RMP posted a part of an essay by Roberts who has been attacking the Republicans since at least the middle of Reagan's second term. It was posted on my favorite "far-left" site counterpunch.org, and many of Robert's articles are posted there. Hence, I had already read the whole essay. Nothing new, Roberts has attacked the Bushes since Bush the Elder's day as well as the Republican Party. He is guilty of also attacking the Democratic Party under Clinton. In fact, I have not read a good word out of him, that I can recall, about our government since the early 90s at least.

Then, out of the blue, RMP gets hammered in post after post by the moose. The moose even gets in a shot at everyone who serves or has served in the military. This to RMP, even though the name would imply that Retired Military Patriot has served in the military in the past. Then he goes off to "take a nap" (in LWM fashion) even though it was the middle of the night. Odd.

The reply that RMP gave was one of the classiest that I have read on-line in some time. He reminds all of us that it will take many humans of different minds to save this country, and mindless attacks against those agreeing with us is counterproductive. But it was the way he responded to the attacks, with class, here in a place that is, at times, a cesspool of pissing matches that impressed me the most.

It is worth repeating, he posted; "You just can't abide by strange bedfellows, unless it's a cycle. If our side always rejects everyone from the other side and can't find a way to work together, we are certainly not going to make much progress. Maybe you're too young to remember there was a time in the 60's when legislators' goal was not to fight and stalemate, but to compromise and move."

I read this shortly after meditation on human interactions as I study my personal path. His classy reaction was an epiphany, and I would like to publicly say that I appreciate his actions in this matter. He may have shown all of us a bit of wisdom that we can all use.

Now folks, it is time for us all to realise that mindless attacks on "the other" that you perceive to be your "enemy" simply because of some label is "old politics". I have watched here as some toss off their opinions as if these opinions were fact, and this area does not lend itself to debating large topics due to the nature of the setup of the comments area.

Salon would be well advised to set up a forum area. A real forum were topics could be started, debated, and pissing matched could go on for years. I would not use it, but a few here might blow off a little steam that way.

If not Salon, does anyone know of a good political forum that some here could use?

An apology! You are a bigger man than most here. I congratulate you.

May your bike's tank always be full.

The pentagon papers showed LBJ to be a liar, and a total failure as it relates to the Vietnam war.

Was LBJ a neo-con?

-- NotOrbitBoy

Neo-con? No, he never pretended to be a conservative. He was just an overly ambitious politician who loved the money and power that came with political success. Plus, even his admirers said he was a bully in person.

Did he lie? Yes, as I said he was a politician. But, never forget that he was not by himself. The military establishment wanted a war, and then wanted to "win" after we were in country.

Many lessons for today from that time have gone unheeded. The current "as they stand up, we will stand down" plan is Nixon's "Vietnamization" plan without the attribution. We also had to relearn the lesson that you can not win a war with air-power alone unless you are going to commit total genocide and kill every moving thing.

Oh, and we forgot that invading a country that has never harmed up in any way is morally wrong, politically wrong, militarily wrong, and will bankrupt the country. The last time the Democratic Party even pretended to care about the country's impoverished poor was in those days and these programs had to be put aside in the wake of paying for a major war.

In summation. LBJ did lie, but he was far from the only criminal of that era. If you want a madman, google up Curtis B. LeMay.

Words of a gentleman. Yes, a spot of compassion for a fellow human who seems to be much better than the faux-humans in the administration is good advice.

I hear you and comprehend.

Thanks for posting.

"I post mainly in dead threads and this one seems deader than a proverbial doornail ..."

May I ask why?