"Burn in Hell you f*cking coward"!!!!"

[Lorien]

that's what a young woman screamed at me from her huge SUV as I was pulling out of my parking space at Costco today. I tried to catch up to her and cut her off (I was going to thank her for contributing to the Democratic Party by shopping at Costco-among other things) but she hit the gas and made a "brave" getaway. I guess she was offended by my Kerry bumper sticker-or maybe it's the one that says "Without dissent, it's not America". Either way, you gotta wonder; why are Freepers the sorest winners on the face of the planet? Do they know that they had to steal it to win? Do they not realize that the election is over-and now they own it all-including the massive messes that they've made? Why the red hot rage? (which sounded almost laughable, given this woman's tiny, screeching voice-there were lots of people in the parking lot, too-she really made a fool of herself)!

I took five years of psychology courses in college, and I have seven psychologists in my family-but I still can't quite find a proper diagnosis for people like this outside of "fucking insane". :wtf:

[GoCubsGo05]

1. I have noticed alot of cats....

Can you clue me in as to what they mean, if anything?

[Liberal Veteran]

4. They mean....

We luvs our cats!

[Lorien]

16. Another psychological study (off topic)

found that cat lovers tended to have more empathy and a greater ability (and need) to nurture others than non cat lovers.

As for the pics-it's all DUer Catwoman's fault. ;-)

[Clark2008]

81. Well, now that can't be true, or they broke the mold when they made me.

I like cats. They're OK. I wouldn't own one though (even though they have sought me out - I love animals).
However, I'm a dog person. I'm female, too. I have two doggies. A cocker spaniel who's nearing 13 and has absolutely no problems except he's losing his hearing and a 4-year-old lab/somekindofhound mix.
I'm extemely empathetic and, in fact, don't understand how cats are. They're kind of boorish, actually. They always think they're right. LOL!
I like them, don't get me wrong, but I have a son who has hamsters and two dogs. A cat would be kind of out of place around this joint. ;)

[Jamastiene]

128. Damn right you wouldn't

"own" one. I live with 3 cats and I can assure you I don't own them. They own me and have me trained quite well. ;)

[Lorien]

137. I think it really applies to all pet owners

but the study singled out cats because, as pets, they like to be treated as equals (generally-my Oberon is almost as pitiful as a Pomeranian I had recently,lol)!

Does fit in with the liberal mindset, though.

[Dr Ron]

195. Your cats let you get away treating them as equals?

Mine are convinced they are superior. (They especially look down on the dog).

[Gelliebeans]

83. Lorien

because of your catster link that I read the other day in one of your replies, I went and joined my two big girls up there! I am glad I joined!
I still am having a hard time getting my pictures to show here in the sig line but I am glad to have the kitty web pages at Catster.
Thanks
Gellie
:-)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

120. Catster?

Amy

[Lorien]

138. Catster and Dogster are like Friendster for pet owners

www.catster.com www.dogster.com

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

151. That is so cool! Thank you! n/t

[Hissyspit]

169. I didn't need a study to know that's true: authoritarian personalities...

men in particular, it seems to me, seem to not like cats because they can't control them. Cats don't give a f**k what they think.

People don't like cats for other reasons, too, of course, but that behavior trait in authoritarian personalities links them uncomfortably close to psychopaths, IMO.

[alittlelark]

75. Are you for real? You read her post and comment on CATS???

:shrug: :dunce: :shrug:

[tom_paine]

107. Good question. I'll bet the answer is obvious.

I'd state it, but it's against the rules of DU.

Dig?

[Lorien]

144. ..

a.) derail an uncomfortable conversation

B.) increase one's post count

I need say no more...

[GoCubsGo05]

168. What?

Why should I care about my post count? As far as derailing an "uncomfortable" conversation, it didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all. I thought the fucking insane diagnosis was pretty much accurate.

[SammyWinstonJack]

163. Really!

Made me forget what the orginal topic was. sheesh! Have to go back and re-read it. :silly: I have a hard time concentrating these days as it is, what with so many outrages coming fast and furious.

[CatWoman]

177. It means that we are suckers for the feline world

and they rule us with a iron fist, er paw :D

[Sparkly]

2. And she called YOU a coward?!?

That's just crazy. Is there a diagnosis that's the opposite of narcissism -- fear of looking at one's self in the mirror? :crazy:

She illustrated exactly why dissent today is courageous -- you run the risk of being confronted by deluded nuts like her.

[ultraist]

5. I think you mean projecting

She was projecting her flaws onto someone else. That's pretty common.

[Lorien]

11. Yeah-she was indeed projecting

and her hasty retreat reinforced that; but why humiliate yourself in public screaming obscenities at a stranger who you are basically fearful of? The election is OVER-so I don't know what she thinks she's getting out of such behavior. All Freepers are, at their core, thumbsucking bedwetters. That's why they MUST believe that Big Daddy * took all the scary people out of America when he started a war in Iraq. :eyes:

[Make7]

102. That's a generalization.

"All Freepers are, at their core, thumbsucking bedwetters." - Lorien
_________

Although it is certainly true that some Freepers are, at their core, thumbsucking bedwetters - some are just thumbsuckers, and some are just bedwetters. It is unfair to lump them all together.

:) Make7

[CO Liberal]

170. That's Right

Not All Freeepers are bedwetters. Many of them sleep on the couch, which makes them couchwetters.

:-)

[PatrioticOhioLiberal]

131. ROFL

:thumbsup:

[paineinthearse]

41. That just goes to prove how demented they are.

They take reality and twist it in a very mean and vile manner.

[mermaid]

114. And THAT Is WHY They Keep Winning Elections

The Repukes play to the mean-ness, greed, selfishness, and capacity for self-delusion theat exists in many of our countrymen and women.

[Lorien]

141. They make selfishness and greed OK

even "cool" , which appeals to many of our ego-centric fellow citizens (or consumers, as is their case).

[SammyWinstonJack]

166. This is what I don't understand

:shrug: It would be so much easier to be the exact opposite, it takes work to be mean, greedy, selfish and down right hateful. Being nice and truly compassionate toward others comes naturally.

[mermaid]

179. Not To Them, It Doesn't!!

For THEM it takes work to be nice and compassionate...and no effort at all to be mean, greedy and selfish. not their fault, really...they have been brainwashed into being that way.

Brainwashed by our consumerist culture...our "me first and fuck everyone else" attitude that is spawned by the commercialization of our societies.

We are afflicted, as a society, by a disease I like to call "me-firstism."

[CatWoman]

178. I had the same thing happen to me at the food court at the mall

Before the war started.

I was looking at the headlines in the newspaper machine, and made some negative comments.

This older man standing next to me went off on a tanget about how I need to leave if I didn't like America.

I tried to calmy respond to him, but he stalked off. I tried to follow, all the while talking, trying to make my point.

These fuckers operate all the same: verbal "drive-bys". They don't want to engage in converstation, they just want to hurl insults and run.

[ultraist]

3. LOL!!!

They are cult followers, but I agree, as far as a clinical diagnosis, I'm not sure. Who is suceptible to joining cults? Those with borderline personality disorder?

Be careful, they are prone to violence.

[LynnTheDem]

6. Why isn't she in Iraq, dying for bush-god's bullshit???

She supports killing innocent people, but won't bloody her own hands???

She's sure a big f*cking coward. Like most rightwingnuts.

[MountainLaurel]

164. Oh, she's got blood on her hands alright

Driving a big ol' gas-gizzling SUV means that poor kids from the U.S. and inncoent civilians are dying so that she can fill up her tank.

[smoogatz]

7. Is wingnut-ism the result of a neuro-chemical imbalance?

I'm only half kidding. Is there a point at which bad politics become pathological? The behavior you describe sounds like a possible case study.

[sffreeways]

74. Actually yes

Ray (1972a) found that "acceptance of aggression" (i.e., belief that aggression is an inevitable and natural part of human life) correlated both with conservatism of political party choice and with conservative ideology.

Adorno and the Authoritarian Personality The F Scale found a direct correlation between conservatism and fascism.

There was an excellent thesis on the web that I had in my favorites that used the F scale and other research and theory to study the mind of the criminal and found that many and or most criminals leaned conservative, and voted republican if they voted at all but now you need a subsciption to access the piece or I'd post the link.

It used to be here

The Politics of the Authoritarian Personality
http://www.worldandi.com/specialreport/2002/December/Sa22748.html

I'm still fishing around for it maybe it's somewhere else on the net if I find it I'll edit this post to include it but it would explain the original posters experience perfectly. The article was excellent and when I've posted it in the past it usually would bring the freepers here in a rage. Hehehe, damn I wish I could find it.

