RE: would you vote for this man?

From: Greg Burch (gregburch@gregburch.net)
Date: Sat Aug 30 2003 - 17:04:10 MDT

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    This list has just gone through a paroxysm of anger and hurt over discussion
    of current political issues. Before continuing with this thread, please ask
    yourself whether this is the right forum for discussions of this sort.
    There are literally thousands of places on the net to discuss contemporary
    political issues. Other than those that bear DIRECTLY on the transhumanist
    agenda, this isn't one of them.

    I know it's hard -- I did it myself today; and I'm already very sorry that I
    did. I just got back from a trip to the grocery store and the short time
    away from the house gave me time to think. Nothing I write here about
    current political issues is going to change the minds of anyone who posts
    something that I find so problematic that I'm moved to post on it. The most
    that I get from such a post is the momentary venting of partisan anger. I
    have a blog where I can do that and, if anyone is interested in what I have
    to say about politics, they can go there. I know there's a feeling that one
    must say something, lest what one finds to be an outrageous statement go
    unchallenged. But nothing is really accomplished by that -- everyone knows
    there are multiple sides to the current issues, and nothing is accomplished
    by making a small mark on a scoreboard to note that "here's someone on THIS
    side of the issue."

    I've given up on the idea of encouraging "civil dialogue" on contemporary
    political issues: There will always be people who will push the rhetorical
    heat up beyond what a civil discussion forum can tolerate. Draconian
    policing of the list is a last resort. So let me please enter a plea to
    simply leave off from discussion of the hot-button political and ideological
    issues.

    Greg Burch
    Vice-President, Extropy Institute
    My Blog: http://www.gregburch.net/burchismo.html



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