I gotta gotta gotta go

Why?

TL decided to change everything he stands for and everything he believes in order to join "movements" based on sketchy data and misinformation.  The air was "electric!"  His entire reputation for credibility and integrity was based on his well thought out ideas and arguments supporting principles and conviction he no longer holds.

He lost the ability to make those kinds of arguments and had resorted to memes and the high five fuzzies ala Taxed, Bert, Solar and Harry.  People challenging him on that he saw as "mean spirited."  We were all supposed to just accept that he was this new person with new beliefs who disavowed everything he used to believe and post.  But it's surprising to think someone can pull that off scorn free.  Shit, I disavow nothing and maintain I haven't changed at all and yet I face more scorn daily for not complying with the herd than TL did after his entire "evolution."  That's called conviction and principles.

Maybe as TL grows into understanding his new positions better he will return and try to rebuild his credibility and reputation.  (Or perhaps he's simply posting his cluelessly arrogant posts as another poster ........dot dot dot) 

But in the short term, the fact is, TL didn't like being on the losing side of debates by staking out positions he was new to and couldn't argue effectively.  And he didn't like being dunked on when he stepped on his dick.  And that's why he left.  "You're all mean" is just a copout.  The truth is he was constantly being challenged and he didn't like the uncomfortable feeling.  He was used to being a big fish in a small pond and he traded it for being a minnow in a lake full of minnows.  Being the shiniest minnow means you're still a minnow.

I would have liked to have seen TL stay here and not be a cluelessly arrogant dickhead like the rest of the leftists here. But that's hard to pull off when you're arrogant and clueless because you've swapped everything you know for a basket of theories and beliefs.  (I would argue TL simply swapped one basket of theories and beliefs for another but that's because I spent the most time arguing with his baskets of theories and beliefs.  At least his old theories had philosophical underpinnings instead of just being political talking points.)

And if you want to know what TL thinks about Ukraine, just hold your finger up to which way the wind is blowing and you'll have a pretty good idea.  The new and "improved" TL isn't as deep as the old one was.

(And if TL reads this from beyond the forum graveyard it might fire him up to post and put me in my place.  I'd welcome that.  His weaksauce arguments before he left were depressing af.  It was like arguing with my little sister who has never paid attention to politics or the news in her life.  Somehow all of TL's learning and paying attention and lengthy discussions on politics and philosophy turned him into a low information voter.  Weirdest thing I ever saw.)