Well, Jeri, BB has a worthy point. He is not, per se, necessarily defending Ann Coulter or her views. He is merely suggesting that stooping to the crass level of calling someone a "slut", for example...on account of her unpopular political opinions (however wacky they may be and however repulsive they may be to you)...is not a worthy tactic. Discussing and refuting the actual issues she espouses would be a worthy tactic.

The personal attack mode is a tactic, in fact, which suggests that one is oneself about as bad as the people whom one is reacting against. Not as bad in a political sense, necessarily...just as bad in terms of sinking to the level of launching vicious personal attacks against individuals rather than dealing in matters of substance.

It also suggests that there is no effort required for "us" (the good people) in presenting any kind of rational or coherent response to those we have a visceral hatred for...because they simply don't deserve it. Therefore we are free to act against them in any hateful way that suits us, and without guilt or responsibility.

That sounds just like the Zionists and the Islamic Jihadists to me. Each is totally armoured in their own sense of self-righteousness, moral entitlement, and past martyrdom...each is utterly blind to the fact that they are as bad and destructive in their behaviour as the very people they are fighting against. Each is going down the road to the same perdition, metaphorically speaking, because they each totally lack the ability or the will to see a common humanity in the other.

Coulter acts like that, doesn't she? Well, if we act like that in response to HER, then how does that make our conduct any better than hers? And should we not be ashamed to sink to that level?

Or are we just too GOOD to ever feel any need to engage in some honest self-observation and an admission of our own tendencies toward emotional violence? If so, we are basically unconscious of ourselves, and we are then potentially quite dangerous people given certain circumstances.