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Disclaimer: I'm not starting a political discussion. Please don't turn this thread into one. As the presidential election approaches, the number of posts on Facebook about politics has skyrocketed. We used to see the same increase around election time when there was still a political forum here. I posted a few political opinions on FB, but I've decided because I have loved ones on both extremes of the political spectrum, I am not doing it anymore. I don't want them to hate each other, since they can all see my posts/responses, and I figure if they want to discuss or argue politics with me, they can do it face-to-face or not at all (my preference being the latter). Thinking about all this led me to another thought...I wonder if any of my Facebook friends--especially ex-wayfers who still hold the same/similar political views they held while in twi--have unfriended me, or if any of my other FB friends have unfriended each other over politics. This question occurred to me when I saw someone's name here on GS whose posts I used to see on FB but no longer do. She and I are not of the same political persuasion, and I didn't "break up" with her so perhaps she unfriended me. This leads me to the rhetorical question, "Is politics worth losing friends over, either those in real life or online?" Of course not! (I know it was rhetorical, but it was my question so I answered it anyway.) I love people's passion about politics (it's so much better than indifference), as long as it doesn't destroy relationships. If you're on FB, do you engage in political discussion/debate? As far as you know, have you had any friends unfriend you there over your politics? Have you ever gotten so annoyed with someone else's political views that you unfriended them or hid their posts?

I've said it before, it's bad form to sue the grandson of god. ;)

Definitly, lots of action on important topics, issues and ideas. Biggest Summer Surprise for me is that I never thought crappy fast food fried chicken could ever get more popular than it already was! What throws a wrench in discussion, more like a cloud of dust, is how easily people label others as "haters". This isn't a political discussion going on here, of course (Thor forbid!) so consider this just for purposes of illustration: I personally believe that the Bible, communicating a divine intent, does not support "same sex" orientations, relationships or marriages. I also don't believe that one's "orientation" - such a strange term to describe a basic part of our natures - is always or entirely a matter of choice. (Simply because I didn't or don't choose mine - it's what I was born as. To try and change it by choice would be like choosing to put Canola oil in my coffee - I'm just not going to like the way that tastes. Someone else might. But a case can be made that while Canola oil isn't suppposed to be in coffee, it can be put in coffee if you like it, and only someone who does like it would........not a great example but bottom line - I don't choose my orientation and neither do many others, as I understand it). ] So I don't think that the issues in and around that topic are served well by being polarized around the label "hater" if you hold a position that supports one or the other of any number of different positions on that topic. But - to many I would be a "hater" if I participated in the discusson from an opposing view - just a big ol' hater. Some people are, and have been and will be - I recognize that. I don't feel like a hater, don't think I think like one, don't even dress like one - but yeah. Hater dude, just a big ol' hater. :o So I do avoid public discussions of certain kinds of things because there's an element of people that try to smother the discussion and exchange of ideas with labels and constrictions and push everyone into a corner. Unfortunately they're often the loudes and gaudiest and get the most air time - I am one of what I think is a growing majority of people who simply aren't going to participate in that, are tired of all the effort and money that's wasted in counter productive methods and efforts, and is looking for leadership that will be intelligent, open, honest and consistent to our country's constitutional foundations that set direction and guidance for our personal and collective freedoms. Labelling everyone who differs as a big ol' Hater isn't going to work and is only going to allow actual hate and aggression to be fostered and churn more IMO.