In fact, this point was brought home to me when I re-read some of my old sayings in Poor Richard's Almanac. One of them stated, "If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all." It was then that I suddenly realized that some of my recent blogs were going against my own advice!
Another one of my famous quotations was "Speak ill of no man (or woman), but speak all the good you know of everybody."
You can imagine how red-faced I was, when I saw what a hypocrite I have been.
So, like any good newspaper publisher, it is my duty to issue a retraction, and not only a retraction, but also an apology. If I have either intentionally or unknowingly insulted or hurt someone in the process of making editorial comments on the present-day political scene, I am deeply sorry, and beg their forgiveness.
To rectify this situation, I am in the process of deleting all previous posts (and editing portions of others), in which I may have held certain political candidates up to unfair ridicule and scorn.
Furthermore, by setting this example, I would heartily encourage all of the candidates in this upcoming election to do likewise, and to refrain from name-calling, mud-slinging, hate-mongering, disrespecting, casting aspersions, fabricating falsehoods, and otherwise stooping to the lowest level when speaking of their opponents.
Let us all be fair to one another, and show the world what decent people we Americans really are.
Your humble servant,
B. Franklin