I'm highly suspicious of anyone who uses their military service as a club to beat down people who disagree with them. It seems to me there are a few of those kinds of people who are well liked and respected Mudcat members. So be it.

I also am highly suspicious of Big Mick in this case because of his tendency to make a fuss about how everyone should be thanking him for his military service in Vietnam, then when Wellstone is killed, makes a fuss about what a great man Paul Wellstone was, and then when a Veteran's Day memorial thread is begun in his honor, doesn't even know enough about Wellstone or veterans groups, to know Wellstone's national reputation among veterans of all wars. And then has the fucking audacity to come into the memorial thread, claiming all kinds of "liberal credentials" and in essence says "how dare you attempt to honor Wellstone of Veteran's Day! Wellstone isn't a vet!"

To me, that shows a real meanness of spirit that veterans I know, most certainly don't share. By contrast, Joe Offer's spirit is the one I am most accustomed to encountering among vets.

What I had to say to Big Mick in the Vet Cop thread stands, and bears repeating in this thread, considering this is what will remain in the archives. Here it is, slightly edited to make it understandable in this context:

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Big Mick is a very proud man. I disagree with many here, obviously, that pride is an admirable trait. IMO, in this instance, pride has eclipsed reason in Big Mick's attempt to justify revenge upon someone who dares to disgree with him on the way we honor veterans. One of the many problems I have with that is vengeance has no foresight. Retribution often means that we eventually do to ourselves what we have done unto others.

I understand why certain personality types engage is this behavior. It is because nothing could be more soothing to a man's pride, than the conviction that, in taking vengeance on his so-called "enemies" (in this case anonymous guests) for what he, in his paranoia, believes is an injustice done him, he has simply to retributively exact vengeance in return.

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I am the guest who said that. I am the guest who started this thread. I am the guest who started the Courage of Your Convictions thread. I am the guest who started the Kerry Speaks at Wall Veterans Memorial thread. I am the guest who gave copious information on the Wellstone death and the 13 days that followed in a number of Wellstone threads, some started by me, some started by others.

That, Big Mick, is who I am.