# Is Harry Reid a pederast? It seems the burden of proof is on him. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 3, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331 "2012-08-03T18:25:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/141 "2012-08-05T18:23:40Z")
Don’t dismiss your Option 1 so quickly. We already know, from info Romney \*has \*released, that his IRA balance is legally impossible. We also know that in 2009 there was an amnesty for on-shoring foreign accounts on which tax had been evaded, that he has had foreign accounts in Switzerland and the Caymans, and he’s only released his 2010 return. Could be a coincidence, could be it isn’t. Even if there’s no problem there, it serves to make the public more clear than it is just how rigged the system is in favor of the rich. Increased awareness of the point can only benefit our democracy and our society, right? It also helps illustrate what the effects of the differing policy approaches he says he’d take compared to Obama would actually be. That’s good too, right? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/142 "2012-08-05T18:36:03Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > No, he should use the authority we entrusted him with to enforce and revise the tax code so that people of his income level \*\*pay their fair share, or at least more of it. \*\* This would be brilliant if it were written by someone on the opposite side of the political spectrum form you. It brings sunshine to the morally bankrupt chant of “pay their fair share” (:rolleyes:). You don’t want the wealthy to pay a _fair_ share, you want them to pay _more_. And then _more again_. Because they can. Once again, you’re bankrupt positions and your monumental stupidity jump out of the mirror and put a clown nose and big floppy jackass on you. Smile! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/143 "2012-08-05T18:36:09Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Don’t dismiss your Option 1 so quickly. We already know, from info Romney \*has \*released, that his IRA balance is legally impossible. We also know that in 2009 there was an amnesty for on-shoring foreign accounts on which tax had been evaded, that he has had foreign accounts in Switzerland and the Caymans, and he’s only released his 2010 return. Could be a coincidence, could be it isn’t. Fair enough. If he evaded taxes by using offshore accounts, and _then_ avoided penalties by taking advantage of an amnesty, that is certainly relevant to a discussion about whether or not he’s fit to be president. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Even if there’s no problem there, it serves to make the public more clear than it is just how rigged the system is in favor of the rich. Increased awareness of the point can only benefit our democracy and our society, right? It also helps illustrate what the effects of the differing policy approaches he says he’d take compared to Obama would actually be. That’s good too, right? I guess, but it doesn’t really change my previous argument. The tax code is there for all to see. Anyone who really wants to know whether the tax system is fair or not can work it out. Hell, all you have to do is note that a person who makes $1 million dollars in capital gains and dividend income pays a lower rate of tax on that million dollars than a person who makes $40,000 pays on his last $6,000 of income. I don’t really need Romney’s specific example to make my mind up about this stuff. It sounds like you don’t either. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/144 "2012-08-05T18:39:42Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > My fellow progressives, can i ask you a question? > made up your mind about what sort of tax system we need, and also about Romney’s lack of suitability to be president. So i’ll ask again: what purpose will be served by making the returns public? Well, for me, none, because I can’t imagine I’d vote for him regardless, but for some undecided voters, maybe a lot. For me, the issue is not just that Romney’s taxes are a lower percentage than people making far less than him, but that they are a lower percentage than people making the same as him: he is benefiting tremendously from the fact that his income comes from a particular industry that effectively pays lower taxes. If he wants to argue that that is fair and just, I am fine with that. But I think a lot of people don’t realize how the tax code works, don’t realize that investment bankers pay a lot less in taxes than lottery winners or professional sports stars. Again, I think there’s an argument to be made that that’s appropriate, but it needs to be made–I don’t think it’s right to run on the idea that in no areas do any taxes need to be increased\* while, at the same time, concealing that in the past you’ve benefited (and will continue to benefit) from unusually low tax rates. If he’s sitting around saying “Man, I think it’s fair and appropriate that I paid 8% in 2006, but if Joe Six-Pack hears that number, he’s going to flip out. He won’t get it”, that’s a problem for me, considering that tax philosophies are a major policy difference between the two parties. \*His actual policy is unclear, but he signed the Norquist pledgy-thing. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/145 "2012-08-05T18:40:21Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’d be the kind of person who reads the newspapers, and who knows how to [google Obama’s tax return.](http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/18/president-obama-and-vice-president-biden-s-tax-returns-and-tax-receipts) But that’s not quite what you said, is it, **John.** Here, let me help with that… > [@](#): > > …Look, Obama takes lots of deductions on his taxes. He doesn’t pay any more than he has to… Now, I’m just a country boy, but seems to me you are strongly suggesting a level of expertise here. You know what deductions he takes, you know what deductions he is entitled to, and that’s how you arrive at your conclusion, of knowing that he doesn’t pay any more than he has to. