Just caught this. Bageant seems like a nice enough old chap. It's the first time I've ever seen a self identified liberal/leftist actually treat anyone with WN views with basic human decency. Here's the post, and for a background, there is a reader below, Michael, responding to a WN sounding letter writer, Howard from Pennsylvania, and good old Joe Bageant says, "Hey, let's hear a different voice now and then:

http://www.joebageant.com/joe/2007/12/always-looking.html

Always looking for areas of agreement
Joe,

I am finding it interesting that you are posting some of the darker letters you receive. In the letter "I'm certain of coming economic collapse" from Howard in Pennsylvania seems to epitomize the classic, intelligent, Republican bigot (oops, make that Libertarian):

1. What liberals really want however, is control of the proletariat.

2. With respect to the war, the U.S. liberal media is to be as damned as the administration.

3. While my normally, quite pacifist, anti-military, Jewish friends say Saddam has to go. (AIPAC pressure on the White House was intense during this prelude, it has been documented).

4. The normally rabidly anti-Bush media went along with this war like sheep. They endorsed it.

5. 25 years of affirmative action and of celebrating diversity (as long as it doesn't cost YOU your job) promoting homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle, encouraging interracial marriage, the gun control thing.

6. Liberals have been masters of this game since the Vietnam.

7. It is risky hiring people. Even riskier hiring women and minorities.

8. I would love to have a beer with you in Winchester. I know where that bar is. We would have to get a corner seat and keep our voices low.

My interpretation of the above:

1. Sounds like an old John Bircher.

2. What Liberal Media?

3. Wimpy Jews? Could'a fooled the Israel lobby running American foreign policy.

4. Bullshit!

5. Evil diversity, evil fags, evil interracial mixing, etc.

6. Except for Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, Bush II and Clinton,

7. The little woman is a threat and probably a trouble-making bitch like most minorities, except when she's the holy mother or a virgin.

8. Shuuuu! Don't tell anyone and let's have a secret handshake to seal the deal.

This self righteous asshole is one hood away from the KKK. The only drink he deserves is a head first in the toilet.

In War and Peace,

Michael
http://adgitadiaries.blog-city.com

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Michael,

Regarding Howard in Pennsylvania: The truth not being absolute, his thinking is as riddled with various fallacies as yours and mine. Whether we are on the left or right, and particularly if we are political middle roaders (in which one tends to suffer from the general lameness that comes with indecision and love of the mediocre) we all have parts of our foundational thinking that are weak and counter-productive.

Ken Smith and I do our little site mainly to allow Americans to express themselves in a non threatening environment void of name calling or prejudgment, by me or any reader. Personally, I could have five to ten million readers any month I choose to work hard enough, via magazines, the net and my book. For instance, my occasional Playboy Forum column alone has over five million circulation, and collectively, the lefty websites that run my stuff probably have that many more. I have all the pulpit any guy ought to be allowed. Consequently, I try to offer others one on my site some room to express themselves. And when they do I try not to suck the oxygen out of the room by pouncing upon their words and ideas looking for an argument. Not that I get the opportunity anyway, since my little outpost in cyberspace is mainly a sing-along hootenanny of people who agree to start with, just like every other site on the web. So when I get someone who sings in a different key I am grateful, and look for areas of agreement more than disagreement.

Conflict, especially in these times, bores readers. But hearing another point of view, even if they do not agree entirely, at least lets them hear from a flesh and blood fellow citizen, instead of getting all their opinions from the internet or media. I am thinking about inviting Bill White, head of America's Nazi Party, to send us some thoughts. Having gotten to know him a bit lately, I think I can safely say most readers would be stunned to find out he is far more like the rest of us than our elected leaders.
In art and labor,

Joe