Introduction

The title is somewhat deceptive.   Fact is, however, many find my writing offensive, and react accordingly.  It is not my intent to offend; it is my intent to exercise my right to express myself — my thoughts, ideas and opinions – a right that most take for granted.  Others don’t mind, as long as they agree with those thoughts, ideas and opinions.  There is hell to pay when they do not.   What follows the disagreements are tirades of unreasoned garbage and personal attacks, often fraught with foul language and bad grammar, of which I pray none (or scant few) will be found here.  

This is my blog.  These are my thoughts, ideas and opinions unless quoted and cited appropriately.  I have no desire to apply the Melania principle to this blog, so there will be no snatching or sampling of another’s content.  And since this is my blog, the use of phrases like I think and in my humble opinion are unnecessary and will be avoided.   Assume that these are my opinions unless, as indicated above, they are quoted and cited appropriately.  

The goal here is not offend, but to engage.   We are more alike than we are different.  Still, it is okay to be different – to act, speak, look and think differently.  Having a different opinion does not require personal attacks on another, or the use of foul language to get one’s point across.  My hope is to engage others in a civilized discourse, something from which I learned that it really is okay to agree to disagree without resorting to disrespectful, coarse, crude, foul or reprehensible behavior or language.  

Let’s see how different we are — and amidst that, how alike we are.