Leaderboard

This was written by a high school friend, who graduated a year behind me, and posted on social media. As he states in the preamble, it’s lengthy but I found it worth the read. I also found it deeply relatable so I thought I would share it here for those trying to exist with the craziness going on all around us: “I know this is way too long for most of you to actually read, but for the few readers and thinkers in my orbit: I offer some (personal) thoughts on why political and cultural moderates like me are increasingly silent amidst all the violence and chaos that is rotting our great Republic. WHY I’VE STAYED SILENT ON ALL OF IT I used to imagine that someone in the political middle, someone aligned with neither of the extremes nor indifferent to public life, could speak up and help steady the discourse. I believed that moderation, reasonableness, and a willingness to hear the other side might have some purchase. But over time, watching how our public square has become not just loud but corrosively hostile, I’ve come to the conclusion that adding my voice now may well be pointless. I no longer speak if I cannot, or will not, be heard. The primary reason for my silence is simple: in this moment, the middle voice barely rises above the din. Every statement is swallowed by louder, more polarized voices peddling arrogant certainty, misplaced grievance, and unmitigated fury. When reasonable claims get drowned out by emotionally charged slogans, one is forced to ask: what is the gain in speaking at all? There is a bitter irony here: those who claim to defend “free speech” frequently turn on moderates who insist on nuance. The common tack taken by the most vocal on both sides is to invoke free-speech rhetoric only when it serves their side and may turn harshly on dissenters otherwise. The Harper’s Magazine editorial “Letter on Justice and Open Debate” (2020) warned that “[t]he intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty” now infects both sides. So, increasingly, moderate voices stay mute, partly out of self-defense: if your voice will only be used as a target, why volunteer it? There is a second, deeper reason that I remain silent. In extreme environments, reasoned argument loses traction. When people are primed by anger, fear, or identity-based tribalism, they respond not to evidence but to narrative, symbolism, and emotional resonance. If a moderate speaks in calm tones, they risk seeming weak or irrelevant. If they raise their voice, they risk being absorbed into the very hell they wished to escape. In that sense, the act of speaking may force us to adopt harsher tone, cruder frames, or safer alliances. But to do that, we sacrifice the very quality (temperance, nuance) that defines political moderation. And so I prefer silence to distortion, rejection, or complicity in the poison. There is a kind of tragic resonance here with Faulkner’s observation in The Sound and the Fury (via Quentin): “Because no battle is ever won … The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools.” That line haunts me: it suggests that the spectacle of conflict lays bare our own weaknesses, not any grand moral certainty. Speaking in that field can feel like rehearsing a folly, repeating the despair. But my silence does not signify my apathy. Nor does it signify my complicity (though, admittedly, silence sometimes serves complicity). Rather, it is a recognition of my limits and the dangers I see in shallow participation. I still observe, read, and reflect. Sometimes I counsel others or intervene quietly. But I no longer assume that public utterance is the same as influence. As a moderate, I’ve come to feel that meaningful change, if it ever happens, will not come from the loud center but from the margins pushing morality, from trust reknit in communities, and from slow, patient civic repair. The public arena is too polluted, too weaponized, to welcome a voice of neither fury nor absolutism. Thomas Jefferson counseled, “Be a listener only, keep within yourself, and endeavor to establish with yourself the habit of silence, especially in politics.” He was not denying political engagement, but warning that the constant clamor of politics can drown out inner reason. I take that advice seriously now. So here I remain, publicly silent, though not disengaged. I judge that when the cost of speech is loss of integrity—or worse, being a caricature in someone else’s war—it is sometimes less damaging to the soul to stay quiet. I am not proud of this silencing. But it is what remains to someone in the middle who still wants to learn, to reflect, and to preserve some interior coherence. If ever the air clears, if reason again finds traction, I may speak. But until then, I wait.”

