Posted by Herm on January 31, 2010 at 09:04:50:
Let me try to tone this down though I cannot retract my possibly misunderstood statements "against (not intended hatefully)" President bashing without substance.
Whether anyone here likes it or not this is the Internet in the United States of America. We are not China or North Korea and what we say and how we respond here is available throughout the World, except China and North Korea. This is proudly a fact regarding Bandon.tv, as well. I thank both Mongo and Minga for their efforts and sacrifices that expose us all to the rest of mankind.
"factoids
On Friday, January 29, bandon.tv was visited 629 times
Our busiest day in 2010: Monday January 18, 757 visits
Our slowest day in 2010: Saturday January 02, 524 visits"
There is a link on Bandon.tv, that often gets used, which connects this forum to the very same international audience it enjoys.
It is my opinion that we would more correctly portray "our" USA community to the rest of the World if we acted like a normal USA family with passionate and differing opinions. I grew up in just such a family and civility was not common in political or religious conversation, and you better know how to grab for the best food around the table or lose out (but no one ever starved).
Many members of my family would have seemed to outsiders like the most bitter of enemies and things didn’t always get said and understood as intended. There were quite a few outsiders who made the mistake to try to pick one or the other of us off to fight one of our family. Never, never, never pick on any of my family without expecting all of my family to ban together in support of one another. I would and have fought with my life at stake to protect my family and my country.
I miss Captain Gary for he is one of my family and country. I didn’t even know “the other George”, “AK George” and “Lee” because they were too shy to come out and play, even when openly invited, I missed them without knowing it. I would fight for the entire Bandon forum with my life at stake to protect my family and country. I am a mostly liberal within this family and would fight to protect the equality of any person in my family and country. But no one inside my family or country is going to bad mouth, without any facts, the leader of my family and country, no one, without a heartfelt response with passion. If one of us within knows or suspects of a move our leader is doing which might threaten the family we must passionately discuss it so that we can support the positive efforts of our leader and thereby the entire family.
This forum is not The Minute Café or the Bandon Coffee Shop that allows mostly locals to converse together or even apart (in different corners of the room). Bandon welcomes all visitors to show off what a near perfect community is all about, and to maintain a tourist industry. Really World, this is a great place to live and visit with a wealth of beauty and concern. When Bandon was opened up to international tourists The Minute Café as well as all the other abundant community meeting places (including the Barn) became a witness to what the USA can do with diversity of thought in a small and cohesive community. When Bandon.tv went on the Internet it didn’t just attract a USA audience, to facilitate nation wide tourism, but a rather large international audience that facilitated the World touching a seaside small town family (many to make a point of visiting Bandon as an interested tourist).
There is no hate here but there is a diversity of passionate love that would be found internal to any family. The love Captain Gary displayed was wonderful for he clearly, now, was speaking with much deep rooted values held by many who were afraid to “speak up”. He could take being told he was wrong but from such admonishment he fought harder to press the case of those he knew were lurking, and just couldn’t take such disagreement. He has been gone for a month now and he is sorely missed. Maybe, if he understood that all loving and diverse families have that occasional slip of tongue that sounds like no one cares to interact with one within, but that is never true. I have to try to remember that all families have strong feelings within that cannot be substantiated but must be expressed.
This is a family that I truly feel “all” would risk their life to protect, even those we might vehemently disagree with. This is a family available to the entire World to monitor or even join in. This is a family centered around the day to day activities of Bandon, Oregon, USA, World.
Herm