In any event is there any doubt that underlying the conservative personality is a criminal ? That's why they do things like what this sicko woman did because it doesn't matter that they win, they really want to injure, destroy, rage. It's an important part of who they are. Liberals see humans as inherently good conservatives view humanity as the opposite. If your world view is that everyone on earth is your enemy you are going to spend alot of your time lashing out at others.

Isn't it painfully ironic that she called you a coward then fled ?

The Zen theory would be she acted out that way because she wanted you to show her that she was the coward, and you did.

I would be cautious of chasing one of these wack jobs down though. They are after all criminals just looking for a crime to commit. Careful.

[ultraist]

85. there you have it!

That parallels Lakoff's strict father model too. It also reinforces various other theories on personality types or level of reasoning (Kohlberg).

In general terms, those who demonize people tend to be more punitive toward others that do not conform to the standards set by their authority. They are preconventional thinkers who likely are religious. There are degrees of course, and those who are extremists, are prone to join cults.

[kodi]

111. So true, thanks for the link & howdy SF, long time no see

You and Ulysses were the very first folk on this site I engaged when I was here under the moniker AJA back in spring 2001. Its nice to see an old timer.

To your point towards the psychology of conservative minds:

“In general, it can probably be said that the conservative does not object to coercion or arbitrary power so long as it is used for what he regards as the right purposes. He believes that if government is in the hands of decent men, it ought not to be too much restricted by rigid rules. Since he is essentially opportunist and lacks principles, his main hope must be that the wise and the good will rule - not merely by example, as we all must wish, but by authority given to them and enforced by them.<7> Like the socialist, he is less concerned with the problem of how the powers of government should be limited than with that of who wields them; and, like the socialist, he regards himself as entitled to force the value he holds on other people.


”When I say that the conservative lacks principles, I do not mean to suggest that he lacks moral conviction. The typical conservative is indeed usually a man of very strong moral convictions. What I mean is that he has no political principles which enable him to work with people whose moral values differ from his own for a political order in which both can obey their convictions. It is the recognition of such principles that permits the coexistence of different sets of values that makes it possible to build a peaceful society with a minimum of force. The acceptance of such principles means that we agree to tolerate much that we dislike.”

Why I am not a conservative”
F.A. Hayek

http://www.geocities.com/ecocorner/intelarea/fah1.html

But clearly, these modern right wing folk are not really conservative. They are Reaganists, and hold opinions best seen as a radical ideological/quasi-religious world-view.

They behave as if the Market has become their god, and they need no other. While Christianity provides the traditional backdrop or prop, it is discounted in any real way, in reality more a type of marketing a form of window dressing.

It is hard today to find an actual Conservative in the traditional sense. Conservatives used to distrust credit for example, trusting in money in the bank. Savings were considered a mark of temperance and pride. Mindless quests for goods or luxuries were frowned on, considered a mark of avarice. Conservatives did not just pay lip service to self-discipline, company loyalty, setting time aside for family and community, government service without self- aggrandizement, or even promoting a stoic life style but considered these ideals. Try to image a traditional Conservative supporting legalized gambling for example; it is impossible. There is little of this tendency left today, rather only the close-minded intolerance of Conservativism remains, but this is hardly its essence, rather only a bare hide.

Sounds about right?

[misanthrope]

210. This seems convoluted...

...with the earlier supposition.

“In general, it can probably be said that the conservative does not object to coercion or arbitrary power so long as it is used for what he regards as the right purposes. He believes that if government is in the hands of decent men, it ought not to be too much restricted by rigid rules. Since he is essentially opportunist and lacks principles, his main hope must be that the wise and the good will rule - not merely by example, as we all must wish, but by authority given to them and enforced by them." -THIS seems the outlook of someone who is naive, not jaded as the earlier poster painted conservatives.

Then, you go on to say:

"Conservatives used to distrust credit for example, trusting in money in the bank. Savings were considered a mark of temperance and pride. Mindless quests for goods or luxuries were frowned on, considered a mark of avarice. Conservatives did not just pay lip service to self-discipline, company loyalty, setting time aside for family and community, government service without self- aggrandizement, or even promoting a stoic life style but considered these ideals. Try to image a traditional Conservative supporting legalized gambling for example; it is impossible." -What is wrong with self-discipline, loyalty (not necessarily blind, though), setting time aside for family and community, government service without self-aggrandizement (there's enough of that on both sides of the aisle to keep anyone from pointing fingers), or the rejection of materialism? And then you suddenly change horses in mid-stream and start talking about intolerance? Are you trying to say that those who adhere to the attributes you describe are automatically intolerant?

[Hissyspit]

172. And they tend to not like cats! (because they can't control them)

See my Post #169.

[Lorien]

198. I'll keep an eye out for that article

sounds fascinating. Yeah, I shouldn't have chased her-I just kind of snapped because her nastiness just came out of the blue without warning, and I have little patience for such stupidity any more.

[misanthrope]

209. I'm not buying it...

...I know several "liberal" people, myself included, who think humanity is naturally base. However, we also believe the struggle toward enlightenment, the key to making the world a better place, is to temper that brutish nature via culture. We see that fight, that choice, as "progressive."

Those who merely exploit those tendencies for selfish purposes, who don't try and make a difference in every way possible (including the most innocuous), are "regressives." I think THAT group is the one in which you would have more luck finding "conservatives."

Two of the best axioms ever handed down to me were:

"The most difficult course is normally the 'right' one," and

"Your ethics are what you do when no one is looking."

[tuvor]

8. Maybe you could write a new chapter for a University textbook

Chapter XXXIV: Fucking Insane and Examples Thereof

[Lorien]

12. Lol!

my dad is the staff psychologist for a state prison, and has often suggested a book about his patients with a similar title. ;-)

[Ladyhawk]

52. LOL! The New and Improved DSM...Fucking Insane and Examples Thereof n/t

[realisticphish]

82. DSM-V is due out soon

Maybe they take suggestions :)


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Ladyhawk]

92. I would consider fundamentalism a disease. Maybe they can...

...stick it under the "Fucking Insane" category?

[CBHagman]

171. LOL!

I think I may be laughing all day about the "New and Improved DSM."

This is the BEST thread.

[proud patriot]

9. I was stopped right next to a Hummer2 with their window down ..Hehehe

I asked the guy "how does it feel to drive a car with
better armor than our troops have?" he shook his head
and looked down ...MADE MY FRIGGEN MONTH :D

Cheer up!

[tuvor]

20. Good on ya!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

43. Better armor than our troops have--

That's scary! I've heard from one person who test-drove a Hummer that they're cheaply made and a lot of the inner parts aren't even metal. Plus they rattle and clank, and get very poor mileage.

[paineinthearse]

48. What marketing genious came up with the name

"hummer". Really!

[Seabiscuit]

160. It was probably Ah-nold - he got them to make "Hummahs".

Some marketing person was sharp enough to realize Ah-nold meant "Hummers" because he couldn't pronounce "Humvees".

[Stew225]

121. Now, that's cool! I chased a guy all over the

video store who I thought had a W baseball cap on. I was ready to interview him for my ongoing research on functioning assholes. I finally stuck my face in front of him and the cap had the Cleveland Indians logo on it. Oh well, I tried. My comment to him: "Cool hat".

[PatrioticOhioLiberal]

132. You did good n/t

[GoneOffShore]

207. I've been writing on the salt

encrusted Hummers, Ford Explorers and other huge vehicles I've seen 'Owner has small p****"

[Cha]

10. she needs to get her ass over to Iraq

immediately..do not pass go..do Not collect $200.00..then find out who the "coward" is!

[Liberal In Texas]

13. These people listen to AM radio all day...Hannity/Rush/O'Really..

...and the constant demonization makes them think we're like, oh I don't know, Osama supporters or something.

They think we're traitors. I've been called that and all I was trying to do was inject some reason into the conversation.

The RW has given them the idea that we are dangerous anarchists selling the country down the drain.

It's pathetic, the amount of sway this brainwashing has produced.

[MadisonProgressive]

89. You hit the nail on the head!

That's why they are so dangerous. They are convinced that WE are the enemy and not the neo-cons.

[fooj]

14. She's obviously an angry woman. Besides, I think she feels

threatened by someone who actually has the cognitive ability to THINK! Look at the moron she is supposed to defend. I guess it's so much easier to "go on the attack"-it deflects attention from the idiot she supported. Typical bully tactic-what's with those repubs? I seriously think some of these people are pissed off and irritated with Shrub. Problem is- they don't have the guts to admit they may have made a mistake. Oh no. It's much more Christian to spew vulgarities in a public parking lot. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. How ironic that she accused you of being EXACTLY what she is! Maybe she was out of "kool-aid" and she was coming down off her DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR!

