The main purpose of our Honest Discourse blog, which we have just begun (yes, it's brand new and I truly need your input in order to make this a success!), is to provide a place for you, the visitors to this site, to discuss pros and cons, to explain why you believe whatever you believe, and it is hoped, also to arrive at some better understanding of why we disagree with each other on some things (and agree on others). In short, I need you to write your comments (click the "comment" button below) on anything that you believe in strongly (and to write how you disagree with others' comments). In short, honest debate. I want "conservative" opinions and "liberal" opinions…and anything in between. I want us to explore together the issues that often divide people — but with the purpose of, at least in some small beginning way, gaining a greater understanding of our respective views and trying to figure out the causes of our disagreements. So feel free to talk about whatever you feel strongly about — gun control, feminism, school vouchers, unions, gay rights, civil rights, the Federal Reserve, big government, little government…whatever. The only requirement is that you be respectful of others; attack the issues, not the people.

As a supplement to the discussions, we also offer in this blog a number of codes of ethics of journalism, bloggers, and others who are in the business/avocation of expressing their opinions and observations. On other Your Code of Ethics blogs, you'll find additional useful information, such as the reference material about Federal, state, and local governments on our Honest Government blog. And , of course, we encourage you to make yourself more knowledgeable about the subjects on which you are discussing by reading books, which, among other sites, our Words of Honor Store offers on a number of subjects, including conservative politics, values, and history.