We are polarized.
My children could hear her yelling over the phone, it was my usual holiday phonecall. She lives overseas now. She just kept asking why, why, why I support the killings of millions in Iraq. She couldn't hear my answer. I didnt even want to answer her, because it was to broad a gulf to breach.
It's so sad that she is too blind to realize that it is *she* who supports the killings of ***millions*** (a la the Hussein reign of terror) in Iraq.
A former FReeper and friend of mine just got mobilized today.
He's wanted this, desperately, for years. Now he gets his wish, and his chance.
I shudder to think of what he'd say to this former friend of yours.
If she calls again, I would say to her immediately, before she a word: "Sorry but the person you want to verbally abuse has decided against it. Goodbye." and then hang up.
Life is too short to waste another moment with an idiot.
I can relate. It's down to me and my mother - the only remaining ones with political sanity - after the passing of my father - who worked for a certain company in Mclean Va - long before Carter screwed it up.
All my brothers and sisters are various shades of pink - and none of them can seem to connect the way they live their lives to their politics. It is strange to watch people metamorphosis into philosophical zombies when talking liberalism - talking things far, far, far away where none of it actually has any bearing on their personal reality- where they DEMAND commonsense.
I've found it useful to answer nutcase accusations from the more vehement siblings by mixing historical events. For example - in answering why I support killings of "millions of Iraqis" - I would say wacko things like: "It was necessary to bomb Kosovo from 15,000 feet - because even though it caused more innocent casualties - none of our guys would be at risk - but you're right - there's no way we should have bombed Dresden, Tokyo, Berlin and Hiroshima....no reason at all."
Answering your wacko rejoinder causes them to tabulate through their confused thinking and hypocrisies - which at least gets them off their single-minded hysteria.