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/146 "2012-08-05T18:44:27Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > My fellow progressives, can i ask you a question? > > Before i do, let me reinforce something that should already be very clear. I think Romney would make a godawful president. I wouldn’t vote for him in a million years, i think that his politics generally are pretty awful, and i also dislike the fact that he has awful politics while also apparently having no actual policies that he’s willing to talk about in any meaningful way. It’s also clear to me that his ideas about taxation are completely antithetical to what i consider fair and decent and reasonable. > > Now to the question: > > I might be missing something here, but can anyone explain to me what we would gain by having Romney open his tax returns for us? > > It seems to me that there are three main possibilities here: > > (1) That Romney has broken the law and illegally evaded paying taxes that he should have paid, by failing to declare income or by taking illegal deductions. > > (2) That Romney has, due to cautious deductions and a sense of fairness, paid considerably more taxes than he was legally obligated to pay. > > (3) That Romney has taken all the deductions that he was allowed by law, and has, as a result, paid an effective tax rate that is lower than many people making much, much less money than him. > > Option (1) is incredibly unlikely. Romney has been pursuing the presidency, in one way or another, for over a decade, and he and his advisers would have made damn sure that they took no deductions or other tax minimizations that might be legally questionable and jeopardize his political career even with people who agree with his politics. > > Option (2) seems pretty unlikely simply because, like most people, Romney isn’t going to hand over extra money to the government just for the sake of it. > > That leaves us with Option (3). But if that’s the case, i’m not sure why we need to see the returns. I already know that, as a guy who makes a lot of money on capital gains and dividends, Romney pays a tax rate of 15% on a large proportion of his income. I also know that there are probably deductions associated with property ownership, business expenses, and other financial dealings that he can legally take to further reduce his tax liability. > > While the tax code might sometimes be rather opaque and difficult for someone who is not an expert to understand, it is not a secret. Every legal deduction that Romney has taken is something that is written right there in our public documents. My position on what constitutes a fair tax rate, and on Romney’s suitability to be president, doesn’t hinge on seeing his tax returns. > > I fully support a revision of the tax code that would require people with Romney’s levels of wealth to pay more taxes. I believe that income based on capital gains and dividends should be taxed like ordinary income, and i don’t buy the arguments that doing this would lead to a sudden and dramatic unwillingness to invest. I think the Bush tax cuts should be allowed to expire, and i think that the top marginal income tax rate should be increased. But i can’t think of a single one of my opinions on tax reform that would be affected by seeing Romney’s tax return. > > It also seems that most of you arguing in this thread have, like me, pretty much made up your mind about what sort of tax system we need, and also about Romney’s lack of suitability to be president. So i’ll ask again: what purpose will be served by making the returns public? Excellent post. I think the real answer is that they just want to keep him on the defensive. Just think to all the things they could point to over 12 years. “…Then in 2006, Mr. Romney gave $5,000 to Organization X. Organization is now defunct and we can’t find out about it. Can Mr. Romney explain what he gave $5,000 to Organization X and assure us that there business practices were above board and in line with American values? And then there’s this tax he paid on investment made in Switzerland…” That’s Reid’s game plan. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/147 "2012-08-05T18:48:56Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Don’t dismiss your Option 1 so quickly. We already know, from info Romney \*has \*released, that his IRA balance is legally impossible. We also know that in 2009 there was an amnesty for on-shoring foreign accounts on which tax had been evaded, that he has had foreign accounts in Switzerland and the Caymans, and he’s only released his 2010 return. Could be a coincidence, could be it isn’t. > > Even if there’s no problem there, it serves to make the public more clear than it is just how rigged the system is in favor of the rich. Increased awareness of the point can only benefit our democracy and our society, right? It also helps illustrate what the effects of the differing policy approaches he says he’d take compared to Obama would actually be. That’s good too, right? How about this. Ask John Kerry to share his and his wife’s tax returns for the past ten years. He’s not running for anything , so it wouldn’t unfairly weigh down a Presidential election with things other than how the candidate is going to turn things around. But we’d be able to see how the rich use the tax code. Good right? We can even ask Buffet and Soros to share the returns, as well. After all, the public needs to see exactly how the system is rigged for the rich, right? And that’s what you care about, right? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/148 "2012-08-05T18:56:38Z")
