The funniest thing happened on a technical discussion mail list that I have been a part of since '96. Someone had a virus that forwarded a message to everyone in his address book... and guess what was forwarded to this mostly liberal group of people!
The "To Be A Democrat" email that has been circulating. That's the one that starts out:
To be a Democrat, you have to believe that ..This list goes ballistic when any conservative posts something about patriotism or conservatism, but in the midst of their replies on technical issues, they feel free to say something like "that calculation is something like Bush's bull-in-a-china shop foreign policy."
1.. The AIDS virus is spread by a lack of funding.
2.. Trial lawyers are selfless heroes and that doctors are overpaid.
3.. Global temperatures are affected more by a suburban soccer mom driving an SUV than by documented, cyclical variations in the brightness and intensity of the sun.
... and so on.
Ha! What a post for a virus to spread. The list usually has 100 posts a day or so, but today all was quiet, except for a few people who said it wasn't appropriate to post such inflammatory messages on our list.
The poster and I have agreed before back-channel, and of course today I gave him support and sent some virtual flame retardant. He apologized to the list saying he didn't know how it got posted. That is the equivalent of Wellstone's Campaign chairman apologizing for the Wellstone coffin jubilee. You just can't take it back after it is out there. Don't ya just love it? :-)
Billie are you still mad at me? I sure hope not. I didn't mean to mess up your plans and I'm sorry.