But the hype is stating that Tylenol causes Autism. That simply isn't the case. How do I know this? Because my wife never took Tylenol while pregnant yet my youngest son has Autism. The rise in Autism is because now we are able to diagnose it much better and sooner than we have ever have. Back in the day, folks didn't know what it was and simply misdiagnosed. My son was diagnosed as a 2 year old. We were first alerted by a school developmental specialist based on his behavior and skill set. She recommended us to a developmental psychologist and through some testing was then diagnosed. I just think this is being blown out of proportion and Trump needs to be able to point a finger. There are several drugs that women shouldn't take while pregnant. This just seems like a witch hunt. If we are going to reach for causes of Autism, then the first thing to look at is the amounts of mercury in vaccinations. I believe there is more substance to that claim than Tylenol. My wife and I never really got into the "what caused this" thing. Yes we asked questions but that was just briefly. After coming to grips with the diagnose (and that took some time) we then went into how do we manage this and what can we do to help our son. Took a lot of growing pains, some setbacks and personal struggles. But in the end, we believe we did the best we could and our son is striving as a 30 year old adult with Autism. Best thing we were ever told when we were dealing with all this was something a friend said to us at a grocery store. We were talking to her about our son and how we were struggling with all that comes with Autism. She said to us and I quote. "You guys will do just fine. God chose you two to be Reid's parents. He knows that you guys are the perfect parents for him. It is not a curse, it's a blessing to be his parents." That stuck with us till this day. IMO, there is no real root cause to Autism.

I personally don't believe that Tylenol causes autism, but could see it being one of a set of factors that may cause it. I think you can make an easy connection between things that a lot of people do (many, many pregnant women take aspirin) to just about anything. I could make a convincing argument that drinking water while you're pregnant increases the chances of having an autistic child, because 100% of the mothers of autistic children drank water while they were pregnant. Having worked with autistic children for the last several years, I tend to think that there are many, many factors that likely lead to a child being born autistic. I 1000% percent agree with AAW that it is much better diagnosed today than it was in the past. Most cases of autism when I was a kid were just kids who were "weird" or "different." I also agree with 5GB that there are more cases today as well. A lot is still not known about what causes autism, but there is one factor that has been definitively proven to increase the odds of having an autistic child, and that is the age of the parents. Older parents are much more likely to give birth to an autistic child. A woman in her 30s is twice as likely to have an autistic child than a woman in her 20s. A woman in her 40s is five times as likely to give birth to an autistic child than a woman in her 20s. Just in the last generation or two there's been a big increase in couples waiting well into their 30s and even 40s to start families. Without a doubt that explains (some) of the increase in autism. And I'm sure there are other environmental and dietary factors as well that are not understood yet.

wildly inappropriate what HD did. It feels like there should be some accountability for the administrators who ignored this and then protected their own. maybe there has been, I don't know.

Not up for debate

The irony of attacking ice agents only to kill immigrants and not ice agents.....then killing yourself.

Reagan, I hope they do but we always hear "we are going to get you" and a lot of noise is made, committees are formed, hearings are held then it just seems to go away quietly. If you aren't going to follow thru on these threats, don't even go thru the show of having the hearings.

🤣

Willis at Cleveland on Friday. We know the freshman QB for Willis and his family.

I never said that they were playing well because the are not at this point. They are playing great considering what has gone on and still be in the hunt. Enough said. They are 11-1 in bottom of 8th

Yep. Now need a Cleveland win tonight and the Astros will be tied with Detroit for the final playoff spot with three games to play. Detroit finishes with a three game series at Boston. Houston will play at the Angels to finish the regular season. Still have a chance.

The best gun control measure for Democrats & liberals in general would be to not allow Democrats/liberals to carry. They seem to want to open fire on anybody & anything nowadays. Maybe that would put them above water on that poll question. Sure would make me feel safer. Suckers can't aim for squat.

Astors getting it done today. Let’s Go Astros!!!!

LOL - these types of comments aways crack me up..... OH yea, BUT he's mean.....or "insert whatever"...... Still your President for the SECOND time...... and unless your party does an about face, you are going to get at least4, if not 8 years of Vance

The idiot should have had the sense to say “acetaminophen”. He is not a leader.

Was there ignorance in those comments? Absolutely not! The Astros have done very well the past several Years. They simply didn’t get the job done this year. The sad part of some other posts is that you want to look at the past and not at the present They had a bad season with injuries, no one knows whether they have won or not. They may have, but it didn’t happen that way. There is no reason for excuses. Just say they didn’t get it done The one thing that I am definitely finding out for all the ones that want to call my comments ignorant or that my posts are always negative is that these fine folks know very little about athletics They may not watch the games or may not recognize what is going on or simply don’t understand what it takes to win

1000% agree. My point about Trump is that he wanted (or needed in some way) to point the finger at one particular drug company. It just looks like a witch hunt which I personally believe it is for whatever reason. I think it's simply another headline grabber moment for Trump. No real substance behind this move.