Careful, **Elvish**! I think he’s trying to sweet talk you into a “liberal hypocrisy” trap! Gotta keep your eye on him, or he’ll pull a slow one on you. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/149 "2012-08-05T18:58:11Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > It brings sunshine to the morally bankrupt chant of “pay their fair share” (:rolleyes:). You don’t want the wealthy to pay a _fair_ share, you want them to pay _more_. This is incredibly stupid, because it begs the very question that is at the heart of these tax debates: what constitutes a"fair share"? For some people in a tax discussion, “fair share” means a flat tax rate, with everyone paying the same percentage of his or her income. For others, “fair share” means a progressive tax rate, with wealthy people paying a higher percentage of their income. And even among those who argue for progressive taxes, there is disagreement about how steep the progression needs to be in order for the “fair share” aspect to be satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/150 "2012-08-05T19:03:25Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Careful, **Elvish**! I think he’s trying to sweet talk you into a “liberal hypocrisy” trap! Gotta keep your eye on him, or he’ll pull a slow one on you. Hey, **mags**? \*\*Bricker \*\*called - he wants his act back. Stooping to give you an answer anyway, why would you think asking the actual candidates to release their own information “unfairly weighs down” an election? That’s just silly. Why would you think the necessary effect, the dispelling of the mass hallucination that the rich are “job creators” who need low taxes to be _motivated_ to do so :p, would be created as well if the actual people in charge of addressing the situation are exempt? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/151 "2012-08-05T19:12:45Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Oh, dear Og, you’re not going to pull the “liberal hypocrisy!” _schtick_ on us, are you? Complaints can be sent to [Frank Bruni](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/bruni-truculence-before-truth.html). \*"It has spread beyond the practiced rabble-rousers of the far right, and Democrats are exuberantly getting in on this unbecoming, corrosive game. For many years they bemoaned an unfair fight: Republicans were by and large willing to play faster, looser and flat-out nastier than they were. Is there as much credibility to that lament today?..Reid’s defenders will say that Romney’s reluctance to release more than one complete year of tax returns (at least so far) makes clear that he’s hiding something, which must be flushed out one way or another. Plus, to them, Reid’s claim has the feel of near-truth. It passes muster as a metaphor if not as a matter of demonstrable fact. It’s a genuinely felt worry of sorts and valid as such. But if you’re going to subscribe to that sort of reasoning, “You might as well put a dead cocker spaniel on your head and start yelling about birth certificates,” said Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show,” flashing a photograph of the quizzically coiffed Donald Trump, who to my eyes was wearing either an Irish setter or maybe a Pomeranian. Stewart’s point — an excellent one — is that the crazies who insist that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States are Reid’s philosophical and strategic kinfolk."\* ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/152 "2012-08-05T19:17:29Z")
Oh dear, the “both sides do it, both sides are guilty” fallacy _yet again_. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/153 "2012-08-05T19:22:54Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > This is incredibly stupid, because it begs the very question that is at the heart of these tax debates: what constitutes a"fair share"? > > For some people in a tax discussion, “fair share” means a flat tax rate, with everyone paying the same percentage of his or her income. For others, “fair share” means a progressive tax rate, with wealthy people paying a higher percentage of their income. And even among those who argue for progressive taxes, there is disagreement about how steep the progression needs to be in order for the “fair share” aspect to be satisfied. Reread what I was responding to. The point is that the fair share is never stated, it’s always meant to mean “get more form the rich guys”. I agree wholeheartedly that having the discussion you indicate is a great one to have. I’m sure that we can all agree right now that we all want everyone to pay their fair share. But that doesn’t get us very far, does it? And idiots like the one I was responding to through it around as if it means something. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/154 "2012-08-05T19:29:29Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Careful, **Elvish**! I think he’s trying to sweet talk you into a “liberal hypocrisy” trap! Gotta keep your eye on him, or he’ll pull a slow one on you. Actually, that’s not it at all. Get some Republican rich guys’ returns shared, as well. If you, he, think that it’s so important and that we have much to learn by looking at the returns of wealthy people, let’s look at 'em. Get 5 people on both sides to open their returns. But there’s not need to crowd actual issues out of the election by having one candidate be grilled with, “And what’s this, and THIS. Then there’s this other one her. Oh, and this looks interesting. Blah, blah, blah.” But that’s the real reason he wants it done. The rest is low level bullshit. As another poster pointed out, it’s not like the tax code isn’t there for anyone who wants to examine it. I’m sure there are also high-powered lawyers/tax attorneys that could explain every iota of what could be done and what some people actually do. