Posted on 04/11/2004 6:26:12 AM PDT by paulsy
My uncle and I have it out regularly and he sent me this note last night. I have ideas on what to say to him but wonder if anyone has ideas on what to write back.
"Paul- The Shrub you so blindly follow is a mean-spirited greedy idiot, and you can't blame mainstream media sources for finally recognizing his lack of clothing. ..."
He was not elected by a majority, he was anointed by a fiercely right wing supreme court majority, most of whom owe their positions to the Shrub man's father and party, undermining the court's legitimacy and that of the Shrub's administration. He has kept the country in fear since 9/11 and sought to campaign as a WAR president, because most war presidents have an easier time passing legislation and getting reelected. He even created a war for that purpose. Remember, it was leaked before the mid-term election, by a White House source, that the sudden irrational run up to the war with Iraq was a matter of "marketing". On the way to Iraq he undid decades' of diplomacy and alienated all of our traditional allies and others whose support we might have expected, except for those he bought or frightened into being "willing". Now, as the biggest gunslinger on the block, we as a country can expect to be the target of every oppressed political animal in the world with weapons and imagination. Oh yeah, we've also lost our position (as if we ever really held or deserved it) as the beacon of hope and freedom for the world. We are undeniably a world bully now, and there is no realistic chance of a meaningful international consensus on any issue while the Shrub Man speaks for us.
You might be thinking of saying "well, Sadam was bad and his demise and capture are good things." (Shrub Man borrows from Martha Stewart, if you didn't notice.) The same thing could have, and I think would have, happened had Shrub Man not announced to the world that he was going to do it with or without international support. Indeed, for many years even Arab countries wanted to get rid of him but we( R's and D's) helped put Sadam in power and protected him.
And just think, so far at least five times as many people have died in the Shrub's dirty little war as died in 9/11. ( Hell, the tobacco industry kills as many people as died in 9/11, EVERY 2 1/2 DAYS). People continue dying every day in the war while Shrub Man hunkers down in the safest and most luxurious places on earth, bellowing "BRING IT ON !".
As for the different views on whether Shrub Man's tax policies add up, I certainly don't know whose math is right. I know the Washington Times is not considered by most people to be objective or main stream; it is decidedly right wing. (Wasn't it started up to punish the Washington Post for exposing Watergate?) I'm no fan of Newsweek either; with very few exceptions it repeats whatever the powers-that-be want it to. However, wasn't Newsweek reporting on the total federal income tax bills while the W. Times only mentions the effect of isolated provisions? If so, both of their math calculations could be correct, but the W Times is comparing apples to oranges. A more meaningful analysis would include the necessary increases in state, local and sales taxes. The fact is Shrub Man has not only made the tax structure more regressive, his wildly irresponsible spending and tax cutting for the rich have greatly increased the tax burden for future generations, and put the economy in peril for the foreseeable future.
Paul, what I think is going on is that the mainstream media and a lot of the country have been giving Shrub Man "WAR president" status since 9/11, along with the benefit of every doubt, since that is what happens when a president is responding to an emergency. Shrub Man, and his shrubbers, took full advantage of this status to advance their political agenda (check out wages, health care, education, the environment, individual rights, or anything else they could sell out) without the normal scrutiny radical changes would normally be subject to, and are running the country into the dirt. Shrub Man killed his golden goose by trying to crassly campaign as a "WAR president", and he's been called on it. He can't fool most of the people all of the time. Now, finally, the normal scrutiny is returning, eyes are opening, the emperor is nekkid, and he is only starting to get the attention he deserves. Open your eyes and get used to it. Julian is right and you seem so be looking for some sand to put your head in.
I think there may be other explanations for your reduced tax bill, if you would be candid about it. I know my tax bill is down, but that's because as a lawyer representing poor and working people who've had their civil rights violated under a regime that favors only rich and corporate interests, my income is down. I give Shrub Man full credit.
I'm yellow dog with a full bladder who's found his Shrub. BRING IT ON!
(Excerpt) Read more at nopage.com ...
-paulsy
"Paul- The Shrub you so blindly follow is a mean-spirited greedy idiot, and you can't blame mainstream media sources for finally recognizing his lack of clothing.
