not subject to debate

If you read the comments here, you'll know this isn't the first exchange where people with political philosophies radically different than mine want to discuss and debate here.

These folks were pretty polite - Eraserhead is downright sweet - and didn't say anything offensive. Nevertheless, I ask them to not discuss their views here. This surprises some people, and I am invariably accused of being close-minded or engaging in censorship.

I will attempt to explain - though I caution that it may not make sense, as it springs from a personal and emotional place.

This blog is my private space, my little oasis. That would seem contradictory, since it exists on the internet and anyone can read it. But it's a private space that I choose to share. I don't blog about my most personal feelings; you'll never read about my relationships, or family issues, or details about close friends. Those exist in an even more personal realm. But this blog is my soapbox: a place to tell my story, a place for my voice.

I find reading certain political views very unpleasant. For me, political ideas aren't just concepts on paper, they aren't theoretical. They are the underpinnings of policies that shape and change people's lives. Muslim Americans rounded up after 9/11. Teenagers unable to obtain confidential, accurate medical information and care. The quality of the air we breathe. Unnecessary war. Government-subsidized corporations. Millions of people without health care. I feel so passionately about these things. And they all spring from political theory.

There are a multitude of places I can read opposing viewpoints. I don't live with my head in the sand. I know what's out there. But if I were to allow this blog to be a forum for debate, I would spoil my little oasis. Blogging would become combative, stressful, annoying - hardly the point of something I do for enjoyment.

Everyone has a right to his or her opinion. Everyone has a right to make that opinion known. But I'm under no obligation to rent them a billboard in my own backyard.

Ask me a question, I'll try to answer. Post your opinion, if it's not morally offensive to me, I won't delete it. But try to engage me in debate on this blog, and you'll end up frustrated.

One further note. Since starting this blog, I've enjoyed writing it far more than I thought I would. If you've read from the beginning, you know my topics have expanded. I'm much more likely to see things around me as "blogworthy" than I once did. I remain utterly amazed that anyone wants to read this, but I'm really glad you do. I feel connected to you all, this mostly silent community that occasionally makes itself known to me.