Discussion»Questions»answerMug Members» Well muggers, it apparently is time for me to leave this interesting group of people---any thoughts on the matter?.
We need you here Tom to keep fighting the good fight. If someone feels insulted it's only because you speak the truth and they can't take it. Watching you and some the others pour salt in the wound gives many of us great pleasure. I hope you decide to stay. It won't be the same without you.
Don't worry---I have yet to meet a person who could make me do something I didn't want to do. And I have no interest in leaving.
Late edit: So nothing a member can do or say could possibly make me want to leave.
This post was edited by tom jackson at September 16, 2017 1:30 PM MDT
We will straighten this out, I can't bear this. Too many are going and I have only a few left to talk to. I know I don't talk to you every day, but that is why I like you. I can come back to you and you are constant as the Northern Star.
Don't go because of a few poopie heads. I just try and not make waves with them.
Tom, Ol' buddy', Ol' chap.... Why talk such nonsense?? Are you lonely? I can send Jamie over to help you! She'll straighten you right up and have you stop talking such nonsense. You don't want me to send Archimedes over... do you???
We would miss you. Please stay! A begging Merlin is not a happy Merlin. Please don't make me resort to that....
I would miss you Tom Jackson. Please stay. If not. Do tell me where you are going so I can send you hate mail for leaving. You wouldn't want that now would you?? Big giggles. Really, Tom. Please reconsider. Love, Merlin
Ya' know' pimpin' Merlin' gets crazy when you ain't out there shakin' that money maker. Stop your gabbin' and get to shakin'!!! Big Swaggin' Merlin' ain't takin' no back talk miss Jaimie! Now GIT!! Or you gunna git a spankin'!!!
This post was edited by Merlin at September 17, 2017 4:34 PM MDT
I love ya Jaimie! You know Pimp Daddy Merlin gets a bit sassy! I think between the two of us we could take ol' Tom here on and convince him to say! Would be like the "WonderTwins!" Jaimie and Julie Power... Activate! Thanks for the smile to start my Monday off ! Hugs and Giggles! Love, Merlin
Please relax, Merlin---I have no intention of leaving and I never did. My intent was simply to draw out a fact that I was confident existed---namely that my contributions to this site outweigh by far any technical violations of the Terms of Service with regard to "respect."
I think the responses are indicative of such.
Respecting someone is both an attitude and a principle; and I am sure that if Hitler were alive and posting, my responses to him would get me banned from this site post haste.
And that would be the right of the owner/authorized administrator to do so. But even with my philosophical background, I would have a hard time philosophically justifying such a decision.
The discussion thread which provided me with the 2 day administrative leave was with an admitted atheist. He suggested that since there was no proof that a god existed, that it was ridiculous for anyone could believe in a god. He also mentioned that he had a superior intellect and was paid to give lectures (he did not specify on what subject) that his "platitudinous ponderosities" regarding any god's non-existence should be accepted beyond contestation.
I pursued the issue to show that his conviction that there was no god was based more on his not being used to being challenged by someone like me, even though I reminded him early on that statistically speaking, he should have expected to encounter someone as smart or smarter than he.
It quickly degenerated into ad hominems and insults toward me---which both me not in the least. As I suspected, he was used to being thought highly of only because he suffered no one to disagree with him. Unfortunately for him, I cannot be simply blown away.
His name is in a comment I made within this thread---it is in the email that I received from JA announcing my "sentence." His last post---not in English---suggested that he would like to "f*** me in my a**."
Dear Tom~ You know our friendship stems and has grown from sites long gone and way back. Our inclusive respect for one another's opinion and status on above mentioned issues still stand with high regard. We feel no need to arm ourselves but rather enjoy each other's company and conversations.
You have always spoken with grandeur on topics you are proficient in and that has always been appreciated.
With that being said, you know the danger you encase yourself in when challenging religion and atheism. This is a topic that stews nothing but anger and debate. Being the strong person you are and the true beliefs you have, you make for a hard opponent and always create a challenge to those who choose to do so. I have mixed feelings about Hitler. I was thinking more on the lines of Queen Victoria (1819-1901). "Off With Their Heads!" I do like your "'platitudinous ponderosities''" quote. Very Nice Tom. I have found that when you let people believe as they do and allow them to find their own paths, the fight is better left with a smile and pat on the head. When they learn to listen to many and contrive their own solid feeling, they will know what they need. As far as the F*** you in the a**, well, (I only say this in fun...) it could be a term of endearment. Some find that to be a positive alternative. Probably not in your case, but it is good to keep an open mind and try to find the bright side of any angle. Big smiles. I'm glad you are staying Tom. In all sincerity, I Would Truly Miss You. (()) ! Love, Merlin
This post was edited by Merlin at September 16, 2017 6:18 PM MDT
Thanks for the kind words. I do try to limit my comments to areas that I can legitimately claim some proficiency.
I don't discuss politics because I have no interest---or more importantly---any real knowledge of the subject. I'm "liberal" in areas I understand, and I am "conservative" in things I don't. And I have always been an "independent" when making judgments.
But truthfully, I thrive on discussions involving atheism vs the Abrahamic God. I have no problem with atheists, and the atheists whom I know and respect have no problem with me. We both know there is no proof either way and much of reality can be explained by either believing that God exists or by assuming He does not.
But I do have problems on with people who know for certain that no god exists and that anyone who doesn't see that is stupid, and perhaps great problems with Christians who think they know exactly and precisely what God said in the bible.
And I think the value in those discussions is not in the outcome, but in the revelations of the silly mental gymnastics used to justify either position or the gigantic prideful ego that some use to power their beliefs.
As for that "term of endearment"----it was listed last of about six or seven. If it were intended to be taken as one, it would have evidenced a complete reversal of the previous ones listed (in various languages to imply how smart he is) in the same comment.
Lulu'sMom 