I am wildly proud of having a diverse and argumentative group of friends. As long as a friend holds their political views because they believe in them faithfully, have reasoned through them fully, and will stand up for them until they’re proven dumb, I try to put the friend before their views.
But that doesn’t mean I can abide hate.
I was reading through National Review while eating my bagel–so I can prepare myself to counter the best arguments of my contentious friends–and I saw this piece of rat slime on the left.
Its easy dismissal of views I hold dear is only the beginning of my irritation with this piece. There are good reasons to be a Republican, to be a conservative. Ads like this demean thoughtful conservatives. Ads like this poison our discourse, encourage people not to compromise or respect others’ views.
My friends who hold extreme views about immigration, Islam, and abortion are the exceptions to my rule because they make up for them in other, exceptional ways. Folks who believe in the spirit of this ad are not my friends.
Inspirational Quote:
“Love doesn’t sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all of the time, made new.”–Ursula K. LeGuin
