At 09:46 PM 9/22/2002 -0500 Dan Minette wrote: >Actually, I think you missed the real unwritten rule. It is assumed, by >most folks here, that it is a truism that anyone with any political power >at all is fair game for any criticism.
I find this to be a curious moral standard. First, this moral standard does not comport with my view of Christianity, which does not distinguish between gossip/insults of public and private figures. I would be surprised if this moral standard comported with your view of Christianity. Moreover, I don't think that my moral views on this subject are necessarily uniquely Christian, and I would be surprised if many of the non-Christians on this List truly felt that anything whatsoever could be said about public figure. Additionally, this moral standard that you are proposing does not comport with legal standards of libel and slander, which expressly identify that *some* things cannot be said about certain people - *especially* public persons. So, let us be clear about exactly what Kat said. She said that President Bush is rallying the nation to war, and by definition sending some people to their deaths, for personal political and economic gain. This is morally indistinguishable from murdering to steal somebody's wallet. In other words, she has accused President Bush of engaging in one of the most evil and heinous acts imaginable. Moreover, she has done this, when by her own admission, she has not kept up on the situation. Even if these statements do not rise to the legal standard of libel, it is conduct completely unbecoming of a moral and civilized individual. Moreover, the statements are certainly not above criticism, and quite frankly, asking her if she felt guilty for making a grievous insult regarding a stuation of which she is admittedly ignorant, is quite simply pretty mild, diplomatic, and polite compared to the flame war that could easily have ensued. >The worst things you can say about >Bush are probably true. Finally, if you seriously believe that above statement, and I find it nearly impossible to believe that you do, then it may be that we simply have no common ground on which to pursue this discussion. The accusation that Bush is precipitating a war out of his personal political and economic interest is a lot of things, but "probably true" is not one of them. JDG - Who, just for the record, is taking this kind of insult to the man he votes for personally. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
