"Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel" -- Answering a Liberal Email

Me | Mar 27, 2004 | by Laz

[Lazamataz]

Like shooting fish in a freakin' barrel, this is:

1. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.
   • Rush barely spoke to the issue of drugs whatsoever, especially once he felt their bite. Those conservatives that feel drug addiction is a moral failing tend to excoriate Rush, btw. And those that do not, do not.

2. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.
   • The United States SHOULD get out of the U.N. However, it's here now, so we use it to our benefit. It's kind of like the libertarian I know who uses Social Security Disability. While his ideology makes him abhor that system, not taking advantage of it would be foolish. Curiously, he accepts the checks, then writes his representatives denouncing the program. It is not a contradiction to take advantage of a current extremely flawed system if you do not like that system. Many communists hated communism, but still needed to survive.

3. Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of illness.
   • This is just silly. How you can attempt to relate the onerous restrictions on business in one point, then decry the exportation of American jobs to India in another, shows your own cognitive dissonence.

4. "Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.
   • Talk to me when you are ready to ease those restrictions on business so that we can compete in the global economy, where no such restrictions exist on our opponents.

5. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.
   • As soon as you can convince me that the fetus has no body, and cannot desire life, I'll concede you this one.

6. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
   • Take the issue of the condemnation of homosexuality up with G-d himself. In both the Torah and the Bible, G-d finds that 'to lie with a man as with a woman is an abomination before the L- rd.

7. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.
   • Would you show me where Democrats are any better about not slashing military funding? Do you recall the Bonus March? Are you at all aware of what happened to the military under Clinton?

8. Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.
   • Would you kindly point to me the conservative who embraces Arnolds mistakes earlier in life? The people of California (hardly conservatives, for the most part) elected Arnold DESPITE his failures, not excusing them.

9. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
   • Would you please point me out any thinking individual who believes this? The point of condoms not being in school is not to PLANT NEW ideas in the heads of our 'yutes'.

10. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.
    • Your list is getting increasingly irrational. Please point out spefics so I can address those.

11. HMOs and insurance companies have the interest of the public at heart.
    • No one said they did. However, the act of competition and the system of capitalism creates more efficient and better systems of distribution.

12. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.
    • This is a place where Bush has been acting like one of you guys. He's giving all kinds of money to Iraq like a liberal would. So quitcher bitchin', unless you are suddenly recversing course and do NOT want to see Universal Health Care. If you think Health Care is expensive NOW, just wait until it's FREE.

13. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.
    • Global warming is junk science. The link from tobacco to cancer is not. I am in agreement that Creationism should not be taught in schools.

14. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.
    • Saddam has always been a bad guy.

15. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.
    • You liberals have not yet made the case that Bush KNOWINGLY LIED about Iraq. We have successfully made the case that Clinton committed perjury, however.

16. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.
    • Marriage has been primarily a religious institution since time immemorial. The fact that the government got involved is part of the problem, and is what is causing all the nonsense about gay marriages. Besides, do you guys really want the misery that we heteros endure under marriage???

17. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.
    • The first speaks to lying, bribery, and influence-peddling. The second speaks to nothing important.

18. You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have a right to adopt.
    • Do you agree that there are any federal powers over states, especiaully as regards voting customs? Or are you willing to embrace the Poll Tax again?

19. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.
    • Clinton may have been acting in a traitorous capacity, certainly it was anti-American. Bush was getting drunk.

      And you say we conservatives are hung up on minutea.

20. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.
    • If any one of you people try to tell me that China is presently COMMUNIST, then please stand still. I want to enjoy laughing in your face.

[Peach]

Good job, Laz.

[Lazamataz]

Thanks. :o)

[Enterprise]

"You liberals have not yet made the case that Bush KNOWINGLY LIED about Iraq. We have successfully made the case that Clinton committed perjury, however."

LOL! Laz you are too cruel.

[coloradan]

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

You certainly don't want women to be making decisions about her body either, at least with respect to protecting it, because you don't think she should be allowed to own a handgun.