[Lorien]

23. Good observation; coming down off a high

the election being the high-and now there's some serious buyer's remorse. But Freeps can't handle the thought that they could ever possibly be wrong, and now with budget cuts and legislation that could hurt them, plus an additional $80 billion for Iraq and STILL no bin Laden...well, it is a lot to absorb!

Good old cognitive dissonance!

[Skip Intro]

15. I think I might understand it

They're lazy. They're easily led. They do not think past the superficial.

That would allow them to say that attacking Iraq was a good thing because whoever was on tv last night said so. Give doubts to God. No more thinking needed.

I seriously think there must be some personality trait, some vulnerability, that isn't universal, but is long term, that enables a zombie-like behavior in some of these people. They like their fantasy world of red white and blue glory - reality is irrelevent - they'll just say it aint so.

There are "leaders" of the right that have called for things like physical voiolence toward and extermination of those who disagree with them - "the left" as they like to call us.

I don't know if its insanity, but they definitely have a loose grip on reality.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

17. Man...is that a Norwegian Forest Cat or a Maine Coon?

That's an amazing long-hair cat.

As for the asshole in the Costco parking lot, I tend to assume that these folks gravitate to black-n-white ideologies because the ambiguities of life generate a nasty reaction formation. Your existence is a reminder that reality is different from their fantasy world and this makes them uncomfortable. You become a target for their anxiety.

JB

[ultraist]

21. excellent!

Her existance threatens their little narrow comfort zone. Careful now, might upset the king baby.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

31. Freudian explanation, though I tend to be more behaviorist...

Freud does have his points when it comes to explaining the incongruent behavior of humans or sociopolitical phenomena.

Personally, I feel that most fundamental religious persons are the products of a reaction formation. "Nasty" thoughts that EVERYONE experiences at some point or another tend to cause some with weak coping mechanisms to move to adopt very strict ideologies. Saving others from the perceived moral problems that these folks themselves struggle with becomes the mission.

Essentially, Repukes and fundies are WEAK MINDED, but also dangerous as a result. Sort of like inbred pit bulls...

JB

[spooked]

47. Great explanation!

That's it exactly...they are on a very dangerous mission indeed.

[Garbo 2004]

87. What's interesting it seems it's the angry people who gravitate

to these sorts of simple(minded) rigid black & white ways of thinking. I notice, for example, that the few Rushbots I know are basically angry, dissatisfied folks (they feel "victimized" by others and circumstances) who appear to have found an outlet for those uncomfortable feelings. It must be comforting in some weird twisted way to project all the evil, bad things and anger on others. And of course there must be some considerable element of fear, that the mere existance of a contrary view apparently threatens their entire mindset so greatly so as to elicite such an extreme response to a complete stranger minding their own business as in this case.

Apparently now with the full flush of national lunacy supported by the Administration, RW media and some churches, these folks think it's socially acceptible to act out, scream obscenities in public, vandalize property, etc. From people who supposedly profess that they are law and order types who want to restore civility in public discourse and reassert family values.

Instead you've got individuals doing things which ordinarily one would expect from a mob mentality. (Not without historical precedent of course.) These are the kinds of folks who I suspect under the right circumstances might be as willing to participate in a public stoning as they would a bake sale.

There be some scary whackjobs out there.

[ultraist]

96. They are Bush's Paramilitary hate crime group (it's a cult)

[PassingFair]

183. They LOVE thinking that they are in control.

These are the same people that chased Frankenstein up the hill. The same people who lynched african americans. The same people who take the law into their own hands at the drop of a hat, or a snoot full of whiskey. They get high on that power. Real or perceived. They buoy each other up, and jebus help you if your happen to be their target.
They disintegrate when faced with real opposition.
They vast majority of them will slink back to their quietly desparate lives until they feel they are powerful enough to whoop someone else.

[CrispyQ]

125. What you said makes sense.

You state: "I notice, for example, that the few Rushbots I know are basically angry, dissatisfied folks (they feel "victimized" by others and circumstances) who appear to have found an outlet for those uncomfortable feelings. It must be comforting in some weird twisted way to project all the evil, bad things and anger on others."

My mother use to be a liberal & a Democrat -- a kind-hearted, open minded, generous person. Then some bad things happened in her life (divorce, health problems) & at the same time she started listening to Rush. That was 10-12 years ago. She is now mean-spirited, close-minded, hateful racist. This is not the same woman who raised me & I've been stunned, mystified & horribly distressed at this change.

Your other statement: "These are the kinds of folks who I suspect under the right circumstances might be as willing to participate in a public stoning as they would a bake sale."

I fear that if it becomes patriotic to turn in liberals, she would happily hand over my name & address.


Goodbye America, I loved you.

[spooked]

189. I'm so sorry that happened to your Mom

That must be so upsetting. It's just further proof that the MSM is full of really dangerous, mild-altering propaganda.

Don't lose faith

[Garbo 2004]

190. Yeah, I just don't understand the "conversion" process and figure it's

got to be some pychological thing that drives it. Which is why arguing facts to such folks simply won't work since it ain't about common sense or objective reality. There's an interior drama going on.

Many, many years ago I recall hearing Rushbo (his rise to "fame" started in my hometown) and I told people what he was doing was dangerous and I was laughed at. He himself is a tool and I doubt he believes most of what he spews. (He used to always say he was just an "entertainer" before he became "respectable" and a RW saint.) But it reminded me of the Reich's propaganda machine and it was the people he was talking to who were sucked in that concerned me.

Now they have an entire infrastructure that supports them, from media to RW churches to the government. Before such folks would have been on the fringes, considered cranks and whacko extremists (like the John Birchers were at one time). Now they, with considerable societal support, consider themselves the mainstream, the "right."

Last night I saw a history channel doc on the Civil Rights movement. There were videos of white crowds protesting outside a desegregated school. Seen those before of course. But this time a sign reading "God Demands Segregation" caught my eye and it has a much different resonance today. No longer simply a historical artifact of a less enlightened time. Today desegregation may not be the "evil" but there are gays and libruls "out to destroy America." Scary.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

176. Bingo. 9/11 and persistent terror fears have only ramped-up the effect.

The escalation in hostile behavior by these weak minded folks has been fulminated by the "fear control" exerted by the current Administration. This "fear control" also has amped-up the interest in fundamental religious beliefs and notions that "safety is derived from absolute power".

JB

[ornotna]

205. I think you hit the nail on the head.

So what do we have to look forward to, our own Pogromnacht? Scary thought.

[Lorien]

25. Maine Coon

you know your cat breeds!

As for being a target; I'll probably remove the Kerry sticker, only to replace it with something that pisses them off even more! Know of any good sites?

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

34. Yeah, we have a Norwegian Forest Cat that we saved from a barn in CT.

Since that time, we have added two other elderly strays to our "Shady Rest Cat Nursing Home". So far the mix of two females and one male has worked out perfectly...

As for bumper stickers, one of my personal favorites was in the movie, "Saved," which read: God loves you, everyone else thinks you're an asshole. This pretty much sums up the majority of the Repuke Bible-beaters in my area (Durham, NC).

Cheers!

JB

[GainesT1958]

39. Go check out:

www.dontblamemeivotedforkerry.com

They've got that as a sticker, and a real bute I ordered:

Seen those black squares with "W--the President" in them? Well, the site above has one with the same black square that reads "F--the Presdient"!:D

If I were you, I'd order one for me---and each cat!:7

B-)

[Lorien]

68. Thanks for the link!

I'd like one that says "I'm an American, not a Republican" (it would take them a while to figure that out).

[strategery blunder]

105. Your link doesn't work

When I try it, I get some 'domain is available' page.:shrug:

[Ladyhawk]

53. stampandshout.com

That IS a beautiful cat, BTW.

