The amazing thing about the hate e-mail is that the person signed his name. He also wrote, "Sincerely, Proud Right-Winger."
As I said earlier, I am fascinated by my species.
No matter how much I disagree with a person's politics, I would never write, "Surrender doesn't work you stupid b*tch." Nor would I refer to Islam as "pisslam." Both were part of his text.
I cannot understand someone who believes George W. knows what's best for America and the rest of the world. I simply can't understand why people don't realize that to Muslims, our occupation of Iraq is perceived as a war against their very essence. I simply can't understand why people don't realize that since our soldiers weren't presented flowers when they arrived to liberate grateful Iraqis in a "cakewalk" that would take only three days, more didn't, immediately, move away from the Dark Side. Still, I wouldn't tell any of these people who continue to believe Bush-Push to "get out" of our country which the Internet user suggested to me. I eliminated two words between the get and the out but you can use your imagination. He followed with: "Why don't you go to France and see where your 'progressive' faggotry leads?"
This, at least, tells me I'm not preaching to the choir.
And it also says this: We're dealing with some real scary people--those who even someone like Ron Silver, the actor so close to the edge of the conservative precipice, would want to muzzle. I'm really not saying that all right-wingers are typing hate letters to my fellow liberal writers of anti-Bush, anti-Cheney, anti-Rumsfeld, anti-Rice (how is it possible that this mushroom cloud cheerleader for torture could be considered for Time Magazine's Person of the Year?), anti-republican, antiwar paragraphs.
So many of them, the conservative columnists and pundits, are using civilized sentences and dialogue to state their cases. David Brooks, for example. Bay Buchanan. Although I just listened to Bay speak on CNN where she said while smiling, "It is distinctfully (is this a word?) American to think that we can win the war." I'm trying to process the meaning of her pronouncement. Even the curmudgeon Robert Novak probably wouldn't hit hate on his keyboard. And Ann Coulter. No, I take that one back. Let's remove her from the list of those who act with decorum and send her to the bin with Rush Limbaugh. Because I can see Ms. Coulter accosting the keys of her computer with a vengeance that would make her Dell or Apple sizzle. After all, she wasn't exactly well-mannered when she heard that Pat Tillman, not only didn't support Bush or the war in Iraq but, intended to meet with Noam Chomsky when he returned from active duty. Tragically, Tillman was killed by friendly fire and then was fired on again by Coulter who also attacked Pat's mother with her machete tongue.
But getting back to the acrimony. I've written many articles. I've been called a "moron" and "someone who doesn't know history." In an online chat, a person wrote that he knew me--that I didn't even come home for my nephew's funeral (Marine Lance Cpl. Chase Comley was killed in Iraq on August 6, 2005)--that my husband had "foot surgery" and was "recuperating at the Waldorf." My son, defending his mother responded, "To save you the cost of a dictionary, cardiac means heart, not foot."
So, you see, some of these proud right-wingers can really let loose with the turd-slinging.
No, I would never write vulgarities to or about someone with whom I disagreed. I might think to myself, Wow, he or she sure is ignorant. But I wouldn't compose it in an e-mail and push send nor would I log onto the web and spew lies.
I have my standards. They include speaking and writing the truth. Nobody ever changed anyone's mind by saying, "You're a terrible lying dhimmi c-word" which was in the subject line of the e-mail.
However, if the republicans' oppositional party doesn't start showing real leadership and acting on liberal principles (take note, Lieberman and Clinton), this is what I'll have to send to the Proud Right-Winger: "How dare you call me a democrat!"