Some good fall ball matchups Saturday at MI3 Center for the gaso. [Hidden Content]

Isn't he the complete opposite of motivational?

Lcm uses hudl. But it hasn't worked yet.

I had no idea....wow

I agree

I see those comments… just gotta laugh at the ignorance and don’t acknowledge morons… side note what a Historic Run the Astros have been on. Every year there is a hiccup… this year it is. I always wanna see the Astros win it all but with the injuries tbh I don’t even think we would have gotten out of round 1. With that being said much needed rest and rehab is in store for the Astros. Hoping Crane decides to spend a little $$$ this offseason.

LSU had Peyton Houston commit to them 2 weeks ago. Most schools only take one high profile QB. Like half of the top 30 QBs for 2027 have already committed.

That speaks loudly. Awesome post.

I read all of it. Makes me stop and think, which was the purpose of the article. Thanks for sharing.

Yates vs Worthing

omg......which was first, cigarettes or cancer?

Hunter Brown is the sixth pitcher in Astros history to throw at least 185 innings in a season and finish with an ERA lower than 2.45. Roger Clemens was the last person to do it in 2005 -

Trump wasn’t the first to say this, the makers of Tylenol were. You so bad want to make Trump a villain, when in fact, you make yourself look like a fool. Like hippie said, ppl get lung cancer without smoking, so every kid with Autism isn’t caused by Tylenol. Hope you comprehend doctor’s orders better than you comprehend posts on this website!

The injury deal is a bit perplexing. Is it just bad luck, or is it the players are not stretching enough, not keeping in good shape, bad trainers, bad doctors? They misdiagnosed Alverez.

I’m not questioning him being shot or the blood.

Is this the smoking gun, no pun intended? The FBI reports that the ICE shooter had researched the Charlie Kirk shooting two days before his attack on ICE. The Kirk shooter put messages on his ammo and the ICE shooter copied it and did the same. The new political message delivery, ammo messages.

Didn't have an official offer but was being heavily recruited. Being he's still in the middle of his junior season I would think he'd probably get an offer in the near future. Had several offers from Texas schools also so I'm guessing Vandy made a good impression for him to make that decision this early

Vandy is not a bad football team.... that is weird to say lol

Autism was named as a diagnosis in 1911. Tylenol was invented in 1950, so Trump is wrong. I took Tylenol during both of my pregnancies and my kids are fine.

🤐

The new copycat crime.

I'd worry about winning this game before you start talking about backups going in.

Thank your Democrat politician for another “peaceful” protest. Again, will the radical left posters here stay quiet on this topic? Short answer, more than likely.

If we play our cards right this could possibly happen! @Big girl @UT alum > you OK? @Boyz N Da Hood What say you?!

It will be as much as Coach Rich wants to score. I think he will try some 2nd stringers fairly early and keep the score respectful.

We have been complaining for years about the shadow banning and cancel culture. Many, not all Democrats and Trump haters supported and celebrated it. They did not want to hear things they disagreed with. They even came up with safe spaces....lol There have been so many phobia's made up, dictionary's would need to be re-written (if they were paper now days) Now we have direct proof of a couple things. 1. The Obama administration purposely sabotaged an incoming President. 2. The Biden administration purposely silenced private companies...... Yet, the left's outrage today is about a private company taking a comedian off their network......

My grandson has been diagnosed with Autism. He just turned 3. My DIL took Tylenol during pregnancy for her migraines. I don’t think that is what’s responsible. Tylenol is a brand name and Trump shouldn’t use that term. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient. Had an old girlfriend who was allergic to it. She would break out in hives. There are other remedies that use Acetaminophen for pain. Like Aggie said, I will adjust. Humans are good at adapting. I wouldn’t trade Leo for anything in the world.

Let's just say I have mellowed in my old age and having grandkids brings so much joy in my life. Life is good.

As a Father, that hits right in the feelings. Those are such true words.

And just FYI, both bands seem the be good this year. Sound quality wise.

Great assessment. Just know that PA's Oline is whole now with the return of #50 at right guard against Cleburne. United beats the spread and PA doesn't get to 50

Evadale is not what they use to be