[Lorien]

72. Thanks Ladyhawk!

you should join us in the Pet's group sometime. ;-)

:hi:

[Ellen Forradalom]

70. Betty Bowers has some great bumper stickers

Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian: http://www.bettybowers.com

Betty Bowers Shop: http://www.cafeshops.com/bettybowers

[Lorien]

79. This one is good:

[MadisonProgressive]

90. DEMOCRATICUNDERGROUND.COM sticker should do the trick

[CrispyQ]

130. Have fun browsing!

http://www.cafepress.com/aroseisarose

http://www.cafepress.com/rmcg_artware/107041

http://www.evolvefish.com/fish/stickers.html

http://www.northernsun.com/cgi-bin/ns/search.html?id=kX7HfJ6a

http://www.now.org/cgi-bin/store/scan/mp=default/sf=category/se=bumpersticker/ml=25/sp=results_category/va=banner_text=Bumperstickers.html

[Seabiscuit]

161. We also have a Maine coon. Just one. Wonderful cats!

[dddem]

188. I like my bumper sticker

"straight but not narrow"
or another one I saw
"I support Disney Family Values...
When you wish upon a star, makes NO DIFFERENCE who you are"

[koopie57]

29. We had a cat almost identical to that one

and it was a Maine Coon. He was a beauty. So far as this crazy lady, it doesn't make sense for her to call you a coward so it must have been something she was dealing with so far as herself I would think. And with all this ugly news coming out about paying reporters off, the new info from the 911 commission and the fact they held it back until after the elections, Gannon, and trying to accept this SSI change -- I think that many bush supporters are finding themselves struggling with something like an approach-avoidance conflict. They want to keep feeling smug about being a bush supporter, but are seeing they may have been duped.

[klyon]

123. and we are to blame for pointing this stuff out

They hate us because we know and they suspect that they fuc*ed up but if they admit it they have to question themselves and their religion which they can not do. So they lash out at us. Very sick. Brainwashing is almost impossible to overcome on your own I would suspect.

KL

[progressoid]

18. It has to be difficult to live that way

That is, having to force yourself to accept this inside-out logic.

I think the reality of admitting that they have been led astray is too painful bear. They would rather continue their self imposed prison of ignorance and confusion instead.

[Stephanie]

19. Classic projection

She's the coward - she seems to enjoy killing, although she doesn't, presumably, kill herself. Yet she hates you for opposing killing people. What a sick pathology.

[Lorien]

40. Yes, all our killing makes her feel "safe"

however, I obviously scare the piss out of her. :eyes:

[sellitman]

22. Mine sais "The right is wrong"

The W in (W)rong has a red circle around it and a slash through it. I've seen people drive by and flip me the bird, and one "lady" was screaming something at me in a car with the windows up traveling 65 miles an hour. I almost pulled off the road laughing. These cretins are a sick lot.

[Stunster]

24. You should get a new bumper sticker

One that says: "Support our troops---Go to Iraq"

[Lorien]

28. Now that would be a good one to have!

maybe we could put THAT on a ribbon! :evilgrin:

I should start carrying enlistment forms again...

[anarchy1999]

38. I'd only modify just a tad, "Go & join them in Iraq"!

n/t

on edit: Behavior is very disturbing, what state? We live in interesting times.

[FreedomAngel82]

26. I don't get it either

It's really strange how they're sore winners. :shrug: Maybe they want us all to leave the country and they think doing this they will, but sorry I'm not leaving. Bush doesn't have a mandate either. Maybe they're upset because Bush isn't getting a free pass on this term. It certainly is strange. :crazy:

[jdots]

27. I hope someone does that to me

as James brown once said " I don't know karate but I know ka-rasy " and they would get " The Big Payback "

[Lorien]

32. Hey, I tried!

I was planning on cutting her off, getting out of my car, and having a "discussion" with her. Good thing she ran like a rabbit with it's ass on fire; I'm not normally violent, but I feel like I could open up a big ol' can of whoop ass on such a person!

[Renew Deal]

30. I have been gracious to them.

I have not flipped off or cut off a single idiot with a Bush sticker. I'm not sure why yet. Some of them have kept their stickers and so to have some of the Kerry people. You are right about them being sore winners. They really have a complex.

[mermaid]

118. Not ME!!

Every time I get some asshole with a W sticker in front of me, I RACE to get in front of them and shove my Kerry/Edwards sticker in THEIR face.

Fuck'em...if they are gonna make ME see THEIR goddamn bumper sticker, then I am going to make them see MINE.

And I have flipped the bird to several of them, too.

On the other hand...every time I see another K/E sticker, I've been known to toot my horn and give the thumbs-up...and usually, then, they notice my stickers, and fall in behind to read mine. I usually slow down a bit so they can, when this happens.

I WILL NOT BE GRACIOUS TO THE RIGHTWINGNUTS WHO ARE KILLING THE COUNTRY I ONCE LOVED!!!

[Patchuli]

33. I got a hunk of metal shoved in my tire

when I was flying the "Bush Lied, Thousands Died
Impeach Bush.org"
sticker. Nice huh?

[Lorien]

36. Geez

that's awful. When did this happen?

[Virginian]

71. They are all beautiful,

but I have never seen a cat like Oberon. He really has a face like a lion.
I don't have a sticker on my car because I am not as fast with comebacks as you and I would probably feel hurt, just the way the woman would want me to feel.

I have heard that the rulers of the Middle Eastern countries try to turn the anger of the impoverished masses against the Americans, so they don't revolt against their own leaders. Is this what the right wing is trying to do here? Turn the anger of those they screw against anyone who is not a right winger? They have these people angry enough to go to Iraq and fight against a country that did NOT attack us on 9/11. They have these people angry at liberals and any others who did not vote for their president. They hate homosexuals. Are they going to start hating people of different Christian denominations and start a holy war within this country?

[Lorien]

77. Some of them already hate people of different

Christian denominations. My mom is a fundie, and she dislike Catholics and unitarians. I just don't know what they have to be so angry about; they own everything, and yet they still see themselves as oppressed. It's absolutely sick.


Here's Oberon's Catster page:
http://www.catster.com/?100240

He also has a thread in the Pet's forum in DU groups. He's handsome and lionlike-but such a wuss! I real mama's boy, too. ;-)

:hi:

[mermaid]

119. Oh, Boy....Your Mom Would HATE Me!!

I am a self-described Unitarian Christian. I am so because I believe that, in my church, UU...the people there, regardless of their individual beliefs...are more Christlike...and behave in a manner more like Christ would have us behave....than you will find in ANY Christian church.

No offense intended towards GENUINE Christians who may read this.

But if you are a GENUINE Christian, you oughta get out of that Christian church you are in, and join us at the Unitarian Church.

So-called "Christian" churches are, in my experience, nothing but brainwashing centers.

[Virginian]

208. Went to a UU service today.

I have never seen so many Kerry bumper stickers in one parking lot before. I was impressed with the intellegence of the minister.

We are church shopping. We really liked today's church, but it was a little far away. Next week we are going to a more fundie church to see if we can actually sit through the entire service. I just don't understand why they think the way they do. Maybe if I sit in on one of their services I will learn how to reason with them.

I tell you, I was so shocked that Bush got more than 30% of the popular vote. Why do so many people fall for his lies? Now I understand why Cheney didn't object to Bush's proposed constitutional amendment against gay marriage, Bush never intended to DO anything, he was just using the topic as a wedge issue to rally his base. I want to find out from the fundies how my marriage will deteriorate if the gay couple down the street gets to enjoy the same status. I'll bet they don't have an answer, they will just try to tell me those guys are sinners. Aren't we all sinners? I am not confrontational, but I do ask (politely) for explanations sometimes.

[Patchuli]

78. Last month...

there was a large blue Ford Explorer parked near mine flying Bush/Cheney stickers that I was suspicious of. We've fallen far when my POV is not to be allowed and property is damaged.

Speaking of that, why do I always hear Republicans spouting off about Dems slashing their tires? Any truth to that?

[Ladyhawk]

55. That is awful...much worse than having my Kerry sticker ripped off. n/t

[flyarm]

93. gotta use the magnet signs....so you take off when you park!!

so the little fickers dont key your car!!

i have mine all on magnets and take off when parking in parking lots..i dont trust the buggers!

fly

take a reg bubmper sticker go to micheals and buy the flat magnets..stick sticker on it!!

[lady lib]

35. They're frightened little people

spoon fed lies and hatred over our public airwaves. There's a concerted effort to associate us with evil, treason, cowardice, and ungodliness, and the frightening thing for me is that for a susceptible portion of the population like parking lot girl, the campaign is working.

BTW, I have a Maine Coon, too. He's my constant companion during the day!

[paineinthearse]

45. Soccer season will soon be upon us....

I am a soccer referee and do not look forward to dealing with soccer moms at all.

If I'm doing lines and I hear them blathering about *, I'm going to run into them "accidentally".