But it was regulations that created multi-national corporations in the first place: corporate profits are taxed once when declared as operating profits, and then taxed again by income tax when distributed to shareholders as dividends. Both of these taxes are avoided if the company uses them to buy other companies, they then become deductible business expenses that offset the original profit. And this is why there have been so many mega-mergers creating billion dollar companies that, in your world, make globe-changing decisions "because of no regulations." The solution to this isn't more regulation, it's the removal of regulations, because many of these conglomerates are much larger than would be efficient in a truly free market.

The tax code is the world's largest experiment in social engineering ever in history, and its reach is global. "Targeted tax cuts," the darling of the left, are what created this monster, and more such cuts will make it worse. Much worse, because (1) only the billion-dollar companies will be able to afford million-dollar laywers who actually understand all the nuances of the code, and who can create tax shelters that save the companies money, and (2) such companies are powerful politically as well, and can have a hand in supporting future regulations that are in their interest.

[I still care]

"Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton."

That's just wrong - Jesus loves you, He loves homosexuals AND He loves Hillary Clinton. Amazingly difficult, but that's why he's God, and you're not. They just don't love Him back- they are too much in love with themselves.

[driftless]

To those people who say that it is hypocritical to trade with China but not Cuba I say, what does Cuba have to offer us? I mean what do we get out of the deal? We trade with China because they have things to offer us and are a potential huge source for our goods. There are people who say increased trade with Cuba will help it become more liberalized, but I think that's conjecturing. Trade with Cuba should revolve around a program where Cuba liberalizes its economy and rights for its citizens and not before. Hanging Castro would help. We don't need them, bt they desperately need a lifeline since the Soviet Onion I mean Union collapsed.

[Enterprise]

Just wishful thinking, but I wishfully think that at some point, there might be a courageous judge who will rule that the tax system is Unconstitutional, and subsequently be upheld by the SC. I know, I know. Won't happen, can't happen.

[Sci Fi Guy]

I am in agreement that Creationism should not be taught in schools.

How about changing this to "children should be encouraged to examine and test all the scientific evidence. Rather than being taught to dogmaticly accept only one position."

[Lazamataz]

LOL! Laz you are too cruel.

You've got to be cruel to be kind. :o)

[exDemMom]

10. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

Belittling them, how? By repeatedly insisting that the Iraq phase of the war on terror is a "unilateral" action, thus absolutely dissing our numerous coalition partners who are assisting in this effort, as the Democrats have been doing? (How many was it, anyway?)

Oh, silly me, I forgot. Actual disses by Democrats are okay. Nebulous imaginary ones by Republicans are not.

[Lazamataz]

How about changing this to "children should be encouraged to examine and test all the scientific evidence. Rather than being taught to dogmaticly accept only one position."

I think that happens already. Many people who were taught in elementary school in the 1960's that the graduated income tax was fair and equitable now reject that notion, for example. The primary function of most colleges seems to be much less about memorizing facts, and much more about learning to think critically.

[Lazamataz]

Belittling them, how?

The email really doesn't say. Without additional information as to what they refer to, I think we can safely dismiss this as posturing.

[Tailback]

Laz, there was a study done by I think a Swedish think tank that showed only 1% of the weapons Saddam bought were from USA. Most of his weapons came from Warsaw pact and FRANCE! It was posted a while back on FR.

[wyattearp]

"children should be encouraged to examine and test all the scientific evidence. Rather than being taught to dogmaticly accept only one position."

Creationism is not based on science, it is based on religion. There is no "scientific evidence" of creation. Therefore, it is not "scientific evidence", and schools have no business teaching it as such.

[StriperSniper]

Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of illness.

• This is just silly. How you can attempt to relate the onerous restrictions on business in one point, then decry the exportation of American jobs to India in another,

We're exporting our marijuana jobs?!?!?! ;-)

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Lurker]

I miss him, too.

Hope you're well my friend.

L

[Lazamataz]

We're exporting our marijuana jobs?!?!?! ;-)

Remember when you were a kid, and the elementary school teacher would tell you about how Indians were sooooo terribly poor that they could not afford cigarettes, and they had to smoke rope (hemp) instead?

How naive we were. :o)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him...

Show them this chart. Bring plastic sheeting.

When their head starts spinning cover yourself with the plastic for protection against the projectile vomiting.