Speaking of my column, here's this weeks.

You may recognize it as part of the fundamentalism post from late December.

I believe I promised a story.

Here at Millersville, we have an unofficial online forum where people can post their thoughts on pretty much anything. Unfortunatly, I had the temerity to disagree. A lot of people disagreed, I suppose, but for some reason this individual picked me out. I suppose its because of the column I write for The Snapper that is always highly critical of the Bush Administration.

So this person instant messaged me. Here's the conversation:

Moe5460 (10:54:17 PM): All I can say is, you would feel very differently about terrorism and war in Iraq if one of your family members or someone you cared very deeply about was killed on September 11, 2001. Thank God people like you are in the minority in this country. As a Conservative Republican I hope it stays that way.

Pinderman1 (10:55:14 PM): err...someone i knew did die on 9.11

Pinderman1 (10:55:22 PM): and i feel no differently

Moe5460 (10:56:33 PM): I'm sorry for you...but I thought liberals at least believed in defending their homeland

Now, he did lose a friend on 9/11, and I feel for his loss. And someone I knew did die on 9/11. He was employed as Morgan Stanley-Dean Whitter's security chief, and my mom knew him when she worked for them. Actually, it was his security plan that saved Morgan-Stanley's employees, because the company had a policy that stated that if there was a bomb threat, employees were to get out and not go back in until the police gave the all-clear. There were 2000+ employees of Morgan Stanley-Dean Whitter at the World Trade Center on 9/11. All but 6 survived. My mom's friend died because he went back up to make sure everyone had gotten out.

The line "I thought liberals at least believed in defending their homeland" was the line I percieved (and I believe rightly so) as an attack on my patriotism. IT made me so mad that I stopped talking to the kid. It took me a good day to calm down fully because the line was so wrong. I suspect that if the kid had said this to me in person, I would have lost my temper and punched him, which in itself is wrong. I'm glad it was over AOL Instant Messanger and not in person.

Liberals not defending the homeland, eh? Hmmm...this is so easy to deconstruct. #1. My liberal air force cousin is stationed in Bahrain. He'll be flying the planes. #2. My liberal naval cousins are on ships steaming to the Gulf. #3. My liberal naval commander Uncle is stationed at the Pentagon in intelligence right now. All in my family involved in the military right now are defending the homeland. And all are pretty damn liberal.

My hope is that Moe5460 is reading this. My hope is that he stops reading Ann "Psycho-Nazi-Bitch" Coulter and pulls his head far enough out of his ass so that he can see the real world, and that his charges that liberals don't care about their country are weakining it. Bastard.

and if I ever meet him in person, I can't guarentee that my temper won't get the best of me.

Despite the fact that I despise FOXNews because they are nastily partisan, they do get some things right. This is an excellent article on how race really doesn't exist. It even went as far as bringing up class differences and hit many facets of the issue.

I'm still mad. Open forum. But first: Caption this. Be funny too.

Atrios is carrying a story that neary bought me to tears. Then rage.

In some more personal news, I had my patriotism questioned yesterday.


I am beyond livid.

When I calm down fully, I'll post a full report of my experience.

Mr. Rogers died this morning.

I grew up watching his show.

It's pretty sad.

It's official.

WAR IS PEACE.

It boggles my mind that a pedophile, freak, and pervert is making money, and his records are still selling.

As the United States and its allies rolled toward a just and most righteous war with Iraq to preserve the peace and Democratize the world, so sunshine, lollipops and rainbows will be able to bloom everywhere under the sweet, sweet beacon of freedom, neo-Stalinist dour xenophobic America-hating North Korea turned on its nuclear reactor. Again.

Christ Jesus Almighty!

I'm just hearing on Inside Politics that NASA engineers had raised concerns about the Columbia's left wing the day before the launch. Nothing was done.

I'll update when I learn more.

Blogger's working again, and not a moment too soon.

Blogging Around....the Best I've Seen Today

*Our friend Dima over at Overspill has some excellent commentary on Saddam's use of strategy. He also has some excellent economic advice. Now if I only had the money to buy a house . . . .

*Sean-Paul has a great piece on unilaterilism. If you haven't read it, go read it.

*The Rittenhouse Review is reporting that a Philadelphia restaurateur is not paying his taxes. He owes the city in excess of one million dollars. As a (technically) Philadelphia-area resident, I'm also signing onto the boycott that Jim has started and Atrios has signed on to. There's contact numbers up at the Rittenhouse Review.

*Lean Left writes about how the movement to save Affirmative Action is being hijacked by thugs. I'm dismayed. And a little angry.

*Jeanne D'Arc asks the important question. Where will the refugees caused by the allied invasion of Iraq go?

* Daily Kos reports my dream has come true. Ari Fleisher has been laughed off the stage.

*Maru made me laugh, got me pissed me off, then made me laugh again all in the space of a few seconds. I dig the camel pic. When do we see the elf-on-elf stuff?

*Les Dabney has a TON of excellent stuff up. Just surf through the entire site. I especially enjoyed reading this post. It was thought provoking. And freakin' scary as all hell.

and lastly...

*George Paine is a genius.


Some more stuff later.

Apparently, my University is planning on strengthening our already harsh Speech Codes.


Over.

My.

Dead.

Body.


I'll have more when more is available. This was just told to me third-hand.

And now...an interlude from the Global Diplomacy Players. . .

SADDAM: Yo I'm sick of dis shit. You wanna fight Bush. I'm callin yo' ass out, biatch. Letz' go Bush! Letz' have at it, yo!

BUSH: Yawn. You must.(pause) disarmm.

SADDAM: I ain't disarmin' I'm callin' yo ass out for a FIGHT. You a Man? You a BIG MAN? LetZ GO!

BUSH: Disarm. Or. We.(pause) Will.(pause) Disarmm you. I'm tired of all this. France, Germany, get on bourard or you're irrellivant. Resistance is Futile. We Are The Bush.

*Pauses and mispellings are deliberate.

My friend Lisa is studying in London (So is, incidentially, Timothy Gray of the Pennsylvania Gazette). She emails us here at home awesome stuff about her travels through London and Western Europe.

She hasn't said anything about them hating us. In fact, she's having a blast and I really wish I did study abroad. I think I will. Who cares if it takes me 6 years to get my undergrad degree (well my parents will). . . I'm going to spend at least 4 more getting a Masters and maybe ...just maybe...a doctorate. *

So perhaps all those neo-con arguments that the French hate us are specious and stupid, which they are.


*tangent.