In which I take myself to task and high-five Fred

I have begun several blog entries that remain in the embryonic stage, and I may leave them in the incubator lest they turn into mindless rants. Indeed, I should perhaps just delete them, because in my blog here, I sign everything I write, and I make some effort not to embarrass myself.

But I sometimes go slumming in the world of anonymous discussion, and while I aim to exercise self control even there, I do not always resist the urge to punch someone right in their anonymous nose. I remember some jerk smirking, when California's Proposition 8 was declared unconstitutional, "if I want to marry my right hand, is that okay?" I fired back, "Absolutely. I'll send the Superglue." Or to some guy who says President Obama is pandering to Muslims: "How the hell is a mosque a shrine to mass murderers? I don't know whose backside you're kissing, but whoever it is is blocking your view of reality." I'm not always crude, though. Sometimes I am self-righteous instead, presenting myself as a better American than someone who hates immigrants or as a more enlightened Christian than someone who anonymously consigns other anonymi to the flames of hell.

Now see, one reason I started blogging was to encourage myself to make sense instead of adding to nonsense. It's early weeks yet, too soon to give up.

I also have another mode of anonymous personality: klkt


Instead of being an angry smart ass, klkt + a picture of books sometimes tries to engage people in actual conversations, and it is cool when it works. One common gripe about President Obama's conduct of war is that he "shackles" the military with nonsensical rules, making it impossible for them to go ahead and win a war. I think the "nonsensical rules" have to do with silly things like human rights and limiting civilian casualties, but I could be wrong. So I pushed this very question to "Fred," who said he missed Bush because Obama shackles the military. What exactly has Obama done differently? klkt wanted to know. Well, Fred clarified, maybe not Obama so much as Congress. But again, klkt pushed, what has Congress done exactly? I don't understand the specifics. Fred, to his great credit, replied that "I'll be honest with you, I'll have to reseach that further to give an accurate answer. But I would like to disuss this then. Thx for the intelligent and unemotional conversation." Now that, my dear blog readers, was a real triumph of online discussion and I am proud of myself and of Fred for managing a civil interchange in the midst of the usual mud wrestling.

I might have responded to Fred's initial "i miss bush" by saying, "then throw the other shoe," but that would have been too easy. I wonder if Fred will find any credible information on the subject of the shackled US military? But I should go look it up myself so that if we bump into each other again I will be able to explain my view.