Sly Move or Honest Mistake?

[Have At You]

Your line of argumentation feels very much like a straw man being set up so that we liberals ignore the much more insidious threats to the American way of life that ardent conservatives like you poise.

What gets me about liberals (and I think of myself as one, though my politics pretty much infuriate both camps) is that they're always on about "dialogue" and free speech and open discussion... but the second someone opens their mouth to say something contrary to liberal orthodoxy, they're shouted down, threatened, denied a forum, or otherwise silenced if the liberals have any say in the matter. Not a new phenomenon, it's been like that for decades. But the "intolerant" conservatives have always seemed to me most open to at least allowing others to speak their point of view.

An interesting conundrum, and one which makes me wonder which is the more insidious threat -- the liberal bent towards shutting down free speech, or the conservative bent towards condemning the speech of others after it's been said.

[Phaeton]

Why do I get the exact opposite feeling of the situation?

I'd argue anyone who does that isn't a liberal. It's like the "We're Christians too" and the "Hell no, Die Cathar!" phenomenon. They may say they are liberals, but I think the majority of us reject them.

Kind of like Bill Maher and being libretarian...

[TrainingDummy]

Take the "political compass" quiz, maybe then we can agree on common terminology.

[daeceg]

What gets me about liberals (and I think of myself as one, though my politics pretty much infuriate both camps) is that they're always on about "dialogue" and free speech and open discussion... but the second someone opens their mouth to say something contrary to liberal orthodoxy, they're shouted down, threatened, denied a forum, or otherwise silenced if the liberals have any say in the matter. Not a new phenomenon, it's been like that for decades. But the "intolerant" conservatives have always seemed to me most open to at least allowing others to speak their point of view.

An interesting conundrum, and one which makes me wonder which is the more insidious threat -- the liberal bent towards shutting down free speech, or the conservative bent towards condemning the speech of others after it's been said.

Umm...what liberals are shutting down conservative voices? Have you ever watched "HANNITY & colmes"? Who's shutting who down? And then there's Phil Donahue getting canned and replaced with a right-winger...

[Slim]

Umm...what liberals are shutting down conservative voices? Have you ever watched "HANNITY & colmes"? Who's shutting who down? And then there's Phil Donahue getting canned and replaced with a right-winger...

Yeah, right on. Here's a good example of those right-wing capitalist creditors that have conspired to shut down the voice of the progressives.....

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/13/D8KNVB6O0.html

[Slim]

What gets me about liberals (and I think of myself as one, though my politics pretty much infuriate both camps) is that they're always on about "dialogue" and free speech and open discussion... but the second someone opens their mouth to say something contrary to liberal orthodoxy, they're shouted down, threatened, denied a forum, or otherwise silenced if the liberals have any say in the matter. Not a new phenomenon, it's been like that for decades. But the "intolerant" conservatives have always seemed to me most open to at least allowing others to speak their point of view.

An interesting conundrum, and one which makes me wonder which is the more insidious threat -- the liberal bent towards shutting down free speech, or the conservative bent towards condemning the speech of others after it's been said.

You mean you cant decide if censorship and being denied opportunity for open discourse is more of a threat than free speech?

Threat to what? Liberal ideas? Hmm....maybe you're on to something,