From: sloopdougb@webtv.net   
      
   derekbill@allsummerlong.com (Derek A. Bill)   
      
   >Denial, like bad tradition, often dies only when   
   > the resident host succumbs. I'm less   
   > interested in trying to change people's minds   
   > than I am in exposing the flaws in their   
   > arguments. So much right-wing garbage has   
   > gone unanswered for so long, many people   
   > don't even realize there's a rebuttal.   
   > Fortunately, progressive radio is changing   
   > that.   
      
   Yeah, what are they up to, eight stations now?   
      
   >As for insults.....nothing is more insulting than   
   > being lied to with a smile. Your President is at   
   > once a laughingstock and a perceived danger   
   > to the vast majority of literate people in other   
   > countries. I'm insulted when the citizens of   
   > other nations assume that, as an American,   
   > I'm a party to Bush's incumbency.   
      
   I know exactly how you feel.  I felt the same way for eight years under   
   Clinton.  See, we have something in common.  Finally, the parties unite!   
      
   >You may recall (or if you review our entire   
   > conversation here you will see), that my gripe   
   > isn't with Republicans. It's with people who   
   > vote for Bush. In fact, the first paragraph I   
   > wrote on this subject was an indictment of the   
   > Bush vs. McCain primary battle in which Bush   
   > used outright lies and smear tactics to defeat   
   > a more worthy opponent. A war hero. Sound   
   > familiar?   
      
   Shocking!!  Imagine a presidentail candidate using smear tatics on the   
   campaign trail.  Hey, I don't like that, either, but surely you can't   
   believe Kerry isn't doing that, as well.  Geez, he ran poor Howard Dean   
   (whom I at least respect because I believe he believes the things he   
   says) through the ringer.  I reckon' thats how the game is played.   
   Don't ask me to defend it. But, McCain is endorsing Bush, no matter how   
   many times Kerry invokes his name in a debate.   
      
   >My father was a moderate Republican, and an   
   > elected official. His last vote went to Nixon in   
   > '72, a man who did more harm to the   
   > Republican Party than anyone in history, until   
   > now. At least in that instance Nixon hadn't   
   > been exposed until after the election....giving   
   > those who voted for him some   
   > excuse.......Bush is a profoundly different   
   > story.   
      
   I agree with your comment about Nixon.  And, I believe that Bill Clinton   
   did more harm to the Democratic party than any Democrat in recent   
   memory.  (Well, except, perhaps, for Ronald Reagan.  When he switched   
   parties to become a Republican, that sure hurt the Democrats.)  It's   
   hilarious to me to see Democrats distancing themselves from Clinton when   
   they're running for office.   
      
   >Well, then you probably won't be offended   
   > when, as the next two weeks unfold, major   
   > newspapers across the country fail to   
   > endorse the incumbent (I'll go out on a really   
   > short limb right now and predict that he'll get   
   > fewer endorsements than any incumbent in   
   > the last 100 years).   
      
   And your point is?  Look, I don't need some pinhead Rolling Stone   
   columnist to tell me that Brian Wilson's album is good and I sure don't   
   need some elitist editor to tell me who I should vote for.  Personally,   
   I don't think newspapers have any business making endorsements.   
      
   Assuming that there are reasonably intelligent people in both parties,   
   isn't it interesting that they can disagree about almost everything?   
   That's one thing I don't like about politics.  How can you agree or   
   disagree with someone 100% of the time?  There are a ton of things over   
   which I disagree with Bush.  And, there are some things I think Kerry is   
   right about.   I wish folks on the extreme right or left could see   
   beyond their hatred and party loyalty and find some common ground.  I   
   think it would surprise a lot of people to find that they agree about a   
   lot of the same things.  But, who am I kidding?  That will never happen.   
      
   Derek, do you have any plans to see that "Team America" movie?  I plan   
   on seeing it soon.   
      
   Peace out, playa   
      
   Doug   
      
      
      
   The Many (mis)Adventures of The Beach Boys!   
   http://clik.to/dougburrell   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)