It's NOT ok to hate them!

Say what? *Looks around for a troll* Hmmmm? Speaks quietly so trolls can't hear or is that writes slowly so trolls can't read what is thought... *Looks around again* Shhh! Be wery careful, we're hunting wabbits today, they look like trolls...

Thanks for this, excelent thread. And an EXCELENT opotunity for me to repeat my mantra. They (politicians) WANT us to hate each other, they WANT us to be divided. It's what the whole left/right thing is about. They want us to see things only in those terms, put us in those little red and blue boxes and teach us that the other side is the "enemy". When in truth the REAL enemy are those perpetuating that divide, the politicians. The real war isn't between left and right, conservatives and liberal, democrats and republicans, it is btween people and politicians and they know, that if the american public ever figures that out in mass numbers, they're done for.

Free speech is what it is freedom to speak your mind, does not mean I want to listen to it. Now you can hate someone and still allow them to speak their mind, or in our circumstances write our minds. Take for instance someone who is going to praise laws that would force me to change my life so I conform to their standard of life style, I am going to have a hard time in loving them. Yet they still have the right to spew their garbage.

hi angry kittymsv wow you are such an excellent writer and have a way of making things so clear.I try but get snarled up in all the anger and everything going on now about all these various political issues. You make your point well and thats the same point I think Mylot emphasizes. that we allrespect each others viewpoints.we cannot all'expect all of our friends to agree on alltopics with us.we each one are unique, and too it makes it much more enjoyable if we do not allagree. oh sure we would like it a lot if our friends all thought the same way, but still it would get really boring too. I agree with all you have sAid, and feel the same way only you have more of a gift for writing than I do,.thanks for a great discussion.

that reminds me of something voltaire said "i may not like what you say but i would give my life in order for you to be able to say it"

Thank you for this post, it is so refreshing to hear this said and you have expressed it so much better than some of my attempts! I am finding, having moved to America from England, that whereas I was possibly more conservative in England, over here I am often considered Liberal in a conversation because I have certain views on various things, health care being just one example. I don't particularly put a label on myself,I just believe what I believe and honestly sometimes I fit into both camps depending on what the issue is. So all this lumping in together - you are conservative and you are liberal and we must hate each other because we don't agree stuff is really ridiculous. Sometimes someones stance on something, for example if they are very racist or such, can be offensive, or people can express things in a rude and nasty way, but on the whole, we don't have to agree on the issues to have mutual respect as people. I am a Christian and when I was doing drama at college, one of the teachers I most admired and who I was inspired so much by happened to be an atheist. He used to sing 'Jesus wants me for a sunbeam' every time I came into the room, but he came to see, and helped me put together, my degree piece which was written from a Christian point of view and performed in churches. I hugely disagreed with some of his views, but I thought he was fantastic and we had some very honest and very funny chats! I think you bring up an essential point, thanks.

You choose a name like AngryKitty... huh... I personally find liberals amusing... when their not in power...lol Seriously when we are talking about the liberal way which is government taking everything over giving us no choices, and no where to run... yet the conservative way (not identifying any person many who just pose as one) wants less government and give us more freedom to choose and oh yeah not bankrupt our children... then I can see how some can be filled with hate. As for Non-American... well I'm starting to see that to be American is to be free and the word Liberty and America go hand in hand. One party wishes to take away Liberty and replace it with Tyranny whether it is with good intentions or not then that I would say is un-American.

