debater (by your implied definition) until you are faced with something that logically challenges you.  At that point you fall back on "I stand by what I said" because you have nothing more substantial than your own ego to support it.  By this I do not mean that you are unintelligent - far from it.  You may be intellectually lazy.  It's hard to come up with good arguments with some of the excellent debaters here and elsewhere.  That is unfortunate, but excusable - since the world does not revolve around our opinions and we all have real life responsibilities to attend to.  OTOH you may be an intellectual coward.  You are so wrapped up in your own self-image as a liberal (or whatever image you have of yourself) that to admit you (and/or the many liberal sources you cite) are wrong would be intellectually traumatic.  If that is the case, I urge you to try accepting that the core values you completely believe in may be wrong.  It is liberating - and you do not necessarily have to conclude that they ARE wrong.  Just accepting the possibility opens the mind and enables the learning process.

The Bush administration is not evil.  It may be confused about moral priorities.  It may be diplomatically inept (and I am among the many who believe that to be the case).  But it is not evil.  Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are evil.  Hitler was evil.  Bush is, at worst, a bad President (and I do NOT believe that to be the case). 

You are correct to say that you are not here to be a diplomat.  That is, however, a very good way to approach debate.  At the very least, BT is correct in pointing out that encouraging such qualities in others while seeing no need of them in your own debate is at best hypocritical and at worst arrogant.

[Plane]

What is the place for intuitive decisions?

I think that a lot of important decisions are made by a lot of people with no real logic involved, hunches are played, gestalt's are felt , and distaste from subchontious reasoning is felt.


If one has a strong feeling that something is right or wrong , won't logic follow in the ruts that emotion leaves?