I write this using my work laptop, a sturdy Dell workpony.
My own laptop, a Hewlett-Packard POS, seems to have given up the ghost – a faulty power connector (the third in the space of 7 months – in that time they’ve drained a once-good battery down to 3% of its former level). I’m not happy about this, and particularly not happy that I basically can’t afford to replace the damn thing right now…
It seems likely I won’t be posting much until I get my home computing thing sorted. I’m not that keen on Dell either, frankly, but at least it doesn’t have the power problems H-P have.
Jesurgislac's Journal 
Jesurgislac,
I’m going to be completely honest with you and hope you’ll appreciate my honesty. I have not published any of your comments because I just can’t keep up with you. I don’t want a whole bunch of comments contrary to my own opinion taking over my blog, but I don’t have the time to respond to all of your well-written thoughts. I can keep up with those who comment randomly with short ideas, but I have to write a book every time I respond to you. I’m not trying to censure my blog, I’m just trying to make sure that people see the other side of each argument (the other side of your arguments) and I can’t do that with your plethora of comments right now. I have a family and Thanksgiving and holidays and work and…well…the list goes on. I notice that many of your comments are submitted in the wee hours of the morning. Don’t you ever sleep?! Give yourself a break, my friend!
Oh, and about quoting you. I had no idea that was you. That quote came from a discussion thread of a Facebook group I belong to (and you, too, apparently). :0)
Now, go get some sleep and stop stressing about converting the world right now. Just enjoy Thanksgiving. Remember whatever it is that you are blessed with and be grateful for it.
Sincerely,
Pearl
Comment by Pearl — November 26, 2008 @ 1:47 am |
I don’t want a whole bunch of comments contrary to my own opinion taking over my blog
Better edit your comment-thread note, then: I suggest “I do not welcome the respectful sharing of opinions opposed to mine, no matter how polite the commentary. It is unnecessary.”
I’m just trying to make sure that people see the other side of each argument
It’s your blog. These are your opinions. You are fully entitled to use your blog as a mere posting-house for your own opinions and other people’s in agreement with you, but it would be an Internet courtesy to make clear that anything that takes your world-view apart at the seams and shows up the contradictions and lies is really not welcome.
Me, I’m confident enough in my own opinions to approve all comments that are not actually abusive. But that’s because *grin* my views are based on truth and decency, not lies and bigotry: so I don’t have to be afraid of the opposition. You, like all supporters of Proposition 8, need to keep the opposition view out of your blogs because it is too easy for us to show you up as (at best) confused, muddled, and prejudiced: at worst, as hateful, spiteful bigots.
Comment by jesurgislac — November 26, 2008 @ 8:21 am |
Well taken, my friend. Well taken. My world view is happily not taken apart at the seams. I am not afraid of anyone or any argument no matter the faux “intelligence.” I stand strong in my religious convictions and my testimony is only strengthened by your contempt. Thank you.
Comment by Pearl — November 26, 2008 @ 9:04 pm |
And yet, my dear: I am not afraid to approve your comments on my blog – nor ever will be, unless you get much more abusive than seems likely! – but you are, and always will be, scared to approve mine on yours.
That’s the difference between your side and mine. Decency, civil rights, and a coherent, factually-based world view will always win over arguments based on an incoherent mass of ignorance, prejudice, ill-will, and more ignorance.
Comment by jesurgislac — November 26, 2008 @ 10:02 pm |
You’re twisting my words for your benefit so that you can look like the gleaming knight in shining armor and I look like the pathetic, ignorant fool. However, that is not the case. We are just two people struggling for the world to accept our point of view.
To be precise, I am not afraid to approve your comments. I never have been. What I would like is to be able to respond to all of them and because of your tendency to be verbose, I cannot. I do have facts that back up my argument. I have real-life concerns regarding homosexual marriage and apparently so do many other citizens of California.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pearl
Comment by Pearl — November 27, 2008 @ 1:50 am |
I wouldn’t call myself a “gleaming knight in shining armour”, really – I have too much sense of humour for that. But I don’t seem to need to twist your words to point out what the situation is: I’m not afraid to let people who disagree with me post comments on this blog. (I have a first-time moderation system because it’s the most effective way of stopping spambots: I regret this is necessary, but the Internet is as it is.) You are afraid of this.
We are just two people struggling for the world to accept our point of view.
You may feel that way – evidently, given your refusal to let my comments appear on your blog, you do. I don’t. I have a points of view on multiple issues – and this blog exists to allow me to self-publish my points of view. Whether the world “accepts” them or not.
Of course I support multiple good causes, from the freedom to marry to closing Guantananmo Bay, but I am not fool enough to think that the expression or otherwise of my views on one small and not especially widely-read blog is going to change anything one way or another.
I do have facts that back up my argument.
No, you don’t. There are no facts that back up opposition to the freedom of same-sex couples to marry. There is nothing but dreck.
I have real-life concerns regarding homosexual marriage and apparently so do many other citizens of California.
Not really. As far as I can see from some fairly extensive reading of the opposition blogs, quite a lot of Californian citizens were simply conned by the iProtectMarriage crew into believing that a vote for Proposition 8 would somehow affect what children were taught in Californian public schools. This was nonsense: it didn’t.
(Prior to the law changing in May, kids in Californian public schools were being taught it was “OK to be gay”, as the homophobes put it: now Proposition 8 has passed, kids in Californian public schools are still being taught it’s “OK to be gay”. Proposition 8 did not affect that one iota. And Californian parents were and are still free to teach their kids that they ought to hate/despise other kids for being gay, other kids because their parents are gay, or try to teach their kids to hate themselves for being gay, as so many pro-Prop8 parents have said they want to do: parents are entitled to teach their kids a whole lot of nonsense, it’s just that public schools are supposed to provide a fact-based education – and of course teach the kids to behave well towards each other while in school, and hopefully outside it, whatever their parents are teaching them about regarding some people as intrinsically inferior.)
The other “concerns” raised by pro-Prop8ers all seem to be on the lines of “But my religion says it’s wrong!” which suggests they are unaware they are living in a country where it is unConstitutional to enforce your religion on anyone else using the power of the state to do so…
Comment by jesurgislac — November 27, 2008 @ 6:13 am |
Applause, applause 🙂
Hey, I need your reasoned rebuttal over here (http://opine-editorials.blogspot.com/2008/11/fisking-richard-rodriguez.html) because they were decided that tag-teaming me was the best way to shut me up….
Comment by waltzinexile — November 29, 2008 @ 8:04 pm |
Opine Editorials? Nope. You can’t actually do “reasoned rebuttal” with the Opine Editorial team, because they simply continue to spew what little they have to say, over and over and over again.
Comment by Jesurgislac — November 30, 2008 @ 1:06 am |
Oh, is that why the whole team jumped in, LOL They’re quite amusing if you don’t mind the overt attempts at intimidation. They definitely like to say things like “genderless marriage” and “a child has a RIGHT to a mother and father.” Sigh.
Comment by waltzinexile — November 30, 2008 @ 2:01 am |
[…] generally run blogs that do not accept dissenting viewpoints. (They’re like gay marriage opponents in that way.) But for pro-lifers, the “dissenting viewpoint” can be anything like […]
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