Thanks, Dave.

Other times I got admonished I had some distant notion I might have gone over the line. Not this time. This admonishing is inhibiting to me now. I had no sense whatsoever that "where do you get this nonsense?" crossed any line and I still don't. It didn't feel hostile. If I respond with, "Oh, come on, man" is that going to get me booted?

My sister lived in Germany during the Bush Nightmare Years. Once she came back to the USA to visit and we met for dinner. The topic of language came up and I switched into German, which I speak fluently thanks to four years with the best teacher of German in the USA. Her jaw dropped. She stared at me and finally got out, Fuck you! She's living there and struggling with the language and I spoke it like I grew up there. She'd forgotten about that.

I could have taken "fuck you!" as a grievous insult and walked away hurt and aggrieved. I'm betting you Marine jocularity is in something like the same spirit. I can refrain from hostility and I think, given how angry I have been most of my life. I'm doing a pretty good job on here.

But this was completely unexpected and I now feel completely adrift in where the proprieties lie. I'm not going to respond to liars with gentility and I'm never ever ever going in for "all viewpoints are worthy of respect."