[Grovenet] Cheap shots -[was] first wood-stove heat of the season

[David Morelli]

On Sep 27, 2007, at 12:20 AM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> Whoa! That's a lot of stuff in response to a wry joke, David.
>
> I don't think it's possible equate a vicious killer like Bin Ladin  
> with Obama or Clinton. It astonishes me that you would make such a  
> leap.

Leap?  Didn't you read what you wrote?  You chose to equate them in  
your joke.

"Three things in this world scare me: Osama, Obama, And your mama."

We all know why we fear Osama.  What does your joke say about the  
other two?  It equates them all as people to be feared.

Humor is a great method of attacking people, and if they fight back  
we can just hide behind, "What's the matter, can't you take a joke?"

I can imagine Karl Rove writing this joke and laughing, let's put  
Osama's name together with that uppity black Senator with the Muslim  
name to see if we can get any of the dirt to rub off.  And then for  
good measure, let's add in a reference to the leading Democratic  
presidential contender that sounds like the ghetto phrase, "yo'  
momma", to remind our white voters where her sentiments lie.  And let  
us put the words into the mouth of an American hero to give it credence.

>
> But they do all have this in common: they publicly want our  
> military out of Iraq. If you think that somehow makes them in any  
> way similar people, I suggest you are living on a quite different  
> planet than I do. That would be like equating Hitler with FDR  
> because the both wanted to reduce poverty and unemployment for  
> their troubled nations.

You were the one who posted the joke.  And the joke says no such  
thing about wanting the military out of Iraq.  It says that the new  
head of the armed forces, who has a chest full of medals and  
presumably is fearless, is in fact afraid of three people.

The first name mentioned is the spokesperson for the international  
terrorist group that attacked this country on 9-11.  The joke leaves  
the listener to figure out why the soldier is afraid of the other  
two.    It pushes Guilt by association, while allowing enough "wiggle  
room" if someone calls the bluff.

> ...
> And that leaves Bin Ladin. Not just the military commanders, but  
> everyone needs to be concerned (perhaps even afraid) of him. I do  
> not believe that he is a rational person who will stop terrorism  
> just because we have pulled our troops out of Iraq.
>
> Ron D'Eau Claire

Yes, that leaves Bin Ladin.  The man who represents the terrorists  
who attacked our nation.  The man the current President promised to  
bring to justice.  Then, after a "flip-flop", he became the man the  
President said was unimportant.  What about Ben Ladin?  "Who?" said  
Bush.

The military should be far more afraid of a President who "takes his  
eye off of the ball" when swinging the bat against terrorists in  
Afghanistan.  And a Republican controlled Congress who assisted him  
every inch of the way into the swamp of Iraq.  And a national policy  
that is alienating international support for the actions of our  
military.

David