I went to City College in Ft. Lauderdale with Lisa. She was about the only persons name I could remember.
I took a shot in the dark and looked her up on Facebook December 1st. Found someone who I thought looked like her and sent a message. She replied asking for more clues and I replied. Soon there after she friend-ed me and it was done.
After some emails back and forth catching up I settled in, happy with connecting with a long lost colleague.
Then came along December 2nd. I thought I would make a comment on her wall, but for some reason she was not to be found. I checked and I was a friend short and sure enough she was gone.
To verify this, I sent her this message:
Dude, did you kick me out of your club?
Was it because you found out that I am a right-wing nut job?
I am not really though, I am just a limited government conservative that believes in people helping people and not government helping people.
If so, I am sad to lose the connection, but it is what it is.
She soon after replied with this message:
I’m sorry, but some of the anti-Muslim comments on your page really offended me. Also the fact that you call the president “dear leader’, but refuse to actually listen to him speak. He’s not my favorite person right now, but I listen to his speeches, just like I listened to every single one of Bush’s. I’m afraid that I just can’t tolerate people that don’t pay attention and form their opinions based on their own inner beliefs rather than fact.
Your right wing beliefs I’m cool with, but your celebration of judgement and bias without due diligence I am not.
Before I could offer a rebuttal, she had completely cut off any ability I had to reply. For if she had not been so quick to judgement and bias without due diligence, she could have realized that I am on the internet just about every waking hour, reading my political blogs, news sites and listening to streaming audio of talk show through out the day. Some might call it an obsession.
So I thought I would offer my rebuttal here and reply as I would have if she had not cut me off.
Here goes;
I’m sorry, but some of the anti-Muslim comments on your page really offended me.
- These comments are not mine but of commenter’s on my page. I don’t agree with them but I am not about to censor the speech of someone else. Those are their beliefs and not necessarily mine.
Also the fact that you call the president “dear leader’, but refuse to actually listen to him speak. He’s not my favorite person right now, but I listen to his speeches, just like I listened to every single one of Bush’s.
- I do refer to him as ‘dear leader’ for obvious reasons, but I do listen and read all of what he has to say. I just choose not to do it during my prime time TV time.
I’m afraid that I just can’t tolerate people that don’t pay attention and form their opinions based on their own inner beliefs rather than fact.
- If only she had been a little more tolerant and was not so quick to judge based on her own inner beliefs rather than fact, we could have remained friends.
It is what it is though.
Maybe one day if she every reads this, we can reconnect and try again to be friends who don’t necessarily agree.
If I only allowed friends on Facebook that agreed with me, needless to say it would be me and a couple of other folks.
I like people that don’t agree with me. It makes for some stimulating conversations.
