MetaChat - This is a rant thread!

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01 June 2006

This is a rant thread! →[More:]I have gone on and on about this to anyone who will listen, but it still fucking well pisses me off.....Just because I give money to planned parenthood and NARAL, don't make me a Democrat. I wish the fucking Democratic party would stop sending me "dear Fellow Democrat" letters and junk mail about gun control and suchlike. Just because I care about reproductive rights doesn't automatically make me this little set of black and white beliefs and doesn't automatically make me a Democrat. Gah, I can't stand how -in this country- a position on one issue seems to put you in a box for everything else. I want reproductive freedoms? Then I'm automatically a host of other things. Is there no room for complexity here? Am I not allowed to want smaller government, just because I care about global warming?

yes, I'm being incredibly simplistic and knee-jerky. Shut up - it's a rant.

post by: gaspode at: 16:21 | 32 comments

I hate liberals almost as much as I hate conservatives

posted by pieisexactlythree 01 June | 16:24

On my 30th birthday, I got a solicitation in the mail from AARP. It was devestating.

I hope that makes you feel just a little better, 'pode.

posted by mudpuppie 01 June | 16:37

The same thing happened to me when I gave a small amount of money to the ACLU. Though I am much happier to receiving leftie and Democrat mail than I would be receiving Focus on the Family or AEI junk.

posted by mullacc 01 June | 16:43

Actually, since we're ranting, I'd like there to be a tax imposed on senders of junk mail. Not necessarily direct mail for causes -- because as much as most of us hate those things, having worked for nonprofits I know that for some strange reason that's still one of the most successful fundraising strategies (go figure). But ad circulars, those stupid (and legally mandated, right?) Have You Seen Me things -- all that stuff that people automatically throw in the trash? Make the senders pay extra! Or plant a forest. Or something. Think of the trees, people. The TREES!

And don't even get me started on the wasteful, gratuitous, egregious packaging of other commodities.

posted by mudpuppie 01 June | 16:51

I suppose they say "Dear fellow Democrat" because "Dear baby killing heathen" just seems a little surly.

posted by dodgygeezer 01 June | 16:52

Is there no room for complexity here?

Nope. None at all, unfortunately. It pisses me off, too. (Disclosure: I'm a democrat, but differ from the party line on many subjects.)

posted by jrossi4r 01 June | 17:12

We're Amurricans! (well, a large number of us) Complexity is not allowed in Amurrica. If you believe in complexity, then the terrorists have won.

posted by croctommy 01 June | 17:18

"We win! We win!"

- The Terrorists

*pile into a station wagon and head to Disneyland*

posted by Lipstick Thespian 01 June | 17:21

Buy one baby gift at Toys 'R Us (for jon's niece), and become inundated with Similac and Huggies mailers forever more (Similac sent me a case... good with Kahlua).

posted by Pips 01 June | 17:43

gas, we only have 2 choices---you are a Democrat : >

posted by amberglow 01 June | 17:44

except I can't vote, amberglow, so I'm actually not anything. although, yeah, totally a democrat, although I would differ from party line on lotsa stuff like jrossi

posted by gaspode 01 June | 20:23

Am I not allowed to want smaller government?

i dont remember seeing "larger, more bureaucratic government" on the democratic platform, but don't let that stop you from adopting bogus gop conceptual frameworks. or are you saying you support social safety nets only when it's your vagina that benefits?

posted by Wedge 01 June | 20:29

Wedge, back off, she didn't say she supports the GOP.

posted by matildaben 01 June | 20:33

neither did i

posted by Wedge 01 June | 20:47

dude. chill.

posted by mudpuppie 01 June | 21:03

dude. chill.

posted by Wedge 01 June | 21:06

I said, Wedge, that don't presume to know everything I support just because I happen to support one particular thing. No more no less.

posted by gaspode 01 June | 21:29

or are you saying you support social safety nets only when it's your vagina that benefits?

Sorry, but that totally deserved a "dude, chill" statement.

posted by mudpuppie 01 June | 21:42

gas, we only have 2 choices---you are a Democrat

Ahem! This is not right, my dearest. But I will not insist. Remember... Bush/Gore 2000? *ducks*

So what if she isn't a republican nor a democrat!!!

'spody is a fine person. She does not need the labels. YOU HEAR ME! (knock! knock!!) DO YOU HEAR ME? HELLO?! Anyone out there?! (c'mon this is my ranting for this thread)

posted by carmina 01 June | 21:53

Why would my vagina need a safety net? To keep it from falling into a pool of champagne?

posted by jrossi4r 01 June | 22:25

My vagina has a safety net as decoration. It's bejewelled.

posted by gaspode 01 June | 22:49

: >

i know, carmina--it's just that if she were American, she'd either be a non-voter--by far the largest group of American adults--or a Democrat, i think. the GOP doesn't believe (publicly at least) in reproductive rights, and explicitly is against abortion, and any sort of premarital sex or sex outside a heterosexual marriage (again, publicly and rhetorically and lawmaking-wise), and now against contraception, and vaccines that can stop STDs and cancers. They've replaced scientists with political and religious figures on all sorts of advisory and FDA boards and stuff too. They've actually changed all the rules about our giving aid to other countries too--basing our funding at home and abroad on abstinence rules, denying many all over the place needed aid. Somehow i don't think gas is with that.

posted by amberglow 01 June | 23:35

oh! carmina, i posted to the NYTimes guy who's traveling the world that he should go see Mary in Venice! : >

posted by amberglow 01 June | 23:37

What I learned during my trip to Oz is that the Liberal party isn't (and I haven't forgotten that you're a kiwi, g).

I received a solicitation some time ago from George and Laura because of my address.

posted by brujita 01 June | 23:44

The GOP isn't smaller government. Libertarianism is. Or Anarchism.

posted by Eideteker 02 June | 00:01

amber, maybe 'spody votes for (ok, supports) Nader!!! OMG! Can you believe this? Me too, maybe! ducks, reaaally low!

you must ask Mary for cut in the profits!

posted by carmina 02 June | 00:14

For some reason, even though I've never given money to any of the twin-evil political party candidates, I get Democrat and Republican fundraising mail. My main mailing address is a UPS Store mailbox, so I'm always a little embarrassed when I pick my mail up and I have envelopes that say Save American Marriages From Freedom Hating Abortion Mongering Anal Sex Fags from the Republicans or Save American Children From Those Horrible Naughty Swear Words On The Compact Discs That Those Black Musicians Put Out from the Democrats on them.

posted by cmonkey 02 June | 00:15

The GOP isn't smaller government. Libertarianism is.

Yep. Can't see anywhere in my post where I mentioned the GOP.

Anyway, I might as well have said I am anti-gun control. Whatever. The particular thing didn't matter. It's the pigeonholing.

cmonkey: how I wish I got your fundraising mail :)

posted by gaspode 02 June | 07:50

Perhaps next time around I'll vote with my gun.

posted by Hugh Janus 02 June | 08:12

posted by gaspode 02 June | 08:15

No reason, I just said that to see how Carnivore's working this morning. I don't hear any black helicopters yet; maybe the Feds are on a smoke break.

posted by Hugh Janus 02 June | 08:56

I feel your pain.

I have, in the past, donated to NPR (out of guilt), the ACLU (out of outrage), and the Appalachian Mountain Club (for hiking). Apparently this diverse set of interests gets me on every single list of leftie causes. Almost every day I get mail from them.

OTOH, I am registered to vote as a Republican for some reason (I think I wanted to vote in the primary), and that gets me all sorts of crappy mail from the other side.

I'm in hell.

posted by smackfu 02 June | 13:08

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