Mea Culpa
Maybe this will be a better place to record my observations, maybe in a way that doesn’t seem to threaten some folks. First then, let me apologise to anyone who feels I have ever wronged them.
Feel free to post a comment, as brief or as verbose as you like if you are one of those people.
I am sorry. I am sure I said something nasty to you at some point. I have no excuse for it. I am sure I probably did it intentionally. I was probably trying to hurt you. Ok, I was trying to hurt you, in all likelihood. I truly am sorry. I’m a shitheel like that.
OK, don’t expect the comments section after this initial post to be a church picnic.
Now, on with the show…? I’m hoping it’s cathartic. (Much love to the man who made me pick up a dictionary again!!! Just kidding, that has a disgusting medical meaning. But it makes sense in the psychological usage.)
The Dirtseller 
Hi, Hezekiah! I usually like your comments and find I often agree. And I have wished that we could exchange some ideas more personally. Do you think it can be done here? I have started setting up a blog here, but have not had any time to work on it so far…
Absolutement, mademoiselle! But not in this thread. This is for people to rip into me, and for me to ask forgiveness. I’ll be posting again very soon though. And I’ll shoot you an email so you can contact me directly till then!
I won’t lie, Hez, I am often thoroughly amused by your caustic comments and insults (guilty pleasure of mine). It’s a very good thing to realize that it’s easy to let such things get out of hand. I know I’m certainly guilty of the same. I hope you blog a bit every now and again, I’ve bookmarked your site.
You’re going to hell with me, you know that right? 😉
Thanks for the kind words. I plan to try to post a bit from here on out. But it might not be the sort of thing you enjoy… then again it might. Time shall tell!
No. I don’t want to. It doesn’t make me feel any better to return abuse with abuse. I don’t like that queasy feeling I get when other people try to wound me. I’m with Rabbi Hillel: “That which is hateful to you, do not unto another.” If you abuse me you will get exactly what you want: my silence. You will win the contest of ideas by default. But that’s the point, right? You don’t have to compete in the market place of ideas because you stand at the check out counter with a billy club and a scowl. We get it, don’t dare buy from the other guy. I shouldn’t have to be mean to you to get you to stop being mean to me.
I am sorry you feel abused. Not my intent. I am definitely sorry you decided to shut down. Please forgive me.
Yes. It was your intent. You said so in paragraph 3. I have not shut down. I came here at your invitation to engage you. So I have done so. I am far from shutting. You will have my forgiveness, but first let’s agree what that forgiveness looks like. You call yourself a shitheel and have said that you are awful. Fair enough. If you weren’t a shitheel and awful then Christ would not have needed to die to expiate that awfulness. But you are at the same time wonderful.
Were it not so the God of the universe would not have paid such a high price just to be with you. You are at once both a horrible sinner and a beloved child of God. You do yourself no favors by embracing your identity as the former when God meant for you to find yourself in the latter. God took an awful shitheel full of anger and abuse and placed rings on his fingers and a crown on his head. He killed the fatted calf and rejoiced.
I don’t like conflict or being handled roughly. I am of quiet Scandinavian stock. We don’t do arguments. I felt abused and dismissed by you and wanted you to know it. I wanted you to understand that there are people who are not into verbal shoving matches and you are going to miss out on some fascinating perspectives if you aren’t a little more gentle. But I do forgive you. You are my brother.
Look, are you offended by the post you are responding to here, or the one on Shea’s blog? Because I am getting very confused by what you write. My intent on Shea’s blog simply was not to abuse you. Nor to end discussion. It was to point out that…
Never mind. I am sorry. And the point of apologising and acknowledging my shitty behaviour is in an effort to make amends and do better, not to embrace my shittiness. We come from very different backgrounds. I’m cool with that. Are you?
See, this was originally posted for people I have called morons, idiots, bufoons. People I have accused of wanting to kill the poor. People I have tried to damn to hell. People I have essentially accused of reveling in the blood of the innocent. People I have actually insulted, demeaned and belittled.
Most emphatically not people who got hurt by being told they were prevaricating in defense of a pro-death politician. I may suck, but that was what passes for measured discussion on my end.
I am still sorry my words hurt you. I truly am. But you are emphatically not one of the people I was referring to in THIS post. So what I said in paragraph 3 does not apply to you. I am trying to be as plain and yet sensitive as possible here.
I guess I was confused by the fact that you invited me to come over here indicating that this was for people like me.
Josh,
I saw the comments that aren’t here. Your reaction was normal. I am a poor communicator. This is all my fault.
What I am trying to say is, you aren’t one of the people I was TRYING to offend and hurt. I was misunderstood. But I sincerely take all blame, and I sincerely apologise for offending and wounding you. We Chickamauga aren’t known for being tender or sensitive. Sometimes we do damage outside of our own people without meaning too.
Put it this way, imagine I had a history of driving my car through other people’s houses, on purpose, and I realised it wasn’t right, and tried to fix it. While doing so, i accidentally drove through your house, with no intention to do so, but just because I am a poor pilot. I still owe you for the cost of your house, just like all the others, right?
So I am sorry.
Growing up in a rural area that was dominated by paper mills and aluminum plants I recognize the idea of having lost something. For many months out of my life my father was not working and we did without. All to often your comments take me back to that time, and cause me to think. That is not something I always want to do, but it is necessary. I must be somewhat guilty of what ITM said – I enjoy your comments and have many times mentally applauded you and your intensity. I often search for the words to say and frequently you say them for me. I look forward to reading what you write.
Thank you. If I can give voice to anyone of humble beginnings, durings, or end, Red, yellow,black, or white, then this toil is worth it.
But if you agree with me too much, talk to your confessor or a psychiactric professional! 😉
Hello, Hezekiah! Since I am not without sin, I will cast no stones. We are all works in progress. May the Lord have mercy on us all!
I look forward to reading your blog.
So Hezekiah has a blog. Best of luck with it.
I am sorely sorry for the multitude of times I have let my disdain for your nation morph into disdain for you.
I really hope you might stick around. You can even be to me what I was to Mark’s blog if you’d like.
Think nothing of it. I was a Protestant minister for almost 15 years. You learn not to take things personally.
I have no idea whether or not we’ve ever really fought. Really, I’ve forgotten. I did note that in a recent thread you said you misunderstood me for a long time so I guess it’s likely we did. If you’ll excuse me I won’t dig up old business because I’ve better things to do with my life but if you need it, you have my forgiveness. But honestly, I just forget. On the last day, I hope God’s just as forgetful.
A forgetful God. What a beautiful sentiment. Thank you for your forgiveness, brother. I have called you pretty much everything but a human being. You’re a mensch! A wonky, wonky mensch!
Hezekiah nice one man I will frequent this blog. I always liked what you had to say – REAL TALK!! Besides, I’ve pretty much burned my bridges over at Shea’s place and now maybe I can keep up with some of you folks here.
I’ve got my eye on you. Shea’s not run me off yet so you bear watching. 😉
That said, this isn’t his parlor, but more of a Faro house with an Arkansas toothpick buried in the table. Deal square and you’re always welcome! 🙂
I hope you will not be offended or take it wrong when I say that I’m not really sure who you are and so I am not aware of any burning bridges. Sometimes people think they’ve ticked me off when the reality is I’m just busy and may have totally missed something.