Re: Is This What You Mean By Tolerance?

["Brent Capener" <cape@moscow.com>]

     Greg, Ben, and others seem to ridicule tolerance based on the fact that it is not absolute.  Let me attempt to explain my version of tolerance in simple terms.   Someone calls me "boogerface", I ignore them.  Someone calls me vulgar, degrading, unprintable, or hurtful names, I have a strong desire to "mess them up", although I have only once followed up on this (in 5th grade).  Likewise, if the far right, farther right, or even farther right have a negative opinion about my beliefs or lifestyle, I attempt to understand where they're coming from, what influenced them to believe this way, or simply try to ignore them.  If someone is extremely racist, hateful, desiring harm upon others, promoting dangerous thoughts, or attracting a large number of dangerous, uncontrollable, mislead followers, then I will protest, resist, harass, etc. that particular person.  Sure they have a first amendment right to be a jerk, but I also have the same right to resist them.  I also have a moral right to go a little further and "mess with them", even though I might have to "miss recess" for a week.  In the case of Vincent Bertollini, (or his idol Richard Butler), I would have been disappointed had the restaurant patrons not harassed them out. 

      Greg writes: "A query (or two): is this what y'all mean by tolerance, and is this a legitimate example of it?  And if the owner cannot toss people out of his restaurant because he does not like their religion or ideas, why can his patrons toss out another paying customer just because they don't like his religion or ideas?  Why do those that don't own the property have more rights than the guy who does own the property, and why do they get to discriminate when the owner doesn't?"

       You being a lawyer, I would assume that you are tossing out these questions in a hypothetical sense, since even though I'm a "truck driver", I believe you're incorrect (strictly speaking) over who has the dominate rights.  What you and Ben seem to disregard is COMMON SENSE.  No, I don't mean "my version" or "your version'  of common sense.  I'm talking the universal version of the term.

        (Other stuff:)  Doug W; about one in fifty posts I get the same &%#$%&^$% etc gibberish. More frustrating though is  when I am unsubscribed and go to "vision2020 archives";  3 out of 4 times the search stops a week or more previous.   I have no clue why or who's fault, (I'm relatively new at this).                   BC