On impolite thoughts and the posting thereof

Several readers have expressed dismay at the marked shift in tone that this post represents from the kind of thing I usually post here. I understand that concern, but in this case, I'd hope those offended would take into account the fact that it clearly takes a lot from the ilk of Mr. Limbaugh to get me to post something like this. Instead of "OMG, what an awful thing to say", maybe the reaction should be, "OMG, what made him feel like saying that?"

Is this an apology? Well, no, not really. The complaint voiced in the several e-mails I received on this post was phrased almost identically in each case: "This isn't what I come to Byzantium's Shores for." While I sympathize to a certain extent, it's only to a certain extent, and I reserve the right, as always, to write this blog for reasons that may not match up at all times to the wishes of those who read it.

I write in this space to express thoughts that I feel like expressing. While I don't express every thought in my head here, I can in no way guarantee that sometimes the thoughts I express here won't be the uglier ones. If on very rare occasions I don't live up to your expectations of me as a blogger, well, I think that's more on you than it is on me. In the end, the only expectations that matter are that what I post here is a real and accurate depiction of something I think. If not, then the blog is a waste of everyone's time -- mine for writing it, and yours for reading it.