One that gets ramped out here every time there's some situation where people can get all self-righteous and holier-than-thou and "I'm the most tolerant person in the world, but..." whatever the self-righteous cause du jour happens to be.

Forgiveness most absolutely does not imply remorse. It does not demand penance, an apology, nor retribution. It does not ask for contrition, self-abuse, or conditions.

I'm amazed at the number of people on DU who rag on the republicans/freepers/rightwing for their lack of empathy, their disdain for life, their refusal to love their neighbor and so forth, and yet are also rife with bile and hate and a complete inability to empathize, forgive, or sometimes even to cut a person an even break.

Sometimes the freepers and the so-called progressives are distinguishable not by actions and basic philosophy (as it should be) but solely by the shit that they cast their humanity aside for so they can stew in the bile of fundamentalist purity and feeling holier than everyone else. "Oh, he's dehumanizing brown people - must be a freeper. Oh, he's dehumanizing (cause du jour) - he must be a progressive".

We're supposed to be the side of empathy, forgiveness, mercy, understanding - I am ashamed, and deeply, deeply saddened when I see judgmental, hate-filled inhuman shit like you posted, and I wonder if we as a race will ever be able to crawl out of the garbage and evolve. A few of us are doing it, but it's gonna take a hell of a lot more of us to get there, and right now I don't see it happening.

We get massive applause for Obama's speech yesterday for it's inclusive, inspiring, all-humanity perspective, and then today are unquenchable bonfires of hatred of the same sort that Obama condemned.

What you are talking about is as far away from forgiveness (as you say you are talking about) as Charles Manson is from Jesus. You're talking retribution, vengeance, and the person-hood raping violence of dehumanization.

Sad.