However, you don t get to ridicule people for their sexual preferences because their ideology is self – defeating.

Let’s look at Curmudgeon’s statement again: “…gay Republicans are ripe for ridicule…” and dissect it for its meaning:

Curmudgeon didn’t say that gays are ripe for ridicule, he said that gay Republicans are ripe for ridicule; this suggests that it is the combination of “gay” and “republican” that is risible. Now let’s think on this a moment and ponder the reasons why the idea of a gay Republican may seem ridiculous to some.

Which political party has been campaigning for the Marriage Amendment banning same-sex marriage?

Which political party has twisted the concept of equal rights for gay, lesbian and transsexual individuals into “special rights”?

To a large extent, of what political stripe are the many politicians who have spoken out against equal rights for gays, lesbians and transsexuals?

To which political party does the current President–and champion of the Marriage Amendment–belong to?

The answer to all these things is: The Republican party.

I realize it is difficult to convey tone of voice in writing, but I think the  with& well, construction conveys very well the sense that Mehlman might spend with either sex, or that the gender of the people he spends time with is not clear.

I’ll grant you that using certain words conveys a certain tone. How you can tell that the tone referred to the sex of people that Mehlman might spend time with is between you and Freud. My interpretation was a straightforward one: I assumed that Mehlman, after being voted out, may not have a lot friends (of any sex) to spend time with.

But I don’t find the logic convoluted when added to a previous comment that “the sarcasm was duly apparent, and your writing shows you to be too plugged into current events to not have heard the rumor mill.”

Secondly, yes you can “ridicule a person if their ideology is self-defeating” (assuming, of course, that ridiculing a person is important). However, you don’t get to ridicule people for their sexual preferences because their ideology is self – defeating. I’m pretty sure that if he is gay, and if he chooses to be a Republican, he has what he considers to be good reasons, as a gay choosing to be a Democrat would have.

I might say that it is foolish (ridiculous?) for a gay person to be a Democrat, but that doesn’t mean I get to make fun of him because he’s gay.

See? No remarks about civil discourse — even thought the remark about flapping gums served no useful purpose, now did it?

possibly explain the convoluted logic path

Arab Americans see bigotry behind ports uproar

Mehlman would be told to send more time with& .well, whoever Mehlman spends his time with.

How is this statement a slur on Mehlman’s sexual orientation?

You can ridicule a person s sexual orientation, if (and, I suppose, only if) you don t approve of their ideology?

No. You can ridicule a person if their ideology is self-defeating. Once again Frank, if there is a way to misunderstand and misconstrue a topic, you’re right there flapping your gums ad infinitum.

(I know, I know, I’ll brace myself for the requisite admonitions about civil discourse, blah blah blah…Go on, I’ll wait.)

“this case shows that even Democrats are willing to tolerate reasonable and measured discrimination (i.e. different situations call for different actions) in the interest of national security.”

Funny, no?

Actually, it’s a joke. And the joke will be on you when your taxes keep getting raised in order to pay for my “entitlement”, and nothing will be left for you.

It will destroy itself. Keep your heads in the sand.

(Said the ant to the grasshopper.)

Forgiveness is my business. What is sad, though, is that as I mentioned Swann wins only if Rendell is found in bed with a dead boy. And even then, it’ll be close.

Blackwell also may not be the GOP nominee. If he survives the primary, he’s still a longshot.

And let’s be clear, SF, it isn’t rumor and I didn’t bring it up. You did.

D*mn. Then, we’re double dipping. If we dismantle the “security and economic stability of the country as a whole”, why are we messing around with the subset of social security. Destroy the economy and that will take care of social security. What were we thinking!! I’ll get word to Mr. Rove. We may, ahem, have to have one of our evil master strategists take a little hunting trip with the Veep.

Dugger,

Light glinting disconcertingly off his glasses, Cheney pushes two shells into his shotgun and turns: “Is it safe? Is it safe?”

But just keep saying it.

“There is no crisis!”

Personally, I believe every single “closeted” GOP’er should be outed as soon as possible. They don’t deserve the protections that privacy avails them.

Making fun of a potential hypocrite like Melhman doesn’t make someone a defacto bigot, as much as the right would like to believe. What *does* make one a bigot is privately, or publically supporting the systematic dismantling of equal rights for American citizens based solely on sexual orientation.

That’s the GOP platform, not ours.

Amen. You can smell the flopsweat coming from empty suit Steele. Having a civil war within a campaign that is losing doesn’t bode well for Mikey.

That explains why Steele is in a state of paralysis–he’s failing to weigh in on an issue that is very big in Baltimore—a county he must win if he hopes to have a chance.

For those unfamiliar with MD politics–the facts are very simple. Any candidate for statewide office must win the big three counties: Prince Georges, Montgomery, and Baltimore. No ifs, ands, or buts. The candidate can lose all of the remaining 38 MD counties but if he doesn’t win those 3–that candidate loses.

Right now, Steele has exactly zero chance of winning Montgomery and he has slim to no chance in Prince Georges and Baltimore.

So when a hotbutton issue affecting Baltimore–the UAE contract–comes up and Steele doesn’t even acknowledge it, he is, for all practical purposes, giving up on winning Baltimore.

Without question, when Mehlman was given the job of RNC head one of his primary objectives was to get a black GOPer elected somewhere.

Funny jade. I thought governorships of the 6th and 7th largest states were “somewhere”. Please forgive me.

And you DID suggest it. How else to read “whoever Mehlman spends time with”? The sarcasm was duly apparent, and your writing shows you to be too plugged into current events to not have heard the rumor mill.