[lady lib]

54. I let everyone know how liberal I am

in discussions, my bumper stickers, hell even my Christmas newsletter talked about campaigning for Kerry and election fraud. But my kids and my husband and I behave in a manner that would make The Church Lady proud. We're living undeniable proof that the "evil" crap they're being fed over the airwaves is wrong, and then they have to deal with their cognitive dissonance.

[GainesT1958]

37. Wow...you mean you spotted "Little Oral Annie"...

Coming out of a COSTCO!?:eyes:

B-)

[paineinthearse]

42. We need to start "tagging" these idiots.

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3102075#3102725

[Mr_Spock]

44. There sure is a lot of friction in the air these days

Why, oh why, did they feel compelled to elect an immoral simpleton to the WH - incredible. Don't get mad at us if he destroys our great country. You voted for him, moron!

[InvisibleTouch]

46. Take smug pleasure in the fact...

...that she's financially supporting the Democrats - without even knowing it! No, don't clue her in on this fact ... let her stupidity work to our benefit. ;)

[depakid]

49. Take heart in knowing

that the young woman will eventually learn a very hard lesson in life-

One can only hope that she'll be smart enough to what happened when it hits her and hers.

[Lorien]

67. I didn't see how young she was

maybe she's young enough to be drafted. :evilgrin:

[PROGRESSIVE1]

50. Uh, maybe she should go to Iraq then?!?

:eyes:

I'd TAX THE LIVING HELL out of SUV purchases!

[Lorien]

73. Yep. She's doing a great job funding bin Laden

with that SUV!

[JI7]

51. what a fucking bitch

i bet this dumbass thinks she is some moral type.

a good thing to ask her would be whether God told her to scream out "Burn in Hell" to you.

it's not even just the nastiness in itself that's the issue. but it's the fact that they see themselves as some good moral people while doing these nasty things to other people.

[Ladyhawk]

56. Hmmmm...do you think she must have been religious?

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."-- Carey Goldberg. "Why Are We Here?" International Herald Tribune, Paris ed., no. 36,125; Monday, Apr. 26, 1999; p. 10.

I wonder...does religion make good people do bad things or does it provide an excuse for bad people to do bad things?

[Mr_Spock]

59. It provides an excuse.

Oh, well.

[JI7]

60. based on people like Bush and Bin Laden

they certianly use religion as an excuse for many of the things they do which are bad .

[mermaid]

122. But You Just Hit On The Answer Without Even KNOWING It....

THEY DO NOT SEE US AS PEOPLE!!!

They have the invader mentality...they feel no guilt, shame or remorse for any act they commit agaiinst "subhumans" which, really are enemies of their own choosing.

It really is that simple. Their cognitive dissonance allows them to commit these atrocities against us, because we, in their eyes, are not human...and to simultaneously see themselves as good and righteous.

these people, if they don't already...ought to scare the living crap outta you!! There is NOTHING they will not do to remain in their blissful state of cognitive dissonance. It is the very bread they eat!

[PassingFair]

187. I listened to many religious stations leading up to the election.

And believe it, they were totally DEMONIZING democrats. Thats why I scoff at dems who told us not to "stoop to their level" by arguing or giving another perspective to their spoon-fed shit.
The sermonizing I heard was UNBELIEVABLE! Dems were going to take their bibles away, dems were all atheist commies, yada, yada, yada. They not only eat this shit up, it makes them feel like *ing SAINTS, fighting the devils of democracy.
I am all for taxing churches. If they will not play by the rules of separtation, tax the crap outta them. How fair is it that a fundie can donate money to their church, which in turn uses it to further fundie causes and candidates, and get a tax write-off, but I can't give to a democratic cause and get one. They have all the scales tipped to their side.

[Hatalles]

57. I love how she hit the accelerator and sped off...

Classic.

Are they conscious hypocrites or do they just not know it?

[Lorien]

80. I think I nearly scared the cr*p out of her

when I whipped around the next lane and came after her. Amazing how quickly she could maneuver that behemoth through the parking lot!

[ClayZ]

58. We got our house egged.....

Just for having a Peace Flag up. Argh!

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0501-12.htm

Both my neighbor and I still have them flying higher now!

Some of those rightys are nucking futz!

Ha, my cats licked up the eggs. Free catfood!

[Lorien]

86. Yeah, my friend got her house egged

for flying a UN flag. Pitiful!

[ClayZ]

94. Wouldn't you think, if they had extra eggs,

(and a heart beating in their bodies) they would make an omelet, invite the grandkids over for breakfast, teach them how to play cribbage or something.....

Geesh, no hearts, no brains, they shouldn't be driving or voting!
What worries me are the big guns they carry in their gunracks. (And I live in a blue state!)

[mermaid]

124. Better Yet

If they HAD extra eggs...and a heart...they woulda given those eggs to some poor unemployed person who had NOTHING TO EAT thanks to the fucking rotten lousy shit economy caused by Bush.

[ClayZ]

155. Yeah, huh! eom

[Extend a Hand]

61. isn't it strange that...

so many republicans act like this woman
and yet they voted for bush because of "moral values"?

I saw a big SUV last week with the ubiquitous yellow ribbons
a b*sh/evilCmonster sticker

and another that read

the road to hell is paved with liberals.

unbelievable

[ClayZ]

65. Bag of Tools....

Your post reminded me of this Poem:

A Bag Of Tools

By: R. L. Sharpe

Isn't it strange That princes and kings,

And clowns that caper In sawdust rings,

And common people Like you and me

Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools,

A shapeless mass, A book of rules;

And each must make - Ere life is flown -

A stumbling block Or a steppingstone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess those bu$hies make Stumbling Blocks 24/7.

[anarchy1999]

100. What a lovely poem, thank you and welcome to DU.

Yes, so sad but so true, Bush,Inc. make blocks 24/7 and have been for many, many years. Long before WWII. Eisenhower warned us all in his farewell speech.

"Beware the military/industrial complex."

Look up "facism".

[PatrioticOhioLiberal]

136. Love the poem

Thanks for posting. :)

[mcscajun]

167. The source for one of my favorite Bob Weir tunes…

and by the same name, "Book of Rules", recorded as "Bobby & the Midnites"

[Redleg]

62. Conservatives are the WORST winners in history.

They control the presidency, the senate, the House, the Supreme Court, most of the state governorships and still they fucking whine about how liberals are oppressing them. "FUCK YOU!" I want to scream at them when I see their fucking whiney asses on TV crying about liberal professors or liberal media of some such shit.

[ClayZ]

64. That is what I do scream at them on TV

Then I click them OFF. heh heh such POWER!

[Lorien]

66. They won't rest until we're all dead or converted

sorry freeps, you'll never rest, and we'll come back stronger than ever!

[Klapaucius]

145. hehehe...

Convert or Kill.... Sounds like the Necromongers in 'Chronicles of Riddick'

K.

Okay, so it's a cheezy movie, but I liked it.

[Kire]

63. those are her cats

you stole them, didn't you

Damn Dem!

[Lorien]

69. Lol!

God forbid she should own any pets-or have kids, for that matter!

Nah, my cats read people pretty well. Someone like that would turn them into howling balls of feline fury! ;-)

[specimenfred1984]

76. Diagnosis is "Drunk Redneck Bigot"

She probably yelled the same thing to every person she perceived as a "minority" too.

She probably has an anxiety disorder, at least. That'd include some form of depression, probably masked by alcoholism and other dependency issues.

Combine that with a low level of education and voila, screaming parking lot skank!

[ultraist]

99. Or combine that with an education and money=dangerous

Some of the rudest and most vile encounters I have had with Repukes were those who were college educated and well to do. Many on the road. Those people have major road rage issues.

I've always thought that there is nothing more dangerous than a wealthy redneck. We have one on our city council and every time we go up for a permit or an extension, he FUCKS us over. They are power mongers and they hate liberals.

Consider judges both local and USSC and the power they have to oppress.

[Colorado Blue]

84. I think they're scared to death. Nothing else really makes

sense. But that only makes them dangerous. What with the White 'Muricans recruiting - oi. It's getting very scary, very wierd and totally unlike anything I'd ever have expected from America.

The cats are really stunning. We have three Siameses if you pleases:)

[ClayZ]

88. Revenge? Try this. Tiny Protests?

www.madeyouthink.org

[azndndude]

97. Here in AZ I cant believe how many BUSH stickers

Every time I go to Costco(I buy my gas only from them) there are SOOOO many idiots with their stupid VIVA BUSH ,BUSH'04bumper stickers. I wonder if they will still have them on whens he is indicted or run out of office.

[ClayZ]

101. Keep a few liar flyers with you.

Slip them under their wind shield wiper. Any old bit of truth will help.

