PW: "I am a veteran of various political forums and I can honestly say I've never come across anywhere quite as full of toxic pustules of hate than this place. It is a testament to the debased lunacy of much of Glenn's constitutency."

One of those statements negates the other. Or at least is evidence of such hyperbole as to render your scribblings essentially worthless.

If you think that THESE forums are the acme of the "...toxic pustules of hate..." to be found on the internet, than you are absolutely NOT "...a veteran of various political foums..."

I don't think you are a troll because you voice opinions with which I disagree. I think you are a troll because I have NEVER seen you agree with any of the substantive points that Glenn has been making on this blog for the past two and a half years.

I don't agree with everything Glenn (or anyone, for that matter) says or writes here. I do find his arguments compelling more often than not, and I find that his writings place priority on principle and humanity in roughly the same ratio as I and I. I believe he has been laying out a rather damning case regarding the corruption of the Bush/Cheney regime. There are many opportunities to disagree with his points, and I have done so on occasion, and will continue to do so when I find it suits my fancy or I think it germane.

But essentially many of your comments here have often boiled down to some variation on the Monty Python "Excuse me I came here for an argument" sketch. You have, to my knowledge, never conceded a single point in many months of "discussion." There is no dialectic, there are only soundbites and talking points, and memes of contrary opinion phrased in such a way as to be as deliberately inflammatory. That is not arguing, that is badgering. It is willfully belligerent. Further, it seems that that is your purpose here - to provoke, annoy, and incite.

Troll: "... someone who posts controversial ... messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response..." (From wikipedia)

You claim to be victimized by others' uncivil responses, when you, in fact, show no respect, and offer no "give" to "give and take." If you would judge the respect accorded to you by the civility your comments engender in response, I would suggest that you get the fuck off the interwebs and go back to a Victorian British Tea Parlor.

Cuss words and angry denunciations are not necessarily personal attacks nor indicators of hysteria or rage. They are an entirely appropriate response to the derailing of a country that we, in fact, love.

I am a recovering drug addict, and have had many people scream obscenities at me in an effort to get me to see the damage and destruction I was causing in my selfish pursuit of the next hit. I do not think that they were swearing at me out of a lack of love and respect.

I would submit that righteous indignation requires ire and outrage. As much as it is a bumper sticker and therefore subject to ridicule, "If you are not outraged, you're not paying attention" is completely true to many of us here.

The collusion of industry with illegal requests from government agencies is not a political weapon to be wielded by one party against another. It is a subversion of consititutional authority by the state against the governed.

"I said Al Qaeda wanted us out of Iraq. That's all I said. They do, and when we leave, they will cast it as a victory for them and the Islamic ascendancy in much the same way it was when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan."

I would just like to say that I have no interest in, and will fight vociferously against, any foriegn policy based on what al Qaeda will or will not claim as a victory.

War is not a political tool.

I am unsure if it was you, and I apologize if I have you conflated with some other resident contrarian, but someone offerred up the phrase "freedom from terrorism" as a justification for some of these excesses earlier in this humungous clusterfuck of a thread. This is not, I would submit, what Patrick Henry had in mind instead of Death.

Torture is unacceptable. The 4th Amendment is not negotiable. All men are created equal - no matter their country of origin. I am proud to be human, and proud to be American, and I will not sacrifice one for the other.

...According to the latest dispatches, though, I've been demoted to Fellow Traveler.

LBJ! LBJ! LBJ! ELL...BEE...JAY!

(There, that oughta restore my former glory.)

Maybe you oughta go work for that Houston branch of Obama's campaign, and dust off all of those old Pro-Castro tee's, banners, and flyers you have gathering dust in an old steamer-trunk somewhere.

I was thinking about it - does this mean that unless I get retroactive immunity for all those library books I never turned in, I don't have to pay my taxes anymore?

Because apparently insurance against litigation for past indiscretions is now government policy to ensure future cooperation with lawful requests.

Just wondering.