What is Civility? “Civility is claiming and caring for one’s identity, needs, and beliefs without degrading someone else’s in the process.” We try to practice that very thing here on The Back Porch. Seems to me the word used here degrading someone else is rather mild judging from the discourses of the day. I am particular about my beliefs and hold to a reasonable path of conservative thoughts. To be fair and honest I don’t hold with the view that anything in moderation is ok. I don’t particularly hold with  inclusiveness just for the sake of social agendas. If you are wondering what direction this ponder going I will try to set that before you as best I can. Remember Rodney King from years back…  “can’t we all just get along” …or Mr. Rogers and going even farther back…Captain Kangaroo… “be nice”. Now if you remember the movie Road House (1989) … there was a line in that movie that I have always remembered. Patrick Swayze instructs his “bouncers to… “be nice…until its time to not be nice”. Well…it is time not to be nice!

I am 81 but I do still remember my grandparents on my mothers side…Democrat to the core. They loved Senator Kefauver…well any Democrat and they never changed. I was a small kid and I remember Pop, who worked for TVA as a sandblaster and in latter years an independent painter. The painter’s union there in Chattanooga at that time would not allow Pop to join. What did he do? He went ahead and paid union dues anyway…that’s all I remember about that, so what is the point here. Pop didn’t picket or demonstrate, cuss and just generally raise hell…he did something positive to make his point. I remember Speaker of the House Tip O’Neal, President JFK, Senator Humphrey and host of other Democrats and I am a Republican to the core. Gee whizz, I even tolerated Al Gore until he started hugging trees. So let’s ponder this. How did we get to the point that disagreeing with others requires a mouth  that can only spew forth filth and does such damage to the “Kings English” and does not have the capacity to discuss the issues with any degree of intelligence and knowledge of that issue. SOooo… PONDER THIS… Whats going on across that aisle?  

Jk