The Sad Quality of One’s Enemies…
This was posted to a story on Digg here, about how people need to open their minds to other points of view. I got a kick out of it so I thought I’d share it here, along with my response:
Ihatesheep
alheithinn…… after viewing your site I can see that you are an activist who does not only not care about the truth but you hate it. You are indeed one of those who are pushing for the demise of the Traditional America and deception and corruption are the ways you and your are getting it done- because you know that a frontal assault will net you ….. You are an enemy of our freedom.
After I got done laughing, I managed to type the following:
Ihatesheep: pray tell (pardon the pun) but what, exactly, is the truth? You act like there is only one truth. Are you the final arbiter of whatever this might be? If so, move over cause you got over a thousand Christian denominations who all claim there is only one truth and they call claim to have it.And the demise of “traditional America”? What, exactly, is “traditional” America? Do you mean the mythical Christian America? The one that is supposedly founded on biblical principles? Like Democracy? (that came from polytheistic Greece) or individual human rights? (that came from the European Enlightenment and the [very non-Christian] deists)
Deception and corruption? Wow. Where do you get that analysis from?
Enemy of our freedom? I’m against theocracy, pal. That makes me the champion of freedom.
Dude, you got to try harder. They say a man is judged by the quality of his enemies. If you’re my enemy, it’s a sad reflection on me.
I can see I’m going to have to try harder to rile these people up. I like to make people stop and think – that’s why I started this blog – but while I got ihatesheep to stop, he apparently failed to think.
Hrafnkell Haraldsson is the author of A Heathen’s Day, which since 2005 has addressed the life and thoughts of a modern day Heathen. He is also the founder of the Mos Maiorum Foundation (www.mosmaiorum.org) which is dedicated to the study and support of Paganism as ethnic religion and writes for PoliticusUSA (www.politicususa.com) 
Love your response. I would have asked them if their "real America" depended on the Puritans, who were so uptight even the BRITISH kicked them out.
We are judged by the quality of our enemies? Sorry, I gotta disagree there. I think better to stick with Paris Hilton on this one – "You know you're the shit when people you don't even know hate you" LOL
Anyone can hate us – don't sweat the quality of someone whose ID is "ihatesheep" but then behaves like one himself and really expects everyone to do the same! Unless he just really hates the woolly 4 legged mammal and not conformists and weaklings??
Thanks, Aelwyn. Yes, the Puritans were a whacky gang. I remember reading a scholarly treatment of them years ago, and being shocked at how different they were compared to how they're treated in public school textbooks. I remember one example well: a family lost all their children to disease (like 5 or 7 if memory serves) and they had more kids and gave them all the same names as the dead kids. I mean, that creeped me out.
The problem with expecting them to "stop and think" is the assumption that they do – think that is.
Pom, I used that quote because it's used in the article in question, and attributed (I think) to Oscar Wilde, though I don't know if he actually said it or if it's one of those quotes that gets attributed to a dead man for whatever reason.
I do like the Paris Hilton quote, though I don't approve of her behavior.
Either way, I don't sweat what ihatesheep thinks. I was trying to make a point that appealed directly to something that was said by the article in MediaMatters. I ceased long ago worrying about what people thought about me.
Did they ever respond? Sheesh. I'd like to know what exactly it is we're against? Freedom? Hardly…our folk are still fighting to be recognized under freedom of religion. America? Um, no. Anywhere else in the world and we might just be fined or arrested for our views.
Oh, wait…that's right. We won't take Christianity imposing itself on us quietly so that makes us haters. Then yes, I'm a very, very hateful woman at that. Luckily, we live in reality and Douchebag does not. (:
No, Gran, ihatesheep didn't have the testicular fortitude required to continue the debate. But then, the facts weren't on his side. Never will be for those who refuse to participate in an evidence-based world. I'm rather surprised he didn't continue to trumpet his beliefs anyway (after all, McCain and Palin did…and do) but at least he saved himself humiliation.
I loved this line in particular: "Dude, you got to try harder. They say a man is judged by the quality of his enemies. If you're my enemy, it's a sad reflection on me." LOL!!
And can someone please tell me what the ID "ihatesheep" is supposed to signify? Does he or she look the other way, where environmental and green issues are concerned?