You knew that this would provoke people. You have as much as admitted it. The title to this was very unusual, and it would have been what I searched for if I were starting to post it, so I don't quite buy your explanation.
I am asking you to consider the tactics you use, and the company you keep. I think you are better than this. Good night.
I see. So you know exactly what I was thinking and exactly why I did this. Sounds familiar. You don't buy my (truthful) explanation so in other words I am lying.
As I see it, there's two possibilities: Either my explanation is truthful, or I am a liar and my real motivation was, as you said, to divide us all (as if I observed that there is too much unity between the Keyes & Bush factions on FR so I better think of a way to put a stop to that!). You are free to conclude either way, but to be fair I would ask you to consider my conduct here over the past few years before you come to your conclusion.
As for provoking people, provoking whom to what? Maybe provoking people to actually read the article, and demonstrating that you can't jump to conclusions based solely on misleading headlines, hearsay, or mischaracterizations. Maybe next time people will not be so hasty to post responses on threads without actually reading what they are responding to!
Whom have I attacked with this post? President Bush? No. I do not say one bad word about him in my post. Alan Keyes? Nope. At first blush it appears I have accused him, but the cracks about the decoder ring, breakfast drink, etc. are clues to clue in the clueless that this is satire.
Does the Hitler reference offend you? Why should it? Did I liken anyone to Hitler? Bush? No. Keyes? No. Bush supporters? No. Keyes supporters? No.
Face it, the only reason this may have gotten to some people is because they recognized themselves in my satire. I hit a little too close to home for some.
As for reconsidering my tactics, again I repeat, I see no reason to do something like this again. I made my point which needed to be made. But I'll bet we haven't seen the end of the name calling and personal attacks which have occured on this forum for years and from which I have always refrained.
I will continue to support President Bush when I think he's right, and continue to criticize his policies when I think they are wrong. And I refuse to lose my sense of humor and take differences of political opinions personally.
Regards,