The Opposite Of The Politics Of Destruction.

WhyHonestDiscourseWillAlwaysMatter
NoMatterHowHardSomeTryToDestroyItVille


First...David Akin on the untimely passing of an internet denizen who was Dipper orange to his core, Rod Smelser:

...(O)ur relationship, such as it was, was based on the fact that I believe we took each other seriously. I wanted to read what he had to say and, though I don’t know for sure, he seemed to be interested in what I had to say. He would re-tweet and comment on my stuff and I would do the same to him. [We had a] common connection – a serious interest in politics — and that was all it took for each of us to take each other seriously when we bleated something out on Twitter.

And really, isn’t that what all of us want when it comes to political discourse? We want to know that others are listening to us. That we will not be insulted, demeaned, or hollered at for what we say about politics in this country but, rather, that our contributions will be considered, debated, and taken seriously...

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Second...Rod Mickleburgh quoting former forest company negotiator Keith Bennett on how he 'got along' with the recently departed Lotuslandian labour heavyweight Jack Munro:

...“We did things that neither his membership nor my membership approved of, but we sure solved a lot of problems….If everybody could have the fights we had, and come away respecting each other and being each other’s friend, the world might be a lot better off.”...

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Don't think there is anything else to say on the subject really.


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Interestingly, despite my political leanings, Rod and I often disagreed. I did however appreciate how straight-up he was with his opinions - no agenda was ever hidden. And I did, indeed, see him change peoples' minds on the Twittmachine....
As for Mr. Akin...While I do not always agree with his journalistic M.O. (although sometimes I do!), I most certainly did appreciate it when he dealt respectfully with me after I briefly fell into the wurlitzer  awhile back.


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