Thursday, September 18, 2014

Just Shooting the Breeze With Michelle


Hey, Michelle - how's it going?!

(Rhetorical question, actually; we "chat" with each other most days via Facebook...)

That's how Michelle and I met, folks - on Facebook! In fact, since joining Facebook a couple years back in order to be "in the loop" regarding my then-upcoming 30th high school reunion, I've met a few nice people on Facebook (strangers... when we "met" at least) and reconnected with tons of folks from my past.

Me being me... I mainly chat about politics... social issues... educational issues... military and foreign policy issues... yadda, yadda, yadda...

I also throw out a lot of "likes," enjoy most of the photos, and "banter" with Facebook Friends about everything from recipes to the good ol' days... (Hey... ya remember when...)

(*GRIN*)

But politics IS my passion. Economics... history... science and technology... POLICY issues are my passion.

(*SMILE*)

Hey... that's why I maintain this blog.

The "politics" threads on Facebook... most often they're ignored... at best like-minded people exchange soundbites with each other... but at worst... "political" discussions on Facebook can get nasty.

Part of the problem... (and this is gonna offend more than a few of you)... most folks don't know what the hell they're talking about. They're either under-educated or miseducated... likely a combination of both.

When I'm in a "political" debate I'm in a gunfight. Most folks only bring knives; that's all they have. When I shoot 'em... they tend to get REALLY mad.

A lack of knowledge... weakness in terms of sheer reading comprehension... unchecked emotion... stubbornness... we all bring our hang-ups to social media... but since we ARE talking social media these hang-up often lead to blow-ups.

Right now some idiot family member or another is assuming this post concerns a "family" matter; a "family" blow-up. Nope! Don't flatter yourselves! You're just not that important!

(*GUFFAW*)

No... this post is actually a combined "thank you" to my Facebook Friend Michelle (whom I actually consider a REAL friend) and "invitation" to other friends (Facebook and "Real") to emulate Michelle's recent postings to my blog.

I can be nice! (Michelle... you'll attest that this, right?) 

No... seriously... while I'm never gonna take $hit off anyone, I'll always debate "professionally" - civilly - with both friends and strangers up to the point where the person I'm debating with crosses a line... say... deliberately distorts... lies... starts simply "going off." That I won't tolerate.

Am I a wiseass? Sure... (though I prefer "witty.")

(*WINK*)

Can I be condescending? You bet! (Sometimes simply as a tactic, though... to get my opponent annoyed and thus unbalanced and less likely to "score points.")

TOUGHEN UP, LADIES...! (And that includes you lads wearing panties!)

Michelle isn't my only respondent here on the blog, but other voices chime in infrequently. This saddens me. I consider (truly - I do) Usually Right to be an "educational" tool. Like Drudge, I'm a aggregator... but unlike Drudge... I insert myself into the news I present in such a way as to hopefully EDUCATE people who don't have a firm grasp on the minutia of "politics" and especially POLICY.

I try to amuse. I aim to impart.

(*WINK*)

Those of you who "lurk"... com'on... step into the light! (Even if you do it via "Anonymous.")

Michelle. You may yourself wonder WHY my "in real life" friends don't comment. Truthfully... it's a combination of laziness and fear.

YES... FEAR...

My friends are lawyers... doctors... business owners and so on and so forth. I've talked about this with most of them. They really ARE afraid of being "connected" to Usually Right in the sense of such a "connection" perhaps being used against them at some point in time. (Guilt by association.) (Six degrees of separation?)

For what it's worth, most of my "in real life" friends tend to agree with me more often than not... though perhaps in a more "flexible" fashion.

So... THANK YOU, MICHELLE. Thanks for your posts! Please keep 'em coming.

The rest of you... com'on... GROW A PAIR!

(*GUFFAW*)

And don't just hide behind, "oh, I'm just too busy... too busy to get drawn in to long back and forth debates," just remember... Barack Hussein Obama - President (Dictator?) of the United States - can GOLD for 26 hours out of ever 24-hour day (check the deficit clock for those missing two hours a day); surely YOU can fit in a few minutes a day to comment on at least one newsbite or stand-alone post!


3 comments:

michellez said...

Yup! As you know, my friends rarely RARELY comment on my posts (unless they are pictures or funny life happenings). I asked David this morning, in fact, if he thought it was because they didn't know, didn't care, or were afraid to discuss their thoughts in a semi-public forum.

He suggests a combination of the three. I say any of the three are pathetic, lol. If we FEAR expressing opinions, it's over. If we don't care, it's over. If we don't know and won't be bothered to find out, it's over.

I love your blog, William, and will continue to recommend it. I will also keep praying that people wake up from the everyone is a victim touchy nerve seek to be offended brainwashing of phony liberalism. Even those who snarl at the neoliberals are infected by it. Thank God we used to be a tougher lot or the West would have never been won. Not that it really matters, since most would willfully hand it over to whomever we are ordered to be politically correct and sensitive toward if ordered to do so rather than...stand up like Americans.

;)

Sorry about your family member. You encountered mine doing it to me, too...and it sucks. It sucks when even family tries to dictate our speech. I guess that happened in Nazi Germany, too...we're getting close. Don't get discouraged, buddy.

michellez said...

Oh! And YES you are nice! And willing to disagree and debate and even come to understandings, LOL! You've never offended me, William. I can "read" your good humor and love for knowledge, and it's ENJOYABLE to both talk with and learn from you.

William R. Barker said...

Thanks, Michelle!

(And, Dave... yep... combination...)

BILL

P.S. - And to my friends who read but never post... or rarely post... FOR WHATEVER REASONS...

(*PAUSE*)

That's ok. Just so long as you're always there in REAL life - and I KNOW you are!