re: Constructive vs. destructive
I think we've all run across the kind of person who tells you that you need plastic surgery, don't dress right, can't swing a golf club for beans, can't cook like his Mom, drive too fast, and probably could use mouthwash.
When hauled up short on this behavior, the astonished person protests that it's just "honest criticism." He may even really think so.
But you know, at some point it becomes obvious that this person's real motivation is not a desire to improve your life, but to hurt and belittle you.
Great analogy, Tom.
Straight to the heart of the matter. I hope you're not staying up expecting any replies real soon.
It's human nature that people defend their beliefs and the people who they associate with and admire/follow. I was a bit harsher in my reply because I was blindsided by Robert's discounting all of the good debates of the past weeks here. Greg and Don serve as perfect examples of this totally partisan mindset that is unable to rationalize when presented with material counter to their preconceived partisan positions.
This visceral hatred of Bush becomes an edacious blight to their well being, clouds their ability to see the significance for humanity of this Iraq war even though they believe their view is perfectly panoptic.
If Gore was President and he was conducting the war and the rebuilding of Iraq, we would be reading of the great victory for the middle east and prolific praise unending about the "human" suffering he put an end to. He would be invited to tickertape parades and to speak against torture and human rights abuses at all the universities. Countless stories and tragedies would be repeated the same way the mass graves stories were covered in articles about Yugoslavia.
His decisive actions would be exemplary examples of "Presidential Leadership" and his motives never once questioned.
Oh well...the right is trying to open closed minds.
SDAI-Tech1