My favorite exchange was the following:
In response to my "swim to Cuba" line, he said "why did you come to annoy us today?" The leftist was serious. He and many of his leftist friends truly believe that the world revolves around them. It's all about them.
I said: "Get real. We won. You lost. We're here to celebrate and watch a parade. You are the skunk at the parade." Seeing his discomfort at that characterization, I started referring to all of them as "skunks at the parade."
Only rarely do I debate merits (as opposed to ridiculing) with the leftists, unless it's for a neutral or balanced audience, because it's generally fruitless. Almost all of the leftists, especially those at demonstrations, fall into one of the following groups:
-- Too ignorant or illogical to debate the merits of anything.
-- They live in an alternate universe filled with "facts" that they believe so deeply in as to preclude progress. For example, in their bizarro world, George Bush is corrupt and the UN is not.
I do enjoy laughing at them to their faces. Humor or ridicule is a weapon that can be devastating to its victims.
Many times ridiculing them is quite risky, such as when 13 DC Chapter FReepers demonstrated on the sidewalk as 5 to 10 thousand ANSWER marchers walked by in the street. Probably 5 or 6 hundred of them immediately adjacent us were shouting "shame on you" at us. We shouted it back at them.
Meanwhile, the Black Bloc of 3 hundred or so anarchists at the tail of their human flotsam and jetsam parade were almost up to us when a line of bicycle officers swooped in to form a protective line around us. The police told us that they believed the anarchists were planning to "bust some skulls." (Thank you police.)
The situation waiting at the security checkpoint or gate was great because, for once, our side had the numbers. Not FReepers, but people who were pro-Bush or at least anti-leftist were in the clear majority during the times that I was waiting.
If we could get more FReepers and patriots showing up to counter-protest ANSWER than ANSWER has people in attendance, we could totally destroy the viability of those apologists for Saddam, fans of Stalin and Kim il-Jong.
Unfortunately, many (most?) FReepers are too conservative (referring to tactics, not ideology)to demonstrate. Demonstrating is an in-your-face expression of political belief that is foreign to most conservatives. They often consider protests or demonstrations undignified, rude, or intemperate. Sometimes demonstrations are indeed undignified, rude, or intemperate, but I think we do a good job of avoiding those pitfalls.
Unfortunately, many (most?) FReepers are too conservative (referring to tactics, not ideology)to demonstrate.
I hear ya... it's too true. If only we lived closer to DC... *sigh*
Which event are you referring to in post #54? Is it the one in front of the WaPo?