I was standing in line at a store.....

[Th1onein]

And this woman ahead of me, who obviously knew the clerk personally, starts talking about the government regulating everything. I told her that if we had had a little more regulation on the financial sector, we wouldn't be in the middle of a meltdown right now. She says, yeah, but they're hurting the working man by raising taxes on him. I told her that's right, Reagan moved the taxes from the richest 2% in this country onto those who pay payroll taxes, but Obama just gave the largest tax cut in the history of this nation and he gave most of it to the working class. We went around and around, with her giving the latest Repug talking points. Finally, after countering each one of her talking points with FACTS, I told her that all of this stuff sounded like it was coming from Fox News, which I like to call Faux News. That was it, she was having no more, and walked away. Attacking her precious Faux News was more than she could take. And, by the way, we had an audience, which is the way I always like it. She might have her mind closed, but the audience doesn't always.

[lunatica]

1. Good for you. And the audience was great!

[karmaqueen]

2. Love stories like this, thanks! n/t

[rcrush]

3. So that was you holding up the line at the gas station!

:mad:

[vadawg]

6. lol i am with you, i hate the dudes in the checkout giving everyone a lecture

shut up man, pay the bill and go get a sign.

[Th1onein]

13. That's one of the things wrong with this country.

No one will speak up. And it's long past time that we began to do so. Even if we incur the wrath of idiots who think we're there to hold up the line. Sometimes things are more important than the hurry you are in.

[vadawg]

16. yeah right, im sorry you dont have the right to hold me up whilst you lecture me

your time is no more valuavble than mine, and you dont get to dictate how i spend mine, thanks

[Th1onein]

18. I call it being patriotic. You call it being held up in line.

I think that we all have an obligation, as citizens of this country to inform ourselves and others of the facts. Sometimes that happens in the middle of the day, in the middle of our lives. If it holds you up in the grocery store, I'm sorry. It is my obligation as a citizen of this country to take care of my fellow citizens; if that costs you some of your ignorance and some of your time, that's a small price to pay. I'm not saying that I have all of the answers, or that mine are any better than yours, but when I see someone spouting ignorance and lies, I'm going to call them on it. Don't like it? Move to a country that doesn't allow free speech.

[vadawg]

19. lol, you call it free speech, and you are able to spout off if you want

but the business is quite rightly gonna trespass your ass if you hold up the lines. As i said you want to edumacate people do it in your own time and place, not when im trying to get my ass out of a store.

[Th1onein]

21. I very much doubt any business will "trespass" me OR anyone else

for talking while waiting in line. What a joke. Do you REALLY think anyone here is going to buy that kind of bullshit?

As for "time and place," these are PUBLIC places, you know? That means the public can go there. And they can even talk while in a line. They can also say what they want, and their speech, especially political speech is protected. Ever heard of that?

[vadawg]

23. lol im telling you right now if you hold up a line and start to lecture people

then your gonna get asked to leave, its that simple, no business wants some crazed radio rental spouting of any political crap at their customers.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. You are wrong, given I have spent time in line doing the same

does this frighten you?

[Th1onein]

30. I'm sure that it bothers YOU, but most people in line agree with me when I do this.

Everyone else begins to nod their head in agreement. No one has EVER asked me to leave and I've done this MANY times. I think Americans are hungry for people to speak the truth to them and they are relieved when someone stands up to the bullshit and doesn't let it slide by anymore.

"Crazed radio rental spouting"? Maybe that's what YOU look and sound like, but not me, partner.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

24. Funny, but plenty of right-wingers feel the same way, I'm sure.....

....for example, when they used to come into the bookstore I worked at and try to berate me because we didn't have the new Sean Hannity or Ann Coulter book on full display in the front window, accusing me and the company of being "far left" or whatever.

You didn't change the mind of the idiot you were trying to educate, and you probably turned off the other people in line about what you were saying because they were just trying to get their business done and get out of there.

[vadawg]

25. Bingo, and those people tell ten other people about the whack job in the store.

[Th1onein]

32. WHICH whack job? Me or the Rethug in front of me spouting Faux talking points to the clerk?

Hmmm?

Or do you think that we should ALL just shut up? How American of you!

[madokie]

35. Count me in with the ones who will stand up

sometimes even when it might be to my advantage to shut up, I just can't do it.

[alittlelark]

33. Wow....just....WOW.

Does this scare you? 'go get a sign'... WOW.
People talking to each other about issues that effect their country, state, city, towns, family and their own lives - that disturbs you?

