RE-BIRTH MANIFESTO

Nothing like like being on the road to Palm Springs California, meeting family you have not seen for 25 years, and talking to your girlfriend about the future. A great weekend to reflect on things.

Words really are powerful. Words are as useful to convince, convey and heal, as they are efficient in wounding, demeaning and handing out injustice. In the short time I've been participating in this relatively new media form, I've learned that you can't convince anyone entrenched in their own beliefs to change, no matter how salient the argument. I've learned you can hurt someone by your thoughts, no matter your intent not to do so. I've written some postings tongue-in-cheek but the theme has not translated too well to some. I've done opinions intending to bridge two views and both sides have called the cavalry. Lastly the deepest lesson has been reading how much people care about things that are barely a blip on my radar screen.

President Lincoln said that you can't please everybody all the time. That is a universal truth-pain here in bloggerland. Everybody has a point/counter-point/argument/disent to almost everything they read. It is the dawn of the age of Bull-hornus Maximus. The ability of single individuals to espouse to the world -factually or not- what it is they believe in. So here are the rules of my playground. You like them? cool! Stay, frolic and comment to your hearts content.

1. Have a sense of humor (any sense will do). I have a very tongue-in-sarcasm mode and sometimes dry tinge to my editing. It is never personal and never done to wilfully demean or put anyones views down. If you are very uptight about things, this is not a good hangout. I promise to stay out of your sandbox if you ask me too as well,.. fair is fair, correct?
2. Try not to lob words at me like "right" or" wrong", as in "they are just wrong". Taking into account that History if full of things that we all agree were "right" or "wrong" when it comes to most opinions, the usage of such words is highly subjective to interpretation and I will have no choice that to plug holes into your argument as I see fit (...and tell me that's not fun!). I won't do it for lack of discourse, but just for the joy of bringing you down from your soapbox.
3. Edit the Language, please. You don't agree with me? I welcome that; heck I almost NEED that. But if you can't find a usable word in our English verbiage that can reasonably convey your feelings of me or my views without resorting to sophomoric and un-imaginative nouns or F-bombs, then raise you IQ, and your manners with it. Try "Insulting for Dummies" or something in that realm and practice at the target-range blogs. Sarcasm, Dry Wit, Irony, and even partisan rhetoric is always welcomed at Casa de Truth-Pain, just don't pee on my carpet, unless we are both pee-ing in it. Then its ok :)
4. The fact that I (or some guest comments) have a harder line, or less-than compasionate bent than yours does not mean its personal, cynical or even emotionally cold. Take a deep breath and get over yourself. You (and your views) don't have a monopoly on the vestiges of caring. Please go ahead and give me your indignation at the THEME, thats ok. I welcome the passion of opposing views. I welcome the notion that some things mean more to you than me. I welcome the truth that I may not be inline with the realities of the Hoi Polloi. But check the "hemorrhaging hearts" at the door. Your indignation-ladden diatribes will be met with a thud, its echo, and no solace for your misery. Truth-pain's content is not responsible for the manipulations of your emotions, you are.

Don't like the rules of my playground?.... then go to where YOU feel comfy...
Welcome to my jungle. Onward.