be nice to a right-winger today.

i found this post by way of the right christians (go see -- they're linked at left), and it set me thinking (again!) about what our responsibilities are toward those we think are doing wrong. my most recent post found me in a rather angry mood, but i know it's worth considering -- at least for those of us who think of ourselves as faithful/spiritual/religious -- that it may be more radical in the end to disagree with these people a bit more lovingly than we have been. the specific examples in the post are rush limbaugh and ann coulter, folks to whom i'm not actually inclined to behave lovingly, or, um, civilly.

...and with good reason! conservatives, through both rhetoric and policy choices, do a lot of harm, often to those least able to defend themselves. the balance i've attempted so far (with limited success) involves attacking the policies and trying really hard to believe in the sort of radical redemption that christians, not those people trailing after phelps and falwell and the family research council but actual christians, think jesus is all about.

there's also the matter of having been enjoined to give all my possessions to those people the conservatives are constantly screwing and really follow jesus. but seeing as i'm writing this on a computer while wearing a somewhat expensive coat (it's cold today), and my car is outside in the parking lot and i really like these shoes...well, i guess that's a topic for another day.