A Real Dumb Thing, he did
From another post that I recently put up
...flying to the aid of rock-ribbed freedom loving and liberty seeking / leaning Conservatives anywhere!
Doug is a passionate guy and sometimes often pushes the envelope - mostly on strictly political grounds. He skates to the edge - this time, he went over that edge. He Did A Real Dumb Thing - and I have, in no uncertain terms, let him know that. All of us have done stupid things in life that cause one to say "What the heck was I thinking??" - this is certainly one of those moments for Doug.
The 'Grok has played in this 24x7 political realm for a while now - and Doug far longer than I. Thus, he knows full well the consequences of saying what he did in this overly Politically Correct charged world. Decisions have consequences; there have been some already and certainly there will be more. It only takes one word, one action, and years of work can disappear - such is the reality of politics "in the now".
Many on the Left / Democrats have already called for his hide on the carpet - one only has to review the comments here on the 'Grok to see the vitriol and abuse he is receiving. Local gay activist and former Laconia Democrat Chair Ron Tunning is already working to have Doug removed from his column and the show canceled as he has already run to DailyKos et al in an no-holds barred effort akin to that seen in the aftermath of the people of California simply supporting Proposition 8. I'm sure that many Republicans et al may will soon follow suit - after all, it is the Politically Correct thing to do in cases like this. Many political candidates that were seeking to come on the show are now turning the other way - it is how things operate now.
No one is perfect all the time; we are all, in fact, imperfect pretty much most of the time. It is what that person does AFTER the screw up that is important. He has already apologized. I'm afraid for many that will be insufficient - I wrote in the Podcast post:
For folks like you, and your brethren in CA who have literally have had people fired and businesses shut down merely for supporting CA's Proposition 8, it seems that NO apology will ever be sufficient.
The response was as I thought it would be:
No apology will ever be sufficient, that's correct
Thus, the ability to accept an apology, nowadays, seems to be in short supply as well. There will those that will use this incident for their own political hay and opportunity. They, too, are unable or unwilling to accept apologies. Such is politics nowadays, and such is life if one is judged to be Politically Incorrect by those that get to set the rules. So, was it Dumb do have done what Doug did? Yup. Stupid? Yup. Impolite? You bet. Would I have done that? Nope. Was it Politically Correct? Not a chance. Will there be a fallout for me and my family? I'm fairly sure there will.
So why do I write this? I felt that I need to give this very politically incorrect answer to that question: he remains my friend.
I, in no way, will "throw him under the bus" as many in the political sphere or those wedded to Political Correctness may now do so - to do so would be hypocrisy of the highest level on my part. No, I do not condone what he did, but true friendship accounts for even dumbness - I don't kick my friends when they are down (even when self-induced). Some may say this is too Old Fashioned an outlook; perhaps...but to not do so makes the phrase at the top of this post mere words at best and hypocrisy at worst.
I have accepted Doug's apology to me (and yes, he knows in no uncertain terms that I believe it to have been a Really Dumb Thing to have done). He asked for forgiveness, as he not only put his efforts at risk with his remarks but he also put all my hard work over the last few years at great risk as well; I have done so.
That said, I understand that the consequence of accepting his apology may be quite offensive to some - just review some of the comments already written to get the idea that an apology is not the end game they seek.