[Lorien]

129. Yeah, I need to make some, plus get a few enlistment forms! n/t

[Swamp Rat]

98. HAHA! Sehr gut! n/t

[understandinglife]

91. Try this bumper sticker:

"DO YOU ENJOY BEING A CITIZEN OF A ROGUE SUPER_POWER?"

[Ladyhawk]

95. Feeling less pissed, now?

Something like this always ruins my day. The little girl part of me always wants everyone to get along, but life doesn't happen that way, does it? :(

I hope you're over some of the anger and can settle down. It'll be OK. :)

[Lorien]

127. I was only pissed for a few minutes after it happened

after that, I was just baffled; I would expect such nuttiness DURING the election, but not after-and when their side won!! :crazy:

[VOX]

103. The right wing is NUTS. It needs to be "under seige" by godless liberals.

As in, "The liberals are **evil,** they kill the unborn, they take away guns, they are traitors, they hate God, they hate America, they want to raise our taxes, etc.," blah blah blah.

The right wing is a cancer, and it feeds off of hate and delusion, both of which it gets in a steady, daily diet brom hate radio and Faux. Without its hate and fear to bind it together, the right wing would perish.

This is only going to lead to tragedy -- some wingnut somewhere will "hear God" telling him that it's a holy mission and A-OK to go "hunting liberals."

[Lorien]

213. They seem to be very close to that point now

The best we can do is to become "the cooler heads that prevail".

[JohnnyRingo]

104. "Compassionate Conservatism" in action. n/t

[Freebird12004]

106. your diagnosis sounds correct

her "insane" behavior might be contributed to by anything - including a fear of Democracy and freedom of speech.

[demnan]

108. What billigerent idiots!

n/t

[tom_paine]

109. If bad times come, these people may well go Nazi/Soviet/Medeval Witch Burn

pretty damned fast, don't you think?

It's an old story. These Busheviks are playing with fire, here and even if their intentions aren't to do us all like the worst regimes in history, they are setting up conditions by which it will become inevitable.

In some form or another. Right now, the only thing protecting us is the relative stability of our economy.

10-20% are ready to howl at the moon and play Jackboots, another 60-70% are dazed and confused and harried and hurried and if it doesn't effect them, fuck it.

Yes, bad days are coming. Don't be like a Jew in Germany 1937...you have seen a little of what's coming.

And God Forbid we have another "terrorist attck" or an economic calamity that also seems inevitable based on our positioning socially, morally, and most importantly Constitutionally, even above and beyond the brtual economics of overextended debt.

[bitchkitty]

110. You're too kind - I would have

gotten her tag number and had her locked up for screaming obscenities. These assholes have gotten away with this kind of crap for too long.

[RazzleCat]

112. different take

A local columnist put forth the idea that the Bush supporters are such poor winners because the majority of them were so unpopular in school. That for the first time in their life they are "on top" and just don't know how to be gracious in victory. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/billmcclellan/story/4150B958FB83C62A86256F9A00486228?OpenDocument&Headline=Angry+motorist+may+be+driven+by+deep+fear+of+liberals+

[indepat]

113. F***ing insane aptly describes the entire lot of extreme ideologues

who put rabid partisanship ahead of country each and every day.

[graywarrior]

115. I flip the bird at every Bush sticker I see on the road so

that makes me as bad as whacko bitch screaming you to hell. However, I do it with a smile.

[Nordmadr]

116. Another thing to consider is that

she may have known someone killed or wounded in Iraq. I would imagine this to be the type of response you would get from someone that supports Bush and blames the dissenters in this country for the injuries to U.S. soldiers.

"If you had just properly supported your president and your troops...none of this would have happened..."

Olaf

[Lorien]

133. I think that's a leap

I know the RW wants to blame everyone but themselves for putting our soldiers where they don't belong, but most people who lose someone in Iraq do, in fact, eventually come to the realization that BushCo IS to blame, and that the war is a total sham. F9/11 illustrated that well. I think this woman was a.) filled with fear because she listened to fearmongering RW radio, and b. ) projecting.

[Pharaoh]

117. I parked next to a bush nut

at the doctors office last week, with my Dean bumper sticker and Dem underground sticker, he had a bunch of Bush stickers on his car,

When I came out he was gone but left a note:

"4 more years :o)"

just had to rub it in I guess,

I try not to park next to these nuts now as I know there are some who will do much worse than leave a note.

[katinmn]

126. It's people like her that make others afraid to express dissent

We KNOW they will react that way. In order to support *, they must be programmed to think and react outrageously.

It's for that very reason that we must speak out against the bad policies. To do nothing is to accept our lot.

I believe fear is at the core of anger. What they are afraid of, I don't know for sure. Their regime controls all three branches of government, the Supremes, and the media.

If we were in the lead like that I think we would be cheerful and generous and respectful to the losing side. They know it and they hate us for that, too.

:crazy:

[Lorien]

134. I'm sure you're right

I don't listen to RW hate radio, but I know (from what I read here)that they do spread outrageous lies and generalities about the left. They have to, otherwise their rating slip. Neo-cons can't exist without an enemy.

[Siyahamba]

135. I see lots of */Cheney stickers in the Costco parking lot

I wonder if there were Kerry/Edwards stickers in the Wal-Mart parking lots?

[Lorien]

139. It's all about the Benjamins for the GOP!

even if I had told her that she is donating to the democrats by shopping there, she would have kept shopping at Costco. The almighty dollar is their one true God.

[Darth_Kitten]

140. note the irony....

she yells "coward" and runs.

I think she is "projecting". She must not be very happy, and doesn't sound very mature. :hi:

She must have known at some level, that she was the coward.

[ClayZ]

156. Yep! One finger pointing at you,

Three fingers back at herself!

[bloom]

142. There should be a diagnosis

for people who have read/watched too much Limbaugh, Coulter, and whatever other hatemongers are out there - to the point where they are convicted of their self-rightousness and see hate as the prescription to save the world.

It's pretty messed up.

[neomonkey]

143. I wish this would happen to me

I'm itching for an encounter with a random stranger out in the street }(

I drive around with a very inflamatory anti-Bush sticker and I swear I can't even get anyone to look at me cross-eyed. Not the response I expected.

Is it because I drive around metro L.A. primarily? Perhaps I should take my act out on the road to Orange County or the Inland Empire, hee hee!

[devinsgram]

146. This is an easy one.

First of all, the majority, not all, are both mean, hateful and lest not we forget, self-loathing people. For some reason they need to keep that hate going to make life worthwhile for them. They seem to feed on it and without it they would become irrevelant. This is how they draw attention to themselves.

More then likely this woman has been brainwashed to the extent that she would need extensive treatment to change.

Now there's an idea, treatment facilities for far-right republicans.

[ClayZ]

158. Kinda like Car Washes,

only bullshit washes... I like it! Spray them down with the truth!

[are_we_united_yet]

147. Its pointless to care. She's stupid and hopeless.

Hopefully they'll ship her to Iraq with her SUV re-enforced with armor.

[No Exit]

148. My reply to that bitch: "We're already burning in your Bush Hell, you

clueless, stupid, addled, over-coddled bourgeois, soon-to-have-your-children "aborted" (by Chimp's new war, complete with draft), waste of skin and plastic (the SUV)!"

[No Exit]

149. You've studied psychology... surely you've read "The True Believer"?

[Lorien]

153. No I haven't

who is the author? I studied it back in the early '80s; figured that if the art career didn't work out, I could "fall back on" the family business. Fortunately, the art career took off. ;-)

[No Exit]

157. "The True Believer" was written by Eric Hoffer. Hope you'll read it!

Here are some quotes and info. "The True Believer" provides a LOT of insight into why Bush fanatics behave as they do!

*****


Eric Hoffer - The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements
from the Cascade Commentary:
As we try to make sense of our world, it helps to explore the wisdom of people like Eric Hoffer. Known as the longshoreman philosopher, Hoffer had virtually no formal education, yet his awareness of the human condition was exceptional. In 1951 his first book, The True Believer was published. Subtitled Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, it offers insights still helpful today. Here are just a few of Eric Hoffer's observations:
"The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause."
"A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business."


There are many more gems in this little book, but I'll close with a chilling one:

"Unless a man has the talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden...We join a mass movement to escape from individual responsibility, or, in the words of an ardent young Nazi, 'to be free from freedom.' It was not sheer hypocrisy when the rank-and-file Nazis declared themselves not guilty of all the enormities they had committed. They considered themselves cheated and maligned when made to shoulder responsibility for obeying orders. Had they not joined the Nazi movement in order to be free from responsibility?"

