Neal hasn't responded to my criticisms of his essay but someone calling themselves Dakota has. Here is a bit of the exchange. His stuff is in quotes.

“I really dig it when you people use those big fancy words and try to gain advantage via the “baffle them with bullshit” theory. (golly I wonder which professor indoctrinated you)”

What could you possibly have been baffled by. The argument I’m making is a simple one. And don’t flatter yourself by thinking we are having a college level discussion here. I’m trying to get you to understand basic high school level civics. In any society not everyone is going to be able to get what they want all the time. Someone is going to have to be in the political minority at any given time. The founder fathers well understood the mayhem that would ensue if those in the minority took up arms every time they didn’t get there way. Thus we have a political system in place where, if you are in the minority, you do have recourse: persuade, through reason and evidence, enough of your fellow citizens of the truth of your view so as to be successful in the election process. You haven’t given one reason for why you would be prevented from doing that. This being the case you and your ilk are not following in the footsteps of the colonists fighting off British rule, as you all like to fancy yourselves as doing. You are being lazy, you are being whiny, you are being ignorant of the basic facts of how the American system works and you are being traitors to the ideals this nation was founded on.

“Get it thru your head “sparky” I don’t care about you or any of your ilk …. you are the fodder of the left …. the “useful idiots” as Lenin coined the phrase. I am not going to do point on point with you cause frankly it is a waste of my time. I am busy preparing for more important things. DO what you will, but remember …. if you show up in my AO you will be treated like all the rest maybe worse. The gloves are off and you still wannna run to ACLU or whatever.”

I’m aligning my beliefs with the best available reasons and evidence. This is called being rational. You and your fellow tea partyers are the “useful idiots”. You are unable to formulate a cogent argument (calling someone a pinko commie does not qualify as an argument), you will believe any demonstrably false fruitcake conspiracy theory you are fed so long as it it seems to confirm your irrational prejudices (i.e. birther nonsense, death panel nonsense, acorn nonsense, communist/socialist/Nazi/whatever takeover nonsense, etc., etc., etc.). All this credulity plays into someones hands. Learning to think critically and rationally about what you are being told is the antidote.

“Funny thing about you progressives … you always accuse your enemies of doing exactly what you yourselves have been doing. Freedom of speech is your cause unless it is counter to your ideas …. then you silence swiftly by whatever means. See you in the matrix.”

I don’t know what you are talking about here. I have never advocated censoring anyone’s freedom of speech, in fact, I made my view of the importance of open debate pretty clear in an above post. It’s vital to the health of any type of democratic system. But why is that? Precisely so that those in the political minority might change the minds of their fellows, thereby AVOIDING the need for armed conflict and all the deleterious social consequences that brings about. Those in you “AO” may want to spend a little less time threatening everyone else and spend a little more time learning about the ideals this country was founded on before you destroy them.