I just think that talking about this stuff has become so goddamn toxic it becomes very easy to get into an argument. 

With the various people you mention though, I'd say this...not speaking for them, but saying what I think took place.

With Joe, Mick, and Eric, I think they were surprised to find themselves on the wrong side of you. I think they felt you misunderstood whatever it was they were saying. I think they felt after chatting here for all these years that you got whatever their peculiarities were and so would not at all be surprised by things they said, in the unique ways they said them.

But they also have a great deal of love and respect for you. So, I think rather than continue to be an annoyance they left, or took a break, allowed some space. 

Those three all see things in the way we do but obviously were making or trying to make various points which may not have been clear. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with any of it because the truth is, how the hell do you have a polite conversation about bombing children or signing a piece of paper that will probably wipe out ten million people? I think we have to expect these topics are going to cause people to say to each other "What the fuck are you talking about?"

With Joe, Mick, and Eric, the thing to remember is, they are coming from a good place, thinking outside themselves, and wanting the best for people. They are good men. 

I think with Joe and Eric they were upset that you thought they were taking on qualities they felt were the opposite of who they are. And they did not want to be seen in that way.

With Pat and Marc...well...I just don't think there is a way around the fact that they either don't understand the damage being done or they don't care about it. Or the even worse scenario, they like the damage being done. That one would be hard to fathom but it is certainly possible.

Plus, in terms of interaction with you, yeah, they both intended to annoy you, yes because your name is on the site, and because they seemed to get some sort of thrill out of doing it. 

It's why I always felt some guilt trying to talk to them because I always was aware they might say something that may/generally would piss a number of people here off. I just could not help wondering what they thought about certain events. I know most of us here are in agreement on things, but Pat and Marc...wow, they are on some other planet. It took me way longer than it should have to realize they were not going to ever answer my questions. 

Yeah, there is the aspect that people came here for you to begin with and then this turned into some 25 years of conversation between a group of people from all over the place and now we are in the midst of a bizarre and dangerous mess that is testing all of us in a number of ways. 

You never know though, at any moment any one of us may say something that has an impact and that causes us to think in a different way or say something in a situation we find ourselves in that we may not have said...and that has an impact on someone else. 

Or Mick will show back up and call one of us a cunt again. 

At least if he does we'll get another swing at the bastard.