@foxyspirit,

That is one of my favorite expressions. If you don't know what you're talking about ... don't talk about it!

I have a practice that I devised many years ago, one which is greatly facilitated by Google. Every time I hear something "really salacious" ... something I would just LOVE to quote ... I do two things:

1.) Keep my big mouth shut; and
2.) Go Google the salacious thing ... deliberately searching for "the other side".

It is extremely easy to use "rhetorical devices" to twist something into something it's not, and this is a favorite pastime of ideologues and activists on all sides. Many times, a bit of research reveals that the "salacious thing" is not being accurately represented. That, given a bit of context, it is at least not an absurdity. But, if you've opened your big mouth in support of it, you'll now be inclined to continue to do so in an effort to salvage your reputation. This never ends well.

Indeed, it was as a result of this practice that I became a Centrist, eschewing all political parties. I judge one idea at a time and discard the idea of "party platforms." I will not defend a bad idea in a trade-off for support of a good one.

Quill