I sometimes mention politics in my essays, but I generally skirt around the edges. I don't want to contribute to the polarity of our country.
I have also asked certain friends to "cease and desist" on the anti-Obama, anti Democratic emails, and they have chosen to ignore my request. I usually delete their emails.
This is an email I received from someone I love on Friday evening. I did not immediately delete despite the threatening, insulting challenge in the last line. I felt I needed to speak my piece, which is attached. I sent it to everyone on the list. I have received no comments about my email from anyone on the list.
I hope you are not offended, but this email threw the gauntlet down, and I had to pick it up to defend principles I believe in.
The email is in Italics, my response is in Bold type.
The Fence
You can’t get any more accurate than this!
Which side of the fence?
If you ever wondered which side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!
If a Republican doesn't like guns, he doesn’t buy one.
If a Democrat doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.
If a Republican is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat.
If a Democrat is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.
If a Republican is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a Democrat is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.
If a Republican is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A Democrat wonders who is going to take care of him.
If a Republican doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Democrats demand that those they don't like be shut down.
If a Republican is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A Democrat non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced.
If a Republican decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A Democrat demands that the rest of us pay for his.
If a Republican reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A Democrat will delete it because he's "offended".
Well, I forwarded it.
My response: I sent this to everyone on the list.
Stop the polarity.I am a Democrat and I’m proud of it.I don’t assume that because you are a Republican, that you won’t read this. I am expecting that your mind is open.
I am a Democrat, and I do not believe all guns should be outlawed. Far from it. I don’t want my son shot by a handgun on the DC subway, but I was very proud when he learned to shoot and handle a gun appropriately at Isack Walton.
I’m a Democrat and I was raised in a farm family, and the American farm has long fed and been the backbone of the world. You can guarantee the next time I go out to eat I’ll be ordering a filet mignon, medium. And enjoying it.
I’m a Democrat who has many friends who are gay, and I believe they are born that way. I want them to enjoy a long-term legal monogamous relationship with all the joys and sorrows like I’ve enjoyed for twenty-six years.
I’m a Democrat and I’ve never depended on anyone else to take care of me, and I don’t expect I ever will. I pay taxes to support a social safety net for those who are elderly and disabled and cannot fend for themselves.
I am a Democrat who was also trained as a journalist, back when that mean something, when the editorial “I” only appeared in editorials. I learned that like J.P. Zenger said, “I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend to death your right to say it.”
I am a Democrat who goes to church, and respects the right of my Muslim first cousins who were born in Turkey to do the same, or not.
I am a Democrat who has paid my health insurance premiums since I’ve been working, but I want my tax dollars to provide health insurance for the disabled and elderly who cannot work. I believe we all need to pull our own weight, and if we are not able, society should care for us. A wise man once said the measure of a society is how we care for our most needy.
I am a Democrat who read this email because it was sent to me by somebody I care about – I found that it was full of assumptions that aren’t necessarily truly for me and the Democrats I know. That’s my feedback on your email. Your friend Proud to be a Democrat.
