[Polycarp]

Voices of moderation are always telling the Republican party to stop their infighting.

I agree that a certain degree of debate and discussion are essential in the current crisis. But this nuke 'em till they glow approach is reprehensible and inexcusable.

We can disagree and take polar opposite positions, but do it with charity and humility and patience.

The vitriol and insulting polemics are the result of personal pride and ego and despair replacing charity and humility and hope and faith.

it is pointless to engage in the politics of personal destruction across the battle lines the integrists and neocons have drawn.

Neither side can win using such tactics. And the Church loses.

And when the Church "loses," souls are lost for eternity.

That is why I rarely engage Ultima Ratio and HDMZ on these threads, except for a brief occasional exchange.

[ultima ratio]

Personal destruction? Can't you see this is itself a personal attack, inasmuch as it is false? I challenge you--show me where I've ever gotten personal. I think I have tried heroically to restrain my animus and stick to arguments at hand even when I have been on the receiving end of a lot of anger, bile, abuse, etc. You, like many others, confuse my criticism of the papacy or my hard-hitting rebuttals with unfair attacks. But I have never gotten personal with anyone. If I have, I will publicly apologize. But the fact is, I haven't.