Peoria Pundit

Diane Vespa attended Mayor Jim Ardis’s re-election kickoff party and came back with a very newsy post about, with the names of two previously unmentioned candidates for 5th District and City Treasurer. Go read her blog to find out who they are. Full disclosure: Her husband John Vespa is an advertiser.

I thought Diane Vespa and I were friends.

We sometimes disagree on politics. But she gets a kick out of my blog. And I admire her hard word on behalf of students at District 150.

So what do I discover on her site today? This picture:

I have been accused of being biased in favor of certain politicians. I have been accused of being in the employ of certain politicians.

But to be accused of being a candidate for office? I am insulted. Outraged. A tad miffed.

I’d rather be accused of being a pickpocket, or of defrauding senior citizens of their retirement money than be accused of being a politician. OK, maybe that’s not the BEST analogy, but you get my point.

There will be HELL to pay for this post, Mrs. Vespa.

Hell. To. Pay.

Long-time readers know I’m a big Lincoln fan. In fact, it was the disrespect Ron Paul had for Lincoln that prompted me to NOT support the libertarian-minded candidate.

Peoria has a visit from Honest Abe yesterday. I couldn’t attend, but blogger/education activist Diane Vespa attended the event with her daughter. She has a wonderful post about the event.

Kudos to Diane Vespa for her post, “Bringing civility back…”

Fortunately, hosts of forums, blogs, and interactive news sites are starting to realize that allowing this endless onslaught of vitriol damages their work product and stunts their stated objectives- which is often to affect positive change in their community. In addition, it curtails otherwise healthy debate and problem solving, and God knows, we could use some of that right now!

I agree. Look at some of the comments made here. It’s gotten worse as the election nears. It’s not enough to just that the person you are voting for is the best choice. The other guy must be portrayed as a crook, an idiot and/or a war criminal. And if someone dares to disagree with that assessment. Then they deserve any attack you cam make against them.

I believe this happens when people start to think of themselves not as participants in the public debate, but as online warriors for their cause. Here’s the difference: A participant in the debate realizes that sometimes the other guy has something smart to say, so it’s wise to listen. A warrior for the cause wants to shoot down and discredit anything that might lead a reader to vote for the other guy.

God knows I have fallen into this trap in the past, occasionally the recent past. I do not apologize for arguing in favor of positions and candidates I like, but most of the time I end up regretting it when I resort to name calling.

The policy I try to follow here is to state my opinion, don’t make it personal and don’t take it personally when people disagree with me. It would be a paradise for me if my commenters followed that same policy.

Diane offers some good advice and observations.

Here’s mine: If you are joking or joshing around, just as a smiley face. Type a colon or a semi-colon, a small dash and an end parentheses:

Works like a charm

I no longer post such pictures because it is beneath my lofty dignity. But if you want to see some wet-T-shirt action, you need to go no further than this site.