Is this offensive?

[Robin Garr]

You insist the rules here are that you shouldn't say anything that you wouldn't say to someone down at the friendly neighborhood pub. Would you really walk up to someone you knew to be a Tea Partier and make that teabagger arsonist crack in this pub? I don't know.

Steve, I think perhaps it's getting close to the time when reasonable Americans do need to speak out about the race and religious hatred that's getting to be a part of our national political discourse, and I do tie that to the Tea people. Please don't conflate all Republicans with the Tea people, though. That's false and unfair. It demeans reasonable Republicans, and it gives false credibility to the Tea people.

You insist the rules here are that you shouldn't say anything that you wouldn't say to someone down at the friendly neighborhood pub. Would you really walk up to someone you knew to be a Tea Partier and make that teabagger arsonist crack in this pub? I don't know.

Steve, I think perhaps it's getting close to the time when reasonable Americans do need to speak out about the race and religious hatred that's getting to be a part of our national political discourse, and I do tie that to the Tea people. Please don't conflate all Republicans with the Tea people, though. That's false and unfair. It demeans reasonable Republicans, and it gives false credibility to the Tea people.

Can you show us anything that makes the Tea Party racist or intolerant of other religions?

[Robin Garr]

Can you show us anything that makes the Tea Party racist or intolerant of other religions?

Steve, I'm thinking about a lot of the anti-Muslim stuff that's gone around, not least the Koran-burning preacher in Florida and the uproar created by Beck, Limbaugh, Palin and others, with the stinky blanket of misinformation they spread over the Islamic Center in NYC, to pick just one example. All three of those folks, and a lot of other Fox News commentators, have left plenty of evidence on the public record, and I don't think there's any doubt that those folks call the tune and the Tea people dance. Again, though, please note that I am not labeling all Republicans with this charge. I do not believe that all Republicans side with the Tea people, and I know for certain that some Republicans are profoundly embarrassed by their antics.

Are we really going to get anywhere with this? I want to try to answer fairly, and I hope you understand that I don't want to be anything but civil in my conversations with you. That IS a goal I strive for on the forum. Showing contempt for a political group or institution on the basis of its beliefs is something else again, but you can rest assured that I won't address you in any pejorative way, and that I expect similar restraint from us all in our conversations with each other.

I have a sense that we're not going to reach political agreement on this topic, though.

I'm thinking that there's a lot of reason to oppose that Islamic center. There have even been Muslim leaders speak out about it being a poor idea. And as far as I know, no one has suggested that the government step in to ban it's construction. They've just suggested that it is unseemly to build a mosque on that site. There has been no incitement against Muslims in general, or to burn down anything.


From what I've seen Palin has her supporters and Beck has his supporters, but they make up only a fraction of the Tea Party. And none of them deserve gratuitous slurs that have nothing to do with debating the issues. The Tea Party was instrumental in getting many minority candidates elected to office, in primarily white jurisdictions. Did you read this? How can you smear an entire movement as racist when something like this has happened?

You are right. We will never be on the same page politically. 10 years ago, we were. I have moved on.

It's your site, you are free to set the tone however you like. It would be nice to be able to visit Louisville Hot Bytes without cringing upon seeing my friends and neighbors smeared as sexual deviants, bigots, racists, and arsonists.

I have said my piece. So rest easy, I'm done with this topic now. You can carry on as usual.

You may want to check out The Health-Food Diner by Maya Angelou for some inspiration. It's a great poem about satisfying meaty foods.

[Robin Garr]

You may want to check out The Health-Food Diner by Maya Angelou for some inspiration. It's a great poem about satisfying meaty foods.

Great idea! Here's a link to a copy of the poem ...
http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.com/ ... gelou.html

And the first few lines, just to whet the appetite ...

The Health-Food Diner
No sprouted wheat and soya shoots
And Brussels in a cake,
Carrot straw and spinach raw,
(Today, I need a steak).

Not thick brown rice and rice pilaw
Or mushrooms creamed on toast,
Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed,
(I'm dreaming of a roast).

...

I might want to check out some polo shirts with louisville street food embroidered on them too

[Robin Garr]

I might want to check out some polo shirts with louisville street food embroidered on them too

You know, Matt, the chef toque on wheels in your new avatar is pretty cool, too. Use it clean, plain, bold colors on a white shirt (or a black shirt) it could look pretty good. Maybe just the logo on the front and company name across the back?

Dig the pig Marsha.

Robin: I made that logo and it has finally evolved into something decent, I used it on our website so I was just going to stick with it for our logo as a whole. Initially I liked the idea of having professional looking attire and I think I am right back to that. I will probably integrate some humor somehow but overall it should be professional.

Back to the original questio: Is it offensive? For me, the answer is "yes." That answer is not open to debate. It is my opinion.