An Open Letter to “RanchoManana” on the terroristic RNC/GOP Television Ads

Not watching television any longer, I wanted to see what the GOP was doing for television ads in these weeks preceeding the election. I found terrorism. Flat-out terroristic messages.

A quick definition for you:

ter‧ror‧ism  /ˈtɛrəˌrɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[ter–uh-riz-uhm]–noun

1.	the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.

2.	the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.

3.	a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.

---

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.Using “terrorism” to “terrorize” us — Delicious.

“The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.” You said a mouthful there.

I proceeded to another ad — also terroristic, based on a straw-man argument…

…and commented:

“Yeah, it’s a lot better to make our kids (and their kids and their kids…) pay.
This is a ridiculous ad. This is one screwed-up country.”

I got a couple responses and tried to respond to one of them thoughtfully, but YouTube limits responses to 500 characters (and here we are).

First the response that prompted my lengthy retort:

You’re right. Wht don’t you get out and go live in France or Germany where the governments confiscate up to 60% from the average working class income earners for “social welfare” programs. 8.9% unemployment rate sound like a plan to you? dolt.

Christian Morality?

OK. I think religion is full of crap. I grew up in the church, but at some point after getting a bit of distance the hypocrisy in organized religion became so evident. Here is just another example:

One more reason.

top ten signs you’re a fundamentalist christian

10 – You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9 – You feel insulted and “dehumanized” when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 – You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Trinity.

7 – Your face turns purple when you hear of the “atrocities” attributed to Allah, but you don’t even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in “Exodus” and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in “Joshua” including women, children, and trees!

6 – You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 – You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4 – You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs — though excluding those in all rival sects – will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most “tolerant” and “loving.”

3 – While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in “tongues” may be all the evidence you need to “prove” Christianity.

2 – You define 0.01% as a “high success rate” when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 – You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history – but still call yourself a Christian.

From here. Thanks to ryland at ABoyAndHisComputer.com.

bush, delay and frist can suck it (or “much more of this and i’m taking my family and getting the hell outta here.”)

This country is on a fast downward spiral. The framers had a good idea when they decided that the theocracies they escaped from wouldn’t be the model used here. Over the past few years and even more dramatically in the past 12 months, we’ve gotten to the point that if you aren’t a fundamental Christian, you’re against the U.S. These assholes like Bush, DeLay, and Frist are ruining the things that made this country great. We have economic and social issues that need a lot of work and these children are hosting a big dick (or at least Bible) swinging contest.And the goddamn hypocrisy — Minnesota has a budget deficit and our “Born-again” Christo-Republican Jackass of a Governor is spending all of his time talking about building casinos! W and his cronies are still behind the death penalty (how many retarded — and innocent folks have been given a lethal injection or strapped in to ol’ Sparky down in Texas?) in a time when the Republicans have all been handed the talking points on the “Culture of Life”. Listening to these guys, and yes apart from that Nazi hag Ann Coulter they’re all rich white dudes, is like hearing the same speech over an over. It really doesn’t even matter what they’re addressing. “Blah blah blah, we must protect the (insert white christian group here — children, woman in vegetative state, unborn — again white kids)! It’s a matter of faith. Our “Culture of Life” demands it. Blah blah blah… Something, something, (insert purposefully mispronounced foreign national leader name as a means of negating the importance of anyone unforturnate enough not to live in the “land of the free”)… blah blah blah “Nukular” blah blah blah.

Oh and don’t talk to me about Condoleez Rice being both black and woman. Strangely enough the name “Condoleeza” is slang in some long-dead Native American language for “Man of Sparks and Metal”. It’s a robot, built by, cleaned, and programmed nightly by a bunch of captive Russian scientists in a basement in the Pentagon. Seriously.

Every day it’s something else. Judicial appointments, bullying Supreme Court Justices for supporting laws that have been on the books for years (in some cases hundreds of years), the whole Terri Schiavo mess, dealing with the “Muslim problem”, pissing off the rest of the world and more. It’s one thing to be the superpower and an entirely different thing to be the school bully — another issue they’ve decided needs immediate legislative action. It’s all about religion now it seems in a time that we have so many other, actually relevant issues to deal with.

This used to be a great country. Not any longer.

delay pwned

This is no April FoolApril 1, 2005

Tom DeLay Majority Leader House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

Dear Majority Leader DeLay,

I was stunned to read the threatening comments you made yesterday against Federal judges and our nation’s courts of law in general. In reference to certain Federal judges, you stated: “The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior.”

As you are surely aware, the family of Federal Judge Joan H. Lefkow of Illinois was recently murdered in their home. And at the state level, Judge Rowland W. Barnes and others in his courtroom were gunned down in Georgia.

Our nation’s judges must be concerned for their safety and security when they are asked to make difficult decisions every day. That’s why comments like those you made are not only irresponsible, but downright dangerous. To make matters worse, is it appropriate to make threats directed at specific Federal and state judges?

You should be aware that your comments yesterday may violate a Federal criminal statute, 18 U.S.C. §115 (a)(1)(B). That law states:

“Whoever threatens to assault…. or murder, a United States judge… with intent to retaliate against such… judge…. on account of the performance of official duties, shall be punished [by up to six years in prison]”

Threats against specific Federal judges are not only a serious crime, but also beneath a Member of Congress. In my view, the true measure of democracy is how it dispenses justice. Your attempt to intimidate judges in America not only threatens our courts, but our fundamental democracy as well.

Federal judges, as well as state and local judges in our nation, are honorable public servants who make difficult decisions every day. You owe them – and all Americans – an apology for your reckless statements.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Lautenberg