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/155 "2012-08-05T19:44:06Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Reread what I was responding to. The point is that the fair share is never stated, it’s always meant to mean “get more from the rich guys”. But getting “more from the rich guys” is precisely the point of a progressive tax system. That is its very reason for being. You might not agree with it, but it’s pretty silly to try and criticize a progressive tax advocate by saying that he wants to get “more from the rich guys,” because he’ll agree with you that this is exactly what he wants. And it’s wrong to say that the “fair share is never stated.” Plenty of progressive tax advocates have, over the years, made very specific recommendations for changing the tax code, including some of the suggestions that i made earlier, such as treating capital gains and dividend income just like ordinary income, and raising the marginal rate. People have also, over the past few years, made the _very_ specific argument that they would like the Bush tax cuts to expire. All of these proposals state quite clearly what they think the “fair share” for the wealthy might be. It’s dishonest of you to pretend that the words “fair share” are never accompanied by specific proposals, just because **Elvis** didn’t provide a specific proposal in that one post. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/156 "2012-08-05T20:42:08Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Romney said it’s not true. So you’ll vote for him anyway if turns out to be true? No. As I said in my post, I have no intention of voting for Romney. I can’t stand his politics. I don’t care about his tax returns. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I feel the opposite way. I’d be more concerned if he paid no taxes and was able to do it legally. > > There’s something wrong with a tax law system that lets somebody with as much money as Mitt Romney has pay no taxes while people like me do pay those taxes. I don’t want people who are part of that system to be running the government and that obviously includes being President. I am concerned if somebody of Romney’s wealth can avoid taxes while I pay my share, but I don’t hold that against Romney. He didn’t create the faulty system, he only used it. If he broke the law to avoid taxes, that’s an issue. I’m also okay with somebody using the existing system to avoid taxes. I own a house with a mortgage, so I take a pretty hefty deduction on my income taxes. Is that unfair to somebody who rents? Probably. Do I feel bad about taking that deduction? No. Look at Warren Buffet. He points out how he pays higher income tax than his assistant as a way of highlighting the problem in the system. You can both use the system to reduce taxes and push for change to a better system. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/157 "2012-08-05T20:55:25Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > But getting “more from the rich guys” is precisely the point of a progressive tax system. That is its very reason for being. You might not agree with it, but it’s pretty silly to try and criticize a progressive tax advocate by saying that he wants to get “more from the rich guys,” because he’ll agree with you that this is exactly what he wants. My point is that he, and others, you perhaps, simply want “more”. If the Buch tax cuts expired tomorrow and the capital gains tax rate was reduced, he’d still be whining for more. More programs more help for this and that. And where is that money supposed to come from? You guessed it: the wealthy. It’a always time to get _more_ form them. > [@mhendo](#): > > And it’s wrong to say that the “fair share is never stated.” Plenty of progressive tax advocates have, over the years, made very specific recommendations for changing the tax code, including some of the suggestions that i made earlier, such as treating capital gains and dividend income just like ordinary income, and raising the marginal rate. People have also, over the past few years, made the _very_ specific argument that they would like the Bush tax cuts to expire. All of these proposals state quite clearly what they think the “fair share” for the wealthy might be. Oh it’s been stated by this poster or that every once in a great while. But even when it is, it’s a moving target. They demand they pay “their fair share”, but have no principled stance on fair. If you think I’m wrong, let’s here it. It’s always framed as “more fair” or a step in the right direction", but there is no endpoint. > [@mhendo](#): > > It’s dishonest of you to pretend that the words “fair share” are never accompanied by specific proposals, just because **Elvis** didn’t provide a specific proposal in that one post. You know, you throw words like “dishonest” and “stupid” around pretty cavalierly. You better be careful or **Lobohan** will come after you for stealing his schtick. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/158 "2012-08-05T20:57:23Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > You know, you throw words like “dishonest” and “stupid” around pretty cavalierly. You better be careful or **Lobohan** will come after you for stealing his schtick. It’s far from cavalier. You probably just notice it because terms like that tend to be most appropriate specifically when you are involved in a discussion. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/159 "2012-08-05T21:03:24Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > It’s far from cavalier. You probably just notice it because terms like that tend to be most appropriate specifically when you are involved in a discussion. Thanks for the apology you were supposed to type but hit the wrong keys. But now that I know you’d like to be lumped in with the likes of that idiot, consider it done. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331/160 "2012-08-05T21:09:51Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Thanks for the apology you were supposed to type but hit the wrong keys. Apology? A demand for an apology from someone who, earlier today said: > [@](#): > > Once again, you’re [sic] bankrupt positions and your monumental stupidity jump out of the mirror and put a clown nose and big floppy jackass on you. Smile! No-one ever said you lacked a sense of humor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-harry-reid-a-pederast-it-seems-the-burden-of-proof-is-on-him/630331.md?page=9)