Bravo, Kitty! Someone recently posted a discussion here about "Why Conservatives HATE Liberals" and I found it to be very sad. I gave a bit of a sarcastic response but I certainly KNOW there are more conservatives with your attitude than with that poster's just as there are more liberals like me than the hateful kind. Unfortunately, hate and mean-spiritedness isn't limited to any political ideology, in fact that trait in a person has nothing to do with their political opinions. I grew up in a family where heated political discussions were part of our daily routine, with each other and with friends of relatives who visited, but there was no hate or anger to be found. Therefore, I'm just like you in that some of my favorite people have totally opposite views from mine on many issues including politics. They're just our OPINIONS and they're shaped by different things in our background and experiences. ABSOLUTELY, I can admit things have gotten very ugly lately and both sides have played a part in the ugliness. I wish everyone could learn something from the events of the past week regarding the late Ted Kennedy. I know some on the right didn't like him at all and certainly disagreed with him on many issues. I think we can all admit he made some serious mistakes in his lifetime. However, seeing and hearing the stories from so many people from both sides of the aisle who loved him and were loved by him despite their differences should show us all that there's a lot more to a person than their political affiliation or opinions. I'm afraid it's not happening as much today with the younger Senators and Congressmen and women but there have been many strong friendships that have lasted for three or more decades between people who argued and debated bitterly on the floors of the Capitol by day and got together with each others' families after their work was done and offered friendship and support to each other through good times and bad. To answer your question, free speech should absolutely apply to everyone whether they agree with me or not! I DO, however, believe fervently that with freedom comes responsibility and everyone from both sides should try to avoid saying things that may spark violence against someone. I know there's no way to enforce that, it's just something I wish everyone would think about before they speak. Annie

I think most people will agree with you that free speech is for everyone and it includes the freedom to say things you don't like and don't agree with. I am not sure they will all agree that rating marks will be doled out with such equity, but they will agree that you have the right to speak your mind. Hate is a strong emotion and often people use the word hate when they really mean that they find someone disagreeable or that they dislike them intensely. I don't dislike people for their views. Most people hold the particular political views they have out of a sense of right and good conscience. They truly believe that their position is the right one, their candidate is the best choice. Obviously, those with opposite positions feel the same way. I think that if you truly believe in your position, then the best way to promote it is to use facts and logic to support your position. It's not often people change their minds, but it happens occasionally. In any case, if you believe something to be true, you have an obligation to speak it out. Maybe in discussing and debating, you might find they change your mind. Never happened to me... but it's possible... However, there may sometimes be people who gravitate towards certain political philosophies out of hatred or anger. They still think they are right to believe as they do, but generally they cannot be civil or polite in discussing politics and the hatred they feel comes out in their words. Those are the kinds of people that it's not worth using your right to free speech to bother responding to. They won't believe you have the right to speak your opinion and it's not worth subjecting yourself to their venom.

Hmmm...Now I know why I like you, we share a lot of common ground. I try not to lump conservatives into one big group and I know that I have and 99% of the time it's because I've had it with the discussion I'm stuck in and don't think carefully about the words I use. I don't hate anyone until they give me a good reason and sometimes I'm not smart enough to listen to myself and continue hating them. I let them say their sorry and move on LOL There are good liberals there are bad ones just like there are good conservatives and bad ones. And, what people fail to realize is that the BAD ones don't represent the whole! I always have to stop my husband when he gets on a rant about conservatives and say "did that conservative actually do that to you or did another conservative do that to you". He stops then LOL Everyone should be able to say what they want as long as it doesn't infringe on other's rights for safty and whatnot. I like when people don't agree with me because if they are RESPECTFUL they may give me a whole new look at the issue.

It's hard for me to believe that a difference of opinion would cause anyone to hate. That's just too extreme. But, on the chance you're right and there are people who hate just because the other person has a different opinion, how does one control what is considered an emotion?

I think you have said this better than most people. An opinion is " a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter". We are all entitled to that. The line gets crossed when someone tries to enforce their opinion, that may differ from yours, on to you, in an untactful way. Just because we do not agree with someone, does not give us the right to think they don't have a clue. In fact, when you have an open mind, opinions should be well received. It is when you are closed to the ideas, thoughts, and opinions of others that it is not well received by anyone. Why ask me my opinion if you are closed to the possibilities of both sides?

That's part of Freedom of Speech and saying it direct, most specially when the truth hurts. People will judge like you hate this and that even though you knew your heart that you simply don't agree on something. arguments are battle with each person speaking for what they believe in. as long as you don't start naming names and insulting each other, that's fine...obviously some wanted to take it's toll when they started becoming emotional and sensitive...we are individual with different views.....