The True Believer is still among us. Read Hoffer's book and decide for yourself who he--or she--is today.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

some more quotes...


"The proselytizing fanatic strengthens his own faith by converting others. The creed whose legitimacy is most easily challenged is likely to develop the strongest proselytizing impulse."
"It is the true believer's ability to shut his eyes and stop his ears to facts which in his own mind deserve never to be seen nor heard which is the source of his unequalled fortitude and consistency

[Lorien]

162. Wow! I will have to read that!

great quotes! :thumbsup:

[jeffrey_X]

150. She is probably just repeating the message that has been ingrained

in her by her tough, bigoted, conservative father.

[ClayZ]

159. Keep this in mind!

Howard Zinn | Changing Minds, One at a Time

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/021205Y.shtml

[jeffrey_X]

174. Thanks....great read!

I know all about this through first hand experience. Short story: Was born in small, white-town in Indiana and raised with the typical prejudice and passive racism.

36 years later I'm married to an African American woman and am a hard core liberal obsessed with civil rights, anti racism and african american history.

People can change and I'm living proof.

[ClayZ]

184. Each one teach one!

Evolution Happens!

[OneMoreDemocrat]

152. What did you do to elicit this response?

I realize that bile lies just beneath the surface with many of these people, but they generally need some time of trigger that allows it to flow out.

You only mentioned that you thought she must have been reacting to your bumper stickers, but they don't seem particularly outrageous.

Are you sure you didn't do anything else to set her off?

[Lorien]

154. Er, no-just the stickers

there are three on my car total; the two I mentioned, plus one that says "election 2000; we were Bushwacked"! (I live in Florida and saw the theft firsthand). I never bumped anyone's cart in the store, never brushed anyone's arm. Put my cart away when I was done with it. She was parked further away from the store than I was, so she had to walk past my car to get to her SUV. Maybe she was waiting for me? :shrug:

[Hissyspit]

175. Did you have any Cat bumper stickers, too? That would have doubly set her

off. :-) Remember, authoritarians hate cats! (See my previous messages above...)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

165. Oh right...some bot screams at her so she must have provoked it

[Toucano]

173. "Fucking insane" sums it up sufficiently, I think. n/t

[StaggerLee]

180. My little right wing hate crime story

About a month before the election someone shattered the top section of outside portion of my east bedroom storm window. I had a Kerry for President sign prominently displayed in that window and it faced our parking lot in the back of the apartment building. I actually heard the impact and the shattering of the window as I was sleeping in the next room on my futon. It woke me up but I honestly assumed that it was someone else's window or maybe a windshield in the parking lot. (I live across the street from a Big 10 campus and vandalism is pretty common here unfortunately) When I discovered the damage to my window it became clear that someone didn't appreciate my latest exercise in free speech. I did let my landlady know and she had the window replaced within a weak. She and I had a long discussion and I did let her know about the sign I had displayed. She was very sympathetic and of course upset because it was her property that was destroyed.

Anyway it gets better.

There's this young guy who always parks in our lot to visit his girlfriend or sister, (I haven't figured that one out, it could be his sister living with his girlfriend or maybe the girlfriend and sister is one in the same but I digress :evilgrin:) The visiting kid has this round Bush/Cheney 2004 sticker displayed on the rear window of his car.
Ever since the vandalism he's been walking on eggshells when he's around me. We have never spoken with one another except for the occasional passing greeting but he seems terrified of me. I've never done anything to the guy but he's genuinely respectful of my space. It's kind of pathetic actually. After the incident I was very angry and hoping that I could catch the culprit in another act (my Kerry sign remains in place) But so far nothing else has occurred. I had been wondering if maybe he was the person who had caused the damage but it's so damn gratifying that this kid is terrified of me that I have not persued it.
It has also crossed my mind that it's very possible that he had nothing to do with it but just knowing that he's associated with the W types makes him an obvious suspect and I am guessing that he's not comfortable with that. Lying with dogs and the ensuing case of fleas so to speak.

sL-

[Lorien]

181. You might try bringing the incident up in conversation

to see how he reacts. Could be enlightening. ;-)

[StaggerLee]

182. I just may

But I can't do much if the guy keeps scurrying when he sees me. I may have to put him in a head-lock...

Your cats are gorgeous by the way...makes me want a kitty.

I just started dating someone with two cats so I just may be in luck.

:)

[bush_is_wacko]

185. Personally, my experience with freepers is that they are the worst

offender's of human decency in our society. I had one slash my tires and tell me, despite the fact that I have been married for 20 years that my marriage was doomed for failure because I lived in sin with my husband for four years prior to our marriage. 24 years ain't a bad stretch for us miserable failures eh?

She also told me I was a terrible mother because I told my daughter I was GLAD she had gained a few pounds on vacation because her doctor had told me she was underweight (5'4", 98 pounds!) but her doctor didn't think it was because of anorexia , just metabolism, and that we should encourage her to stay active but eat small meals more often to insure she wasn't losing muscle mass. (she now weighs a whopping 103 pounds) Holy cow! I think I might have led to her obesity don't you think? Funny thing is this woman HAS NO CHILDREN OF HER OWN and she thinks she has a right to tell me how to raise the two I've got after having been a mother for 16 years? She also believes her church should give her a gift of $50,000 to either adopt a child or undergo infertility treatment because she is SUCH a good Christian and DESERVES to be a mother! Delusions of grandeur, I think, but if her church wants to give her the money who am I to judge?

She also told me I was an unworthy Christian because I flat out told a minister he was a BIGOT when he condemned homosexuals!

Believe me, if this woman isn't eventually locked up in a mental institution because of her inability to view "reality" and her willingness to "convert" people to her way of thinking at all costs I will be amazed!

No i didn't press charges against her for slashing my tires, I have no actual proof she did it but since I have left my job and no longer have contact with her, NOTHING like this has occurred to me.

I swear I didn't embellish a word of this!

I am without a doubt a VERY opinionated person, but my opinions are NEVER forced on others and I don't condemn anyone. she has a right to believe whatever she wishes, but she has NO RIGHT to condemn me for not believing what she does!

[satya]

186. Man behind me in Costco gas line said "You must not be a Christian".

Asked him "why do you say that?" (I really had no idea what brought this on). He pointed to my Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker. Caught me offguard; later, I thought of a lot of clever responses. But at the time, I said nothing else until I was ready to leave, then "I'll pray for you, sir".

[lady lib]

194. Good!

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Matthew 5 verse 44.

[Eurobabe]

191. Wow, now that's pretty harsh --stay safe Lorien

That's why I have a tire iron underneath my front seat, lest someone truly physically mess with me.

I can't wait to put my F the President magnet on here in Cincinnati!

[d_b]

192. How come I never run into those idiots?

[imenja]

193. they support a war to spread "democracy" to Iraq but don't want it at home

The very idea that someone might support a candidate other than Bush for this woman means you are a coward. I have noticed this sort of sentiment in many other places. They apparently place no value on democracy and free speech, values they claim are worth the loss of American and Iraqi lives.

[bush_is_wacko]

196. Some of them are really just afraid if we don't go over there and fight

we will have an invasion of this country. Either they really don't have a clue how difficult an actual invasion of this country would be for MOST small nations, or they are so overwhelmed by the rhetoric they have ceased to be able to produce clear thoughts. I agree it is simple to do hit and runs on the United States of America, but INVASION?! There are only two countries I can think of that would be capable of attempting it and I don't think they have any current intention of doing so. Neither are Muslim nations either!

[Maclilly]

197. Some woman behind

me yesterday was mouthing "Your Lost". I pretended I didn't see her and she just kept saying it over and over real slow. I watched her in my rearview mirror for about 5 minutes. These people are really something else. And no, I won't take my Kerry sticker off. I want everyone to know I did not vote for this POS bastard.

[Bouncy Ball]

199. Cult members?

Anything you say to threaten their very fragile, tenuous views are seen as heresy and make you VERY dangerous to them. Can't be making them think now, can you?

If Kerry had won, I wouldn't pay a single bit of attention to any bush sticker (I really don't anyway, except to say "hock tooey!").

I'd be happy if anyone yelled that at me. You know why? You pissed her off. Mission accomplished! ;-)

[SpaceBuddy008]

200. HEALhER- it's EgoPhrenia-"self-righteousness is their prey"

fantastic analysis of elemental forces of co-dependent, co-creative "koyannisquatsi" -esque undercurrents, underlying the Modern Americans' MassPsyche.

