Amid thoughts of reconciliation, I have often seen the following:

[The Witch]

Amid the thoughts of reconciliation on the "dismayed conservative" thread and others, I have often seen the following:

"But those guys are not interested in talking to us. They just want us gone. Dead."

"They're not human. They don't have compassion or a conscience like real humans do."

"They've been doing it to us for so long. They don't deserve the benefit of the doubt you're giving them."

Sadly, guys, these are the same arguments the Bush administration has given us for legalizing torture and rescinding habeas corpus rights.

We should not legitimize these arguments by using them.

Do we really want to start arguing the way they have? That A should do it to B but B shouldn't do it to A, simply because we're A and not B?

I know it's really, really tempting. But I would just caution you that I truly think legitimizing these arguments will backfire in the end.

But being a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, I come with solutions. My solution was inspired by someone who responded to one of these posts with Dixie Chicks lyrics.

"I'm not ready to make nice."

That's all you need to say. Talk about how you feel. Talk about what they did. And say, I'm not willing to go there at this time. But don't discount the fact that you're angry. It's not a shameful thing to be angry. But instead of saying "You did this, so you are a bad person and I am justified in whatever I do to you," isn't it far more healthy to say "I'm angry because you did this, so I am not willing to talk to you right now"?

Just a suggestion.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Abe Lincoln Said

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations."

Amen.

[RufusEarl]

2. I do not require an attitude to do my job,

nor do the new Dem's taking office this coming Jan. That said, we have some business that needs attention.

People in this admin have committed crimes against our Constitution, and to many citizens i might add. So i hope the new majority do the job thats necessary and leaves the attitude at home.

[BlackVelvet04]

3. It's a matter of timing......

IMO. People aren't ready and others are pushing the reconciliation thing.

I think those of us who have posted on message boards that weren't "safe" from rightwingers are probably less ready than others.

It would be healthier to just say I'm angry and I'm not willing to talk, but people don't always do what is healthy.

[SPKrazy]

4. Not Ready To Make Nice

Well no shit! I'm not ready to make nice. But I'm not going to dehumanize or objectify cons or neocons either. They are humans (for the most part anyway, a few possible exceptions) we need to prosecute criminals, for those who followed along for whatever reason, we give them a chance.

People I care about have changed their minds over time. I am sometimes ashamed to admit that I was hoodwinked or something into believing that Saddam had something to hide. I felt that he needed to be dealt with by the UN, not Bush's war, but I didn't believe that he had nothing to hide. Now I know the truth. Bush, Cheney, and the rest of them lied out their ass to us about this.

Rummy's gone, he is a narcissistic micromanaging ass who created the Vietnamization of Iraq. If he had listened to his generals he a) wouldn't have gone there; b) if overwhelming evidence had surfaced of WMD he'd have had a lot larger and international force. Instead he went with the army he wanted, not the one he had. How many have and will die because of that?

No, I won't hate, and punish. I will be angry. I'm not ready to make nice. I will gloat. I will push for justice for those who have committed crimes. I am not ready to make nice. In fact I had to download that song from i-tunes just because of your post!