He was not elected by a majority, he was anointed by a fiercely right wing supreme court majority, most of whom owe their positions to the Shrub man's father and party, undermining the court's legitimacy and that of the Shrub's administration. He has kept the country in fear since 9/11 and sought to campaign as a WAR president, because most war presidents have an easier time passing legislation and getting reelected. He even created a war for that purpose. Remember, it was leaked before the mid-term election, by a White House source, that the sudden irrational run up to the war with Iraq was a matter of "marketing". On the way to Iraq he undid decades' of diplomacy and alienated all of our traditional allies and others whose support we might have expected, except for those he bought or frightened into being "willing". Now, as the biggest gunslinger on the block, we as a country can expect to be the target of every oppressed political animal in the world with weapons and imagination. Oh yeah, we've also lost our position (as if we ever really held or deserved it) as the beacon of hope and freedom for the world. We are undeniably a world bully now, and there is no realistic chance of a meaningful international consensus on any issue while the Shrub Man speaks for us.
You might be thinking of saying "well, Sadam was bad and his demise and capture are good things." (Shrub Man borrows from Martha Stewart, if you didn't notice.) The same thing could have, and I think would have, happened had Shrub Man not announced to the world that he was going to do it with or without international support. Indeed, for many years even Arab countries wanted to get rid of him but we( R's and D's) helped put Sadam in power and protected him.
And just think, so far at least five times as many people have died in the Shrub's dirty little war as died in 9/11. ( Hell, the tobacco industry kills as many people as died in 9/11, EVERY 2 1/2 DAYS). People continue dying every day in the war while Shrub Man hunkers down in the safest and most luxurious places on earth, bellowing "BRING IT ON !".
As for the different views on whether Shrub Man's tax policies add up, I certainly don't know whose math is right. I know the Washington Times is not considered by most people to be objective or main stream; it is decidedly right wing. (Wasn't it started up to punish the Washington Post for exposing Watergate?) I'm no fan of Newsweek either; with very few exceptions it repeats whatever the powers-that-be want it to. However, wasn't Newsweek reporting on the total federal income tax bills while the W. Times only mentions the effect of isolated provisions? If so, both of their math calculations could be correct, but the W Times is comparing apples to oranges. A more meaningful analysis would include the necessary increases in state, local and sales taxes. The fact is Shrub Man has not only made the tax structure more regressive, his wildly irresponsible spending and tax cutting for the rich have greatly increased the tax burden for future generations, and put the economy in peril for the foreseeable future.
Paul, what I think is going on is that the mainstream media and a lot of the country have been giving Shrub Man "WAR president" status since 9/11, along with the benefit of every doubt, since that is what happens when a president is responding to an emergency. Shrub Man, and his shrubbers, took full advantage of this status to advance their political agenda (check out wages, health care, education, the environment, individual rights, or anything else they could sell out) without the normal scrutiny radical changes would normally be subject to, and are running the country into the dirt. Shrub Man killed his golden goose by trying to crassly campaign as a "WAR president", and he's been called on it. He can't fool most of the people all of the time. Now, finally, the normal scrutiny is returning, eyes are opening, the emperor is nekkid, and he is only starting to get the attention he deserves. Open your eyes and get used to it. Julian is right and you seem so be looking for some sand to put your head in.
I think there may be other explanations for your reduced tax bill, if you would be candid about it. I know my tax bill is down, but that's because as a lawyer representing poor and working people who've had their civil rights violated under a regime that favors only rich and corporate interests, my income is down. I give Shrub Man full credit.
I'm yellow dog with a full bladder who's found his Shrub. BRING IT ON!"
I also would request no more e-mail.
Agree. Life is so much better when you rid it of people like this. I do not argue with drunks or Socialists; It wastes your time and annoys the pig..ooops mixed metaphore.
Just use filters to killfile that address. We had a "friend" who put my wife on Moveon's mailing list. That individual is "Unpersoned" and no longer exists.
If an explanation is required, we state that we have the unlimited saturation resources of the Media from which to hear their point of view, and do not need to hear echoes.
If your religious tradition is other than Christian, a like response is surely available if you reflect upon it.
Debate with people with closed minds -- the true definition of bigot -- is fruitless.
Another liberal Bush hater with a CNN politcal education.
Sigh... I bet your uncle thinks our country is a democracy too.
Just know in your heart that he has a mental disease called liberalism and the best thing to do for him is agree he has a right to his opinion, and we can agree to disagree. Prayer might be in order also as only God can change a man's heart.
Actually I emailed him first, slamming the newsweek tax article. He's said some things though that can be rebutted. He's an attorney, and even if he "appears" to be beyond reach, he actually takes what I say to him and it makes a difference even if he doesn't admit it. He's softened up a bit in recent years. We go to his place in East Texas and he and I will stay up late into the night talking about this stuff. I'd like to win him over to some degree because he's a pretty vocal advocate on the left (as I used to be).
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