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I think I told you before, but if I didn't, let me say it now, I have great respect for you for serving your country honorably. I have no issues with Psycho-freep, or with you for that matter in regards to your service. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for putting your life on the line for your country and doing it admirably and with great courage.

I am confused as to why the subject of military service ever got thrown into this debate. I guess I missed some posts where things were said that started this whole conversation. My recollection (and I may be wrong) is that someone (Jim?) made a comment about people who betray their conservative values as being treasonous. From what I have read, I think some people (especially some who served their country) took this comment and twisted it around to mean something other than what this poster meant it to be. Jim clearly said he wasn't saying people who supported Rudy were treasonous towards their country, he was talking about betraying the conservative principles that we hold near and dear to our hearts.

I know it is a loaded word, and provocative one at that, but it is important that it be kept in context, because the poster (as far as I could tell) was not saying that those who support Rudy are treasonous towards their country, at least that is now how I understood his words. You and others may not agree with that, and that's fine, but that's how he explained it. I think it is wrong to try to twist his words around to make them mean something different than what he explained.

Here is how dictionary.com defines the word treason:

1. the offense of acting to overthrow one's government or to harm or kill its sovereign.
2. a violation of allegiance to one's sovereign or to one's state.
*3. the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.

I think the third definition is the point that the poster says he was trying to make. Free Republic (Jim Robinson) has been very clear in communicating what he believes this forum represents and the goals it is trying to accomplish. And anyone who would support someone who does not represent the conservative values of this forum should expect to be criticized for it. As Jim said to someone yesterday, "if you can't take the heat, then maybe you need to get out of the kitchen". Like I said before, people on both sides of this issue have been extremely harsh in their rhetoric at times. If anyone has a problem with having an intense debate of this nature, then maybe they should not join in on the Rudy threads, and I'm speaking to those on both sides of the issue. By the way, if you criticize the anti-Rudy people who use words or language that you feel is inappropriate, I hope that you are being equally critical to those on the other side who do the very same thing.

Regarding people who say things like "traitors" or "I spit on you", that is disgusting and uncalled for. Those posters should be banned from here if they are posting comments like that. But I do want to be clear, if the person who called you a traitor because you are willing to compromise or abandon the conservative values that Jim Robinson espouses here on FR, then I guess I would have to say, I understand the sentiments. You have been here at FR since the beginning pretty much, you know how deeply Jim believes in the social conservative values that he promotes here on FR. He, and people like him (me included), do feel a sense of betrayal towards people who are willing to abandon or compromise these principles and support someone who does not live up to those ideals that we cherish and have fought so hard for. Like Jim, it surprises me that conservatives here are willing to compromise their principles for the sake of having a rEPULICAN win the election. I know you have said again and again, we gotta do this so that we get more later. I simply don't agree with that Al, but that's a debate for another time.

If someone called you a traitor and tied it in with your loyalty to your country, that is wrong and should not be tolerated. But if you are saying that it is wrong for someone to call you a traitor because you are willing to compromise your long held conservative principles just to get someone with an r behind their name, then I would say it's fair game. I said it before, and I'll say it again, calling someone a traitor is harsh, it's provocative, and I probably wouldn't think to use that word, but I can't really say I disagree with it in the context that is was used. Anyone who is willing to abandon or compromise the conservative principles that we have fought so hard for all of these years, to me that's the definition of betrayal.

Again, it's all about context, and if you feel that being called a traitor for what some of us view as betrayal to the hard fought conservative principles that cherish, then I guess we aren't going to agree on this, and we'll simply have to agree to disagree. I think it is unreasonable for those of you who have served your country honorably to think that, as you said, "deserve a little better than to be called such names directly or by insinuation". Why should that be if we are talking about betraying conservative principles? What difference does it make what anyone's background is when we are debating something that has nothing to do with your military service? Whether someone served or not, no one should expect special privileges when it comes to debating issues here. I am not trying to dismiss the significance of your service or anything like that, but it seems unreasonable that any debate we have here that we would have to be more "cautious" in what is said to those of you who served in the military. If the issue is related to serving your country, fine, but when it is an unrelated topic, why should this even be brought into the debate? I just don't get that.

Al, I am sorry someone here said to you "I spit on you!" That makes me not only angry, but it hurts me to know that someone could be so insensitive to say such a hurtful, mean and vicious comment like that to you. If this poster wasn't banned for saying that to you I am extremely disappointed. In fact, if that comment is still on this forum I would like to know so I can give this worthless scum a piece of my mind, secondly, I would ask Jim to remove it if it hasn't already happened.

Sorry this has become a long post, I'm sure there will be plenty of criticism about it, but I really do not care. I won't huff and puff as some people have done here and decide to vote for someone else just because my poor little feeling got hurt. That is so lame that anyone would say they are going to vote for Rudy just because of what someone said on this forum. It just goes to show you how shallow, ignorant and gullible many people are here.