I'm sorry if I'm intimidating to you because intimidation is hurtful to individuals and I do have a caring side. It is not my intent.

However, nobody can intimidate you unless you allow them to. I can say the exact same words to someone secure in themselves and they would view it as a spirited debate.

If you sense a particular aversion by me to Tom you are entirely right. It has nothing to do with his choice of political ideology. It is because he is a master manipulator and you are one of his victims. Let me explain why I believe this.

Tom is an extremely bright individual and comes off on here as a master of data, facts, and minutia. In my opinion it's a cover for something much more devious. Tom's ultimate goal is not to educate but instead to force people into his realm through manipulation of the human mind mostly through fear and appeals to the traits within us that societal evolution tends to blunt.

Jody, I know this because I possess this ability as well. My blunt and sometimes brutal honesty on here could easily be replaced with obfuscation of facts, looking for weakness in people and exploiting them, and downright dishonesty. I am a masterful liar if I want to be and if I chose a profession as a used car salesman could manipulate customers to buy whatever I wanted them to. I choose not to use these skills because I don't have to Jody. The truth is an empowering thing to me. I seek no power or wealth. I'm not afraid of anyone or anything. Muslim fanatics don't worry me anymore than Southern rednecks.

I see those same tactics with Tom as he deals with the different personalities on here. Watch the difference in styles he uses. Watch his choice of words. Look at how he almost never acknowledges the points made by his opponent (except if he's talking to Mary Anne who I've always suspected he had a huge crush on). When you dig deeper you find that the stuff he puts out is utter propaganda. The links he provides, if you look into the source, are sponsored by right wing think tanks and political action groups. When he does provide an "unbiased" source such as governmental agencies, he conveniently leaves out the fact that these agencies are controlled by the current administration and that there truly is a bias if the providers of this info want to keep their jobs. He also omits any data that would counter his own assertions. It sounds calm and respectful to you but my contention is that dishonesty and quiet manipulation is the worst form of battery. I'd rather have someone scream the truth at me any day to someone calmly lying to my face.

This election has opened my eyes in a way that I never imagined because I've found "Toms" within my own family and circle of friends, people that should have the intellectual ability to have a reasoned discussion of issues and qualities of the candidates and yet I've heard terrible and possibly racist things from them that have left me with real doubts about whether these people cross the ethical line where they can no longer be part of my life. What you hear out of me in this election that you view as intimidating is the anger that's being brought out from this discovery. I knew racism and bigotry existed within the illiterate and redneck classes of this country but I'm aghast that I see it in people that I shared a bond with.

Jody, if you and I end up on the opposite side of an issue because of reasoned discourse I will respect your decision and fight for the right for you to have it. However, if I see you falling prey to out and out distortions from manipulative people and sense your decision is not because of logic but because of victimization and the need to get along, I will strongly challenge you.

And by the way, don't congratulate me if Obama wins. Congratulate the American public. They made it happen by waking up to what they should have seen 8 years ago.

Art