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Angie Finch's avatar

Great civil conversation. Both speaking aloud what many are thinking. Just because you can, does it mean you should? And this is coming from a born-again Christian who also struggles with her tongue. There is a rise of Christian nationalism that is anything but Christ or love. I encourage true believers of the Christ to remember who we are and to walk the talk in Him. Jesus Christ is love. If one calls themself a "Christian" and yet no one sees the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control Gal 5:22 that is NOT Christ. *Keep up the great reports Jeanne. I 100% support the separation of church and state. Big government has no business forcing the Bible or Jesus on our children. Period.

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Charlotte Thomas's avatar

I recognize your anger and hurt. I am not excusing the hateful actions by the radical religious. I am a moderate person and want to support reasonable responses to the unreasonable actions and words of zealots. I don't want you to descend to the outrages of the radical religious people. I am astounded at their hateful words, and I am not sure that it helps you to stoop to their level. So, I hope today is a better day, and tomorrow, for you. I hold you in comforting light.

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Iain Hamp's avatar

I’m pretty sure policing our language around Nazis and those who are enabling them isn’t the way to have less Nazis. So, I’ll be telling them all to fuck off every fucking chance I get, and hoping you fucking get angry enough to do the same instead of worrying about using hurtful words at the fascists. Have the weekend you deserve!

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Charlotte Thomas's avatar

Well, that was helpful. Not. You certainly proved my point about descending to the level of hateful language used by others.

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Iain Hamp's avatar

The fun part is I said every word I said to you in love. Like, I genuinely hope you figure it out before people you love are harmed by these fascists and you are still worried about whether people use naughty language with these elephant-ball slurpers

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Charlotte Thomas's avatar

You might want to review your "love" wording. It's not "naughty" language that concerns me, and you are making inferences that aren't supported. Vulgarity is used when you have nothing else. Rather than attack a supporter of the basic views of the author of these letters. Have the weekend YOU deserve.

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Iain Hamp's avatar

I generally don't make it a habit to police the words of anyone, much less authors I like. I don't doubt you have positive intentions, but in an era where fascism is on the march in America and coming at us fast, policing language is inadvertently helping the fascists.

And listen, I'm coming on strong here because I believe we are in dire, perilous times in this country and coming at *anyone*, even when there is a veneer of kindness coating it, whose writing you would like if it was just more politely written comes across to me as unhelpful at best. But I'll do everything I can to reduce the harm this administration is bringing, whatever meager positive results I can bring about, and that holds 100% true even when they come for people who think it's more important to police someone's word choices than to try to understand why they are choosing them and leaving it at that.

I hope you and yours remain safe and well, and hope you have joy and community you can lean into as things get worse - we'll all need it. But the one thing I won't tolerate is people being intolerant. It's a whole "paradox of intolerance" thing.

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