General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: In case you were wondering, I AM NOT A FREEPER. [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)people recommended the thread. Happens to me very often. Probably because I recommend a lot of threads. I have even asked myself whether maybe I am exceeding my quota.
Anyway, thanks for reading my post.
There has been so much discussion about FREEPERS and Republicans taking over DU that I thought I should defend myself in advance of any specific accusation.
One way to silence new ideas is to accuse them of being the ideas of the "enemy." That's how it works in totalitarian societies. That is how new ideas, dissent if you will, is silenced.
We don't want to go that way on DU.
I will not, absolutely will not, censor or hide a post simply because I disagree with the political view it expresses. I like the concept that when we express ideas, we should be ready to defend them in an open discussion.
I learn from most of the posts on DU, but very often I have learned the most from posts with which I disagree.
That is because when I have to disagree with a post or defend an idea I have expressed in responding to a post with a different viewpoint, I develop my ability to think and to express myself.
Posts that accuse others of being Republicans, etc. are a waste of bandwidth unless they explain why that criticism is justified.