I honestly don't know what to say to someone who thinks this way.:eyes:

[renate]

4. Rock on!

You'd think these people would be too embarrassed, after their Dear Leaders trashed the economy and the world, to open their mouths in public... but that implies that they're capable of feeling shame, so never mind.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Bravo! People just don't understand how RR shifted the tax burden. Bubba started...

turning it around and the wage gap went down under his tenure, but a Republican congress wouldn't raise the minimum wage, etc.

Good on you! We need to speak up on stuff like this as you did.

FDR: 'Bravo' is right!
ER: Darling, that Th1onein is such a dear. We need more folks like him/her!
FDR: That we do Old Girl! Chalk one up for our side!
ER: People just don't understand how that second rate movie actor enriched people such as we are.
FDR: No, no they don't, poor bastards.
ER: Franklin! What can we do to help?
FDR: Offer Th1onein a ride home! Hop in!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

7. Whenever I Have A Conversation Like That And There's An Audience, I Always Close With

"FACTS MATTER". I'll repeat it several times if necessary. I generally will say that after they start getting flustered and repeating points that I've already disproven. When they start sounding like faux news parrots AFTER I've already acknowledged the points, I will just firmly and ofttimes repeatedly state "Facts matter. Facts matter. Facts matter". I recommend to everyone giving that a try. Really gets them in a tizzy and drives the point to the audience as to which side has facts and which side doesn't.

[Th1onein]

14. Thank you, OMC. I'll use that next time!

Facts matter. And Faux News just doesn't give you any of them, you poor thing.

[Pluvious]

34. I never refer to it as "Fox" - I always ...

...call it Rupert Murdock's Propaganda Channel

It's always good to remind the lunkheads just
who is behind the curtain (a foreign national),
feeding them their spewing points.

[Towlie]

8. I don't think "Faux News" works so well when spoken. I'd stick with Keith Olbermann's "Fox Noise".

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. You must have met my SIL - it sounds just like her.

A hopeless case.

[niyad]

10. one of the meat cutters at my local supermarket and I always have a discussion when

I go in--he always wants to know the latest, since I am able to keep up a little more than he can. during the election cycle, it was amusing to watch--some people got really furious with us (this is, after all, one of the reddest counties in the country) and stalked away. others would come up quietly and thank us for speaking out. we continue these discussions as often as we can.

[dysfunctional press]

11. that meat-cutter may be taking big chances with his livelyhood...

politics and the workplace- especially within earshot of customers isn't always a good mix.
i doubt that the store manager would be amused to hear about the people customers that got 'furious' and stalked away. and sooner or later, one is bound to stalk over to the boss and let him know...

[notadmblnd]

12. When I hear republican spouting talking points, I always start with "yu've got to stop watching Faux

[Lex]

15. "If I wanted to hear what you think about things, I'd turn on Fox News myself . . . "

that's what my Dad tells people who start spouting Fox Noise/republican idiotic talking points to him.

[Politicalboi]

17. Good for you

But facts don't mean anything to these people unless they show Democrats in a bad light.

[NightWatcher]

20. Reason #39 why we need more Progressive Talk Radio

my SO's mom listens to AM radio "for traffic news" and absorbs all kinds of this inSanity, then she spouts it off as "news". Oh to imagine if she listened to Hartmann for 3 hours a day- the world would be a better place.

[tanngrisnir3]

22. Did you hold anyone else up in line?

That's the only question I have.

[shireen]

26. i would have gladly waited and supported the OP ....

these non-critical-thinking Faux News parrots need to hear the facts, and it would have been worth sacrificing a few moments of my time for it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. The parrots in this house take exception

trust me, more intelligent than those folks

[shireen]

27. did anyone in the audience back you up? nt

[Th1onein]

31. They just smiled and nodded.

I have a really pronounced Texas accent and I'm in Ohio, so most of the time people TRY to get me to talk more, once I open my mouth. And, I never talk politics without humor, so it can be kind of fun, especially up here in the Northeast.

For those of you SOOOOOOO "worried" that I was holding up the line, remember: the lady I was talking to was in FRONT of me, talking politics to the cashier. I was just not going to let her get by with the bullshit she was spouting.

[marions ghost]

36. Speak up or be counted asleep with the sheep

:applause: you go Th1onein

We don't have a town commons anymore, you just have to seize the opportunity anywhere. The woman in line certainly was....

Fight fire with fire.

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. Teh clueless, it hurts!

:silly: Well at least she can still afford groceries. Many Americans can not! And her party doesn't give a rat'$ a$$ if they can not.