It's by Spiritual activist and healer Paul Levy

Here are appropiate passages from a mega- enlightening read that speak to the incident in this thread.

A vanishing respect for limbs, life and law filters down to the main on the street- believe me i know during the first Fallujah assault, recited a paragraph about unity and was promptly suckker-punched with a bar 'rock' glass to the eye and face, rushed to Hosp. get stitched up. I can still see.

THE MADNESS OF GEORGE W. BUSH:

A REFLECTION OF OUR COLLECTIVE PSYCHOSIS

by Paul Levy

http://www.awakeninthedream.com/georgew.html

~THE DISEASE IS NON-LOCAL

Being a field phenomenon, malignant egophrenia is non-local in nature, which means that it is not bound by the limitations of time or space. Being non-local, this disease pervades and underlies the entire field and can therefore manifest anywhere, through anyone and at any moment.

~ A non-local, reciprocally co-arising and interdependent field of unconscious denial and cover-up gets constellated around Bush to enable and protect his pathology. People who support Bush are actually complicit with and enabling Bush’s madness in a co-dependent, self-reinforcing feedback loop that is ‘closed,’ which is to say it is insular and not open to any feedback from the ‘real’ world.

~People who don't recognize Bush's illness and support him are unconsciously colluding with and enabling in the co-creation of the pathological field that is incarnating itself into the human family. People who support Bush become unwitting agents through which this non-local disease feeds and replicates itself. By supporting Bush they are collaborating with and becoming parts of the greater, interconnected and self-organizing field of the disease. 

~This inability to experience his shame and guilt sets in motion a self-perpetuating cycle of denial, cover-up and projecting the shadow, all of which are based on a lie. Bush then falls into an endless loop of hiding from his own lie, which is to say, from himself. This process allows Bush to become a conduit for egophrenia to take him over and incarnate its malignant aspect through him.

~.things only become dangerous when the pathological liar is taken seriously by a wider public.

~It’s as if they’ve become hypnotized and fallen under the spell that Bush is casting.

~A COLLECTIVE PSYCHOSIS

It is a very dangerous situation we are in- because of the position of power Bush and the religious right find themselves in, they can literally dream up and create the very apocalypse that they are imagining is prophesized, like a Self-fulfilling prophecy. In a perversely self-reinforcing feedback-loop, the more death and destruction happens, the more this confirms to them the truth that their deluded end-time scenario is actually happening as prophesized. In a diabolical self-validating vicious cycle, Bush and the religious right are ignoring the role they are playing in creating exactly what they are using as evidence to prove the rightness of their viewpoint. ME disease is a world where up is down, as its flawless illogic is convoluted and inverted at its core. 

~Jung warned us that a difficult task lay ahead of us after the mass insanity of the second World War. He points out that after the ‘demons’ abandoned the German people, these negative energies weren't banished. To quote Jung "the demons will seek a new victim. And that won't be difficult. Every man who loses his shadow, every nation that falls into self-righteousness, is their prey." Projecting the shadow literally opens the door for malignant


~ Egophrenia is truly initiatory, as it is a wake up call to symbolic awareness, which is a higher dimension of our being. All that is needed for malignant egophrenia to reveal its blessing is for us to recognize its revelatory function. 

!~It's a gesture from the universe, beckoning us, demanding us to integrate it and thereby receive its blessing. By prompting, pressuring and challenging us to come to terms with it and receive its gifts, malignant egophrenia has the potential to awaken us, thereby furthering the evolution of the species.

***If we solidify Bush as being evil and react with righteous indignation, we are guilty of the very same thing we’re accusing Bush of (i.e, projecting the shadow). We then become a conduit for the very evil we’re reacting to. Who among us has not been guilty of being a channel for ME disease at one time or another? If, when we see this virulent pathogen, we contract against it and react in any way, be it in judgment, hatred, anger or revulsion, we’re helping to perpetuate the diabolical polarization that is the signature of the disease. Our reacting in this way, which is typical of many political activists, is itself an expression that we ourselves have the disease, or to say it more clearly, the disease has us.

http://www.awakeninthedream.com/georgew.html

Inalienable rights
BirthRights

government doesn't know you
government doesn't own you

[Lorien]

211. "A collective psychosis"

it is indeed. I know that there were similiar sentiments expressed early in the Vietnam war era (I was so young that I don't remember much of it). This seems far more dangerous, though. ASs your artical states: "~.things only become dangerous when the pathological liar is taken seriously by a wider public" It bogles the mind of everyone here that ANYONE would take Bush* the Absurd seriously, and yet they do-in fact, they worship at his feet!

[stunted_evolution]

201. I Love That She Took Off

This reminds me somewhat, of an annoying kid that lived in my neighborhood growing up. He didn't have many friends and used to enjoy instigating confrontations with other kids. We all fell for it for awhile and would go after him after we just couldn't take anymore of it, but he would always run away and after you stopped chasing him and turned around he would yell from afar "What a chickensh*t! Why don't you run home to your mommy!" Sometimes the comments would initiate another chase, but he always ran, and always followed up with an insult when you stopped chasing.

Eventually, we learned to just ignore him and he went away. If I had known then what I know now, I would have realized that this kid had serious social issues and that as much as he wanted to play with us, for some reason this demented little future-chicken hawk found it less damaging to make enemies of the entire neighborhood rather than confront his own insecurity and try to get to know a few new kids who may have turned out to be good friends.

Something tells me this scared little kid grew up into a scared man, who probably married a scared, angry woman with similar issues. And, something tells me you may have just randomly met her in the parking lot of Costco.

If it's any consolation, you're a better human being than she is.

[LittleClarkie]

202. Is it part of the whole "victim" mentality

If they start to feel they've actually won, they won't be able to claim they're under attack anymore?

Even so, how bizzare. Did she mean the war? Too bad she couldn't have explained herself.

I have to admit there are people around here who are crazily paranoid and angry too. They've called me socialist and communist. One guy said I could go to North Korea or Cuba, but if Kerry won he'd have no place to go. I couldn't figure that out. If there aren't that many communist countries, why was I unlimited in my travel choices and yet he'd have no place to go? Maybe because George Bush gives the rest of the world the creeps?

[patrice]

203. Love your cats. n/t

[CelticWinter]

204. Your cats are beautiful here's a few of mine

they rule the house...these are just 5 of the 11 that own me :)

I know what you mean by freepers being sore losers, my inlaws are all freepers and make it known that there are 4 more years of "wedding bliss" with * and condi. Even as much as telling me that rove reminds them of a cherub (demon in disguise in my opinion). When I look at these people though they are all miserable in their lives, no matter how much they have they are never satisfied, always looking for something better, needless to say they never find it. Brainwashing is a way of life for them. I have one S-I-L that got her son (at the age of 4) hooked on Rush Limbaugh, and when they took his show off the air he sobbed uncontrollably, what a way to spend a childhood. I cant stand soccer moms but I really dislike freeper moms who destroy young minds with propaganda. Young minds are a terrible thing to waste.
~~Celtic

[lonestarnot]

206. Well she is driving something to make her feel bigger than she is

because she has such a pea sized brain... littlebitty thang with no courage or she wouldn't have left you in the dust... but the dust burned much gas in the get away, leaving some poor ass enlistee to die for some more oil to enable her get-away! Be glad that was all she did to your life, she's not worth messing it up anymore than her kind already has.:+

[SpaceBuddy008]

212. LuvCats 2, but ANSWR to HitlerVirus in post 200,please read

This is perceptive earthshaking analysis, check it out and let it bounce off of you.

Lets get real and ON tHE BALL

I wonder really how many on this forum are truly concerned and adamant about rescuing democracy and saving their country?

This is a historical UNPRECENDENTED attack on representative govern ment and Western civilization itself!

I can't believe a post in the election section about the imminent, likely demise of DRE's do to no one being able to stand and defend Secret Vote Counting has only 40 something responses, considering it relates to concrete lawsuit which can be used as a template to cleanse this cancer ,county by county.

When inane, frivolous threads can generate 100's of comments, its free and fun to commiserate openly to help each find out where we stand, what priorities matter BUT, duty clarion calls like never before.We have lost the ability to replace our government by the ballot box, our creation claims they don't need The people's concent anymore.We must talk and act on this affront DAILY.


We are filing a serendipitous void by a failing, corrupt and compromised media and fighting for lead of a country against those who avoid responsibility by not thinking for themselves and absolve their humanity by worshipping aristocracy, father-figures AND FALSE IDOLS, the sin most cautioned against.

www.thebattleforamerica.com

goverment OWNS You