http://www.uniteandconcur.com A reasonable dialogue about reasonable political dialogue Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:24:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Get real. In life there's middle ground. People who don't acknowledge weakness or limits in their candidates don't sound credible - and don't give any room to "Unite and Concur." I heard a politician make a non-credible case for the experience level of her candidate. I thought - why not just ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/09/02/get-real-you-can-wish-your-candidate-had-more-experience-and-still-support-him-or-her/ A friend sent me an email forward with some alarming claims and predictions. The email noted the “most of these claims have been verified by Snopes,” (the main urban myth checking site.)   So I checked Snopes and discovered that most of the claims were, in fact, verified by Snopes. And some ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/07/21/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-most-of-this-email-has-been-verified-by-snopescom/ I teach in China, where there are few alternative views to government propaganda. As blatant as it is, most people here actually are not aware that they are receiving propaganda. After the events in Tibet in March, the overwhelming majority of students told me and wrote in the journals that ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/07/10/guest-post-spinning-in-china-and-anti-cnncom/ Meryl, I’m interested to hear strategies folks have employed to re-route political discussions they don’t want to have. Some at work are vocal in sharing their strongly-held views on politics and/or religion. Regardless of my personal view on the topic, I prefer not to talk politics or religion unless it relates to ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/06/26/communication-question-talking-with-your-political-opposite/ The headline of a flyer said, - Global warming calamity. Huge profit opportunities. Isn't it telling how readily we accept the morality of profiting from disaster? I remember Aaron Brown commenting on CNN early into the Iraq war, - To the victor go the spoils. He was explaining why France had no right to ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/06/20/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-huge-profit-opportunities/ What is your vision of a perfect world? I’ve captured mine in a flash movie, A World of Truth. Many people refrain from creating a vision of what they want because the reality is so different that the discrepancy is too painful. But if we can’t even picture what perfection would ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/06/18/dare-to-desire/ Quoted from Journalist Bill Moyers. http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/06/10/what-you-dont-know-can-kill-you-bill-moyers/ My husband and I both tend to be independent, and we will catch ourselves making decisions without consulting the other. He recently challenged me for excluding him from a process that I should have consulted him on. Of course, he was right. (And of course I hated that he was ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/06/09/i-versus-we/ Retired Congressman Lee Hamilton says Americans are starved for consensus and that, building consensus is straightforward. Here's his advice. Work cooperatively, not confrontationally. Look at your colleagues as colleagues, not political adversaries. Agree on facts before you apply your ideology to policy. Take ample time to understand different views and deliberate on where you're ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/06/09/congressman-lee-hamiltons-advice-to-the-consensus-starved/ Thanks to Wendy Mack for this beautiful example of how seeming enemies can Unite and Concur. In April my husband and I attended the Rocky Mountain Plover Festival in Karval Colorado. Getting to see Burrowing Owls, Horned Larks, and Snowy Plovers was incredible, but the real highlight of the weekend was ... http://www.uniteandconcur.com/2008/06/09/guest-post-another-unlikely-alliance/