The art of civility and how to debate with stupid people.

I have recently just finished reading George Washington's Rules of Civility.  Much of the advice is applicable today, as it was in yesteryear.  The attack ads recently, and attacks on candidates that go beyond their voting records are out of line.

I have heard a number of LDS people state that if you vote for Romney, you hate the country, and you are voting for Evil.  Who are they to call Romney Evil?  Who are they to attack him as a person, rather than his policies or principles?  I have heard LDS people make the statement about a certain candidate that he will bring forth a marvelous work and wonder.  I have been personally attacked, and I have had people attack and belittle my wife simply because they have disagreed with me.

It is this kind of attitude I wish to address.  Debate is healthy, and I, for one, am glad that not every Conservative agrees 100 percent..  Ronald Reagan stated that The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.  It is important to remember this.  It is important to remember the guy standing next you is also a Conservative, a brother, a friend, an ally.  Just because you differ in the interpretation of the principles of Conservatism, is no reason to begin ad hominem attacks upon their person.

We, as the Conservative people, need to get our act together, and come together.  If we can't Unite on the little things, we sure as heck won't be uniting on the big things.  We need to stop looking for differences, and attacking those differences.  We need to start finding the similarities, and those things that we can agree on or we will be handing Obama another 4 years.

I believe it is time that we put away childish things, and infantile name calling, and start moving this country away from the cliff.  We need to stand together.  This is going to be a reoccurring theme for me, because I want it embedded in everyone that we need to UNITE.

Our nation, and our party are at a crossroads.  The people of the United States are at a crossroads.  We can choose a path of Darkness, Destruction, and mindless bickering, or we can choose the path of Light, Creation, and Unity.  Those are the two choices folks.  You can try to justify finding other options, but in the end, this is what it boils down to.  Do you love this country enough to do the hard thing, and embrace those you don't agree with?

If you feel you are debating with someone that you know won't change their money, walk away.  You're wasting your time, and you're wasting their time.  If you feel the need to name call on someone, walk away.  If you are being personally attacked, just walk away.  STOP FEEDING THE TROLLS.  If you continue to feed these hate mongering, fear mongering people, you only empower them to continue their tirades.  I find ignoring them is classier, and ultimately, more productive.

I am not your enemy.  I am not your nemesis.  I am a fellow Conservative that may, or may not agree with you on everything.  Live with it, and learn to find what we have in common, and I will seek to do the same.  I do not personally attack you, and I ask for the same respect in return.  If you cannot follow these simple directions, please place your head in a toilet, and flush it until you think you can play in a grown up world.  There, you have received a virtual swirly, I hope you have learned something from it.

Love each other, come together, and we'll pull this country out of it's downward spiral, without Unity, we have nothing, and right now our house is divided.  I challenge each and every person that reads this blog to begin a course of integrity, of civility and honor.  To begin living those principles that mean everything to our party.  If it would help, I would personally beg each and every person to get along, to be civil, to remember that we are all Heavenly Father's children, and as such, we deserve to be treated with the respect that Children of God deserve.