Some Things Just Need To Be Said
     Sometimes, a thing needs to be said, in a just-so sort of way, without any regard for how it might be interpreted, understood, or perceived by any person or group. Sometimes, a thing is patently and irrefutably true, and regardless of how hurtful or awful that truth may be, no amount of denial, hostility, or revisionism will make it less true. Sometimes, a true thing spoken is a force for good; other times it engenders evil. Often, truth is unwelcome, even when it is beneficial, because the light of plain truth often reveals the wrinkles in our public faces. Yeah, well. . . .

     The Grand Retort was conceived as a place where I (and occasionally others like me) can say publicly what I feel needs to be said; where truth--at least my perception of it--can be spoken without being diluted or corrupted by interference, and without regard to the shackles of political correctness, the tyranny of weak intellect, or the narcissistic self-promotion of rabid, drooling extremists. My goal is not hurt or villainy, but rather to provoke self-examination and debate that leads to positive change in our society. Toward that end, while not everything on this site will be either grand or witty or even necessarily interesting, insofar as possible what is here will be true and accurate, and hopefully of value.

American Focus, Centrist at Heart, Sensibly Tolerant
     The Grand Retort is intentionally and proudly American in both foundation and orientation, so most of the material on this site will pertain to the United States and its People. Without question, ours is not a perfect country, and not everything I post here will be complimentary to my countrymen or my government; nonetheless, I am unabashedly and unashamedly an American, and I intend for this website to reflect that.

     Politically, this site is not meant to be Conservative, Liberal, or Libertarian. I am a centrist at heart, but I tend to more conservative views than otherwise, and that is what will be found here most often--but not always. I despise as intellectually and morally deficient people who are close-minded extremists of any kind, especially those on the fringes of religious, racial, political, environmental, or legal spectra. Anyone seeking a viewpoint that is relentlessly, rabidly black-or-white has come to the wrong place--I don't spend most of my time in a darkened closet with the door closed, wearing a tin-foil hat.

     On the other hand, I am not unquestioningly tolerant or excessively empathetic. Tolerance and empathy are important personal and national characteristics, but tolerance to the point of self-destruction is stupidity, and empathy to the point of self-loathing is absurd. I can tolerate almost any behavior, attitude, or lifestyle that doesn't cause me harm (either directly or indirectly), but I am not required by God or Man or any moral code in existence to deny or abandon my own convictions or to embrace mores, attitudes, and beliefs which are either harmful or repulsive to me. I believe it is possible to be sensibly tolerant while adhering to one's convictions. That is the philosophy I live by, and which informs many of my opinions.

Comments
     The Grand Retort is a closed forum, at least for now. It is closed because I simply don't have time to spend managing, moderating, or cleaning up a comments section, which all too often becomes an interpersonal battleground or a spam collector, neither of which is an appealing alternative. This may change later.

     In the meantime, anyone who cares to comment about something published here can write to me. If I like what is sent, I may post it even if I don't agree with it. I really like clear, concise, logical arguments bounded by reason and common sense. That is what earns my respect and possibly a spot on this website. I hate sophomoric jingoism, preposterous sophistry, unwarranted egotism, and inarticulate ranting, so anyone who is prone to that kind of nonsense should just save it for the other drones.

     It really just comes to this: Freedom of the press is for those who own a press, and I own this press. All decisions about what gets published on this site are mine alone to make--or unmake--as the whim strikes me. Anyone can question my judgment, but nasty mail goes straight to the trashcan. Threats will be treated as the yapping of small dogs, serious threats will be documented in a police report.

Disclaimer
     Unless specifically noted elsewhere, The Grand Retort is solely the product of my own mind, and is not in any way affiliated with nor supported by any other individual or organization. The views and opinions expressed on this site may be shared by other people, but I alone am responsible for everything that is posted or displayed here. It really is that simple.