[Luis Gonzalez]

"...who should know better but have allowed their usual common-sense conservatism to become waylaid by over-focus on the legal aspects of the matter."

What a pompous ass. When did you get elected the arbiter of conservative thinking, and did you check with TLBSHOW before stealing "the gift"?

I need to remind you that observing "the legal aspects" of a legal situation and acting on those legalities rather than raw emotional content is much more in line with conservative thinking than acting on your "feelings" about an issue...that's usually liberal territory.

"I say that line-up deserves Freeper respect and support."

Since someone else already brought this up, which side of the lined-up FReeper did you "respect and support" during the Elian Gonzalez controversy? Either side you pick will have some FReepers telling you that you did not take the "conservative" stance.

"On the other side we have the ACLU, militant gays, secular leftists, and a handful of senior Freepers"

In other words, belittle and demean anyone who doesn't think as you do...that's the American way...according to the Clintons anyway.

"Now I am asking you guys to suppress your concerns, to go with the collective view"

That's right, who needs independent thinkers anyway, they don't make for good "conservatives" as far as you're concerned.

[lugsoul]

It is actually pretty pitiful that this guy repeatedly claims he cannot "acknowledge God" without a two-ton rock. Funny, I still haven't found where Jesus requires giant monuments in order to acknowledge one's faith.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

You've missed my point.

It's bigger than the pros and cons of this issue. What we have here is a bunch of people who are passionately concerned about the way America is heading, and their response is to jump in the car and head on over to the courthouse to let their feelings be known. Meantime you've got a handful of dilittantes and intellectuals back here undercutting their efforts in an elitist, almost sneering way. Forget posting excerpts from Madison's writings, Luis. This is about action, not debate. About rolling up your sleeves. Ask yourself not what interpretation should be placed on some Founder's tangential writings on the subject- rather, what would the Founders themselves have done?

You know they'd all be in Moore's corner, don't you?

[reasonseeker]

I vascillate between thinking that liberals or conservatives are the most guilty for trying to impose their collective wills on individuals. The thing is, since liberals, in principle, embrace collectivism, and conservatives, in principle, reject it, then it seems that conservatives are being more hypocritical for advocating collectivism when it suits their religious agenda.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..I need to remind you that observing "the legal aspects" of a legal situation and acting on those legalities rather than raw emotional content is much more in line with conservative thinking than acting on your "feelings" about an issue...

PS you are stifling your potential to affect change, by adopting those restraints. I think a day in the devil suit would do you a heap of good. Cheers, By