I am so pissed at my father...

[Debbi801]

My father and step-mother are freepers. I'm not sure why or when it happened, but they are. I know it was semi "recently" because I know they voted for Clinton his first term.

Anyway, my husband and I try to avoid any and all political conversations with them because they're my parents, I love them, and they are generally decent people. There have been the occasional tense moments, but for the most part, we all try to avoid them.

So, today I receive an email from him (he also sent it to my siblings), linking to one of the articles about Kerry's grades and asking stupid things like "who is the intellectual now?" I politely asked him to not send me emails bashing Kerry, that I have never bashed Bush to him and that I don't appreciate it. He writes back that I can't take a joke, have no sense of humor, that he feels like he has to walk on egg shells with me, and from now on will be very cautious on what he discusses with me.

Why do I feel chastised and like I disrespected him? I'm 40 years old for crying out loud and am entitled to have an opinion. :argh:

[Left Is Write]

1. What I want to know is why Kerry's grades matter now.

He's not running for president at the moment.

Bush supporters insisted that HIS grades didn't matter, only the prestigious name of his school.

[Debbi801]

4. I really don't know why Kerry's grades are suddenly in the news...

unless it is to deflect the news from the Downing Street Memo or something else. :shrug:

[MindPilot]

8. Why do Kerry's grades matter now?

My guess is because Commander Cuckoo Bananas is about to do something incredibly stupid.

I love it whenever they dredge up this kind of stuff because it always works against them. Now that grades are important to holding political office, let's have a look at Master Bush's Permanent Record, shall we?

[BR_Parkway]

16. Maybe cause Kerry said something about DSM? Or he signed

and released his medical records (Hey Shrub, take a hint here!)

[KurtNYC]

9. Worse than that I think

They made *'s grades out as evidence of the fact that * is "folksy" and "the kinda guy you would want to have a beer with" (even though the Lowerd delivered heeyim from drinkin' halle looyuh ).

They smeared Kerry with the same brush they used on Gore -- bookish, know-it-all, "invented the internet", etc.

In their twisted world, grades are like golf scores -- the lower the better.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. I would say something about golf being the sport of rich old RW folk

But I'd incur in the ire of ProfessorGAC and GOPisEvil. Therefore, I won't. O8)

[SCDem]

2. Send him a bunch of crap back

and to everyone on his "email" list. Email him back the TRUTH and what the media should be reporting.

[Terran]

20. That's what I would do too.

Bury him in an avalanche of anti-Bush factual matter until he cries like a baby. And when he says something, just reply, "What's the matter, can't take a joke?"

:evilgrin:

[johnnie]

3. Can't take a joke?

The election has been over for 7 months and they still are going after Kerry. Hell, Clinton has been out of office for 5 years and they still go after him. Talk about not being able to take things..

[Hapameli]

5. The dim-wit righties are dancing in circles with joy that Kerry might be

as dumb as they are. Its the talking point of the day.

Don't feel bad, my in-laws are country-club republicans and mom-in-law basically hung up on her own son because she couldn't handle the truth. It wasn't out of anger on her part, she just shut down and couldn't believe the government would do the things he was telling her.

[lpbk2713]

6. Probably fell for all the "Support the Prez" and "Support the Troops" BS.

They might have been conned into thinking that to think any other way is downright unpatriotic. Turn on their radio next time you're at their house. No doubt it will be tuned in to the station Rush Limpnuts is on. That's probably how it all started.

[Dr.Phool]

7. No, you're not entitled to an opinion!

:evilgrin:

My parents have been fundamaniac freepers their entire lives. And the funny thing is, my dad was a good union president for years, but wouldn't vote for a Democrat if his life depended on it.

I drove 10 hours to visit them a couple of weeks ago, and he always tries to goad me, and I try to avoid it. But he started again, and I told him, "You know, I was never all that crazy about John Kerry in the first place, I was originally a Dean supporter as you know. But I had to go to work for him, because he was running against the anti-christ"!

He kinda grinned and said, "I've never heard it put quite like that before, but you may be right".

And I'm 53 years old.

[Demit]

10. Classic line, that "eggshells" bit. Classic defensive maneuver, to put it

back on you. My mom's favorite used to be (after she'd gone too far with some cruel remark) "You're too sensitive!"

I would reply that, no, I was just sensitive enough (to pick up on her kind of passive aggressive cruelty). Oh, parents are a blast, ain't they?

[prole_for_peace]

11. "you can't take a joke?" is always the excuse

when you call someone on anything: comments about women, ethnic groups, political views, whatever. that way they turn it around so it is YOUR problem not theirs.

[mikita]

12. I had a similar experience with my ditto-head brother

a while back, and while it caused some anxiety-ridden and painfully truthful conversations with him that I would have ordinarily avoided, the upshot is that months later, I do not get one even remotely baiting email!!

Of course, we hardly speak anymore, but what the hey! No more guilt!

:evilgrin:

[cassandra uprising]

13. Hang in there

My Dad is a complete tool when it comes to politics but always likes to brag about his hippie past. :eyes:

[Deja Q]

14. Bash Buch Back at them. Like typical freepers, they refuse to play by

agreed rules. They crossed a line. You must either capitulate or fight back.

[sniffa]

18. bingo

i'd suggest going even farther and shunning them, but you want to keep your reLationship with them, no?

[Debbi801]

19. Yeah, they're my kids' only grandparents in this area...

and they're great grand parents. My kids adore them. (My inlaws live on the other side of the country adn we never see them.)

[Orangepeel]

17. my response would be: "Who's the intellectual? Did you WATCH the debates?

I never claimed that bush was born stupid -- just that years of booze and cocaine destroyed his brain cells."

Seriously, it's not like you told him to fuck off. It sounds like you were very respectful when you asked him to respect your opinions. You didn't do anything wrong.

[China_cat]

21. Just remind him that Kerry's father didn't buy his grades for him.

He earned them honestly.

[donheld]

22. Stupid is as stupid does.

Grades may or may not matter, but what does matter is what these two have done after college. Bush really never did much of anything, at least successfully and on his own. He can't even form a complete sentence. Kerry on the other hand, has made a great success in many things. From the US military to the US senate.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

23. Well said, donheld!

You make several excellent points...Couldn't say it better if I tried!

:woohoo: