It would seem that reason has lost its way, at least in the blog pages of the IR. Recently I wrote a satirical piece on Rep Rehberg. I was quickly libeled. An anonymous someone accused me of being a habitual drug user. Instead of a reasoned response, all I was saying was dismissed in an ad hominem attack.

Because these retorts are anonymous, the writer must feel free from any responsibility to be either respectful or truthful. Yet, our civic dialogue cannot exist without a regard for the truth and respect for other members of the community. One of the greatest fears of our founding fathers was excessive partisanship. This is because democracy is about collective problem solving. When our public dialogue is reduced to entertainment, to bread and circuses, we have to wonder what is just around the corner?

The extreme right wing of American politics is already attacking the results of our free and fair elections in words that should give all true Americans pause. The depth of their virulence is on display daily in the comments blogs of our newspapers. They need to be taken seriously, if only because like weeds, they choke the civic dialogue.

Ken Taylor

1721 Euclid