COLUMN: VanderSloot responds to Facebook attacks

I’d like to comment on the tenor and hatefulness of some of the Facebook comments regarding the school bond.

I see some people attacking their neighbors, and even their friends, simply because they disagree.

Attacking the messenger is one of the tactics that we used to see from only the most insensitive of people, but it’s now common to see personal attacks on almost anyone just because they have a different point of view.

Whenever I see that, I make a note to myself that the person being attacked must have made some pretty good points or people would be arguing the facts rather than resorting to personal attacks. It seems you would only need to use a personal attack on the messenger when you run out of good arguments.

I would like to remind all of us that there is plenty of room for disagreement among honest people and that the best way to make good decisions is to review the facts.

Truth is always a good thing. When we seek the truth, even when it’s bad news, it is good to know what the truth is.

We never make good decisions by attacking the messenger. Just because someone disagrees with us does not make them a bad person. Nor does it make them evil.

Friends can disagree. When we attack people who disagree with us, we not only lose the argument, we lose a good friend and we lose the respect of those who tuned in to the argument.

Just because someone disagrees with us does not make them our enemy. Arguing the facts is healthy!

Truth is a good thing. Finding it can only happen through a thorough and honest discussion of the facts.