My family and I had a WONDERFUL day yesterday because of, believe it or not, teabaggers!

[MarianJack]

My wife, son & I are playing host this week to my mother-in-law & my wife's cousin who, like my wife, are Puerto Rican. We are also hosting our son's Godmother whom, like our son, is African American. In our group, I'm the only white person. We live up here in Maine, AKA Vaationland, and the 2nd whitest state in the union after Vermont.

The reason I give you our ethnic make up is to tell you the following story. When our godmother & my wife's mother visit, they MUST have lobster! We went to their favorite lobster restaurant yesterday for their lobster dinner. My mother-in-law, wife and her cousin were speaking Spanish, because my mother in law doesn't believe that her English is as goo as it actually is. My wife's cousin brings a one woman party with her wherever she goes, so they weren't being quiet, contributing lots of giggles & laughs to the atmosphere. My son & his Godmother would make George Zimmerman's trigger finger itch on sight. It was a lovely Maine early evening in a small coastal town with a family enjoying each other's company.

About 30 minutes into our meal, I noticed a family of tourists from New Jersey (according to their t-shirts) at a table that was across from ours. The father and mother kept giving us dirty looks. I was almost going to suggest that we pipe down a little when I noticed the father's t-shirt from a 2009 teabagger rally. I realized that our volume had nothing to do with their displeasure, but the Spanish speaking and the blackness was what was offending them. After realizing this, I was just SOOO delighted that we were RUINING the meal of these stupid and racist teabaggers simply by enjoying each other's company. I don't know if I've ever said this before, but I consider the animosity of teabaggers to be as sweet as a compliment from someone I actually respect.

If this seems a bit harsh, than maybe it's a logical result of the hateful conduct of the entire teabagger movement over the last 4+ years, when they've proven themselves to be a totally detestable people. I'd never act the way that they do, but if my family and I could turn a $100+ meal to bile in their stomaches simply by having a meal and enjoying ourselves, than WAAHOOOO!

PEACE!

[riverbendviewgal]

1. Glad you enjoyed your meal.

NJ is full of redneck racists...I know because my brother is one.

I have no plans to ever return to NJ. Maine I been too and it is very nice. I loved the seaside.

[MarianJack]

3. Come inland a bit to Kennebec county.

It's nice up here, too!

PEACE!

[HardTimes99]

27. In the words of Fred Armisen (playing NY Governor David Patterson on SNL):

"New Jersey: Deliverance on Snow Mobiles"

[lost-in-nj]

33. not everyone from NJ

is a "redneck racist" .... sorry you feel that most New Jerseyans are




lost

[cordelia]

40. I know some kind, lovely people from NJ.

[riverbendviewgal]

51. I know everyone from NJ is not a racist

but those that I assoiciated in the past are...Thosen I know, young and old, are definitely regressive teabaggers, sadly.

They think the poor are lazy and should not have any health care, even children.

[pangaia]

88. I'm not a regressive, racist teabagger and neither is The Boss..

I grew up in Teaneck in the '50's..
The group in hung with was pretty interesting-
- Me the WASP-musician
- The Jew- great cook for a kid
- The smartest of us all, was the black guy
- The red headed Catholic- the mediator
- The black haired Italian-the best athelete
- The son of an Oklahoma Indian Chief and a healer
- And A Taiwanese guy- a writer

[dorkzilla]

101. But do you still live in Jersey?

Mr. Dorkzilla grew up there too, the only thing that saved him was my kidnapping him and keeping him in NY. He still works in NJ, and all the Boss-worshiping, Harley-riding guys he works with are ignorant Baggers. Not saying they're representative of all Jerseyites but it seems a fair number of them are. The only non-Baggers he knows are the guys from his jazz studies program at Rutgers, but they're all African American.

[pangaia]

107. I also live in NY upstate...

I hear you.. haven't really been back since--- forever...
I was just very fortunate as a kid.. it certainly had a positive affect on my world view...
A jazzer also...at one time..

[dorkzilla]

110. See, you're an escapee!

You were lucky to have a variety of friends from other cultures. I started life in the Bronx so I had the same experience. We were lucky, I think. A diverse world/cultural view on an impressionable, developing young mind is a lifetime gift.

And although my NYC buds think I'm also "upstate" I'm only in Westchester!

[pangaia]

112. Well, you have me nailed.

I've lived in NYC, NJ, Ithaca, Champaign, IL. Memphis, Cincinnati, Sante Fe and now near Rochester.. What's next. ?
Yes, you were lucky also.
PS as a kid I spent many days at Yankee Stadium, 2x at Ebbets Field and 1x at the Polo Grounds. Back when a kid could afford it and take a bus across the bridge and a train to the Grand Concourse.

[dorkzilla]

114. Unfortunately by the time I could move about independently (late 70s/early 80s)...

...A young lady only went to Yankee Stadium with brawny male escorts. Likewise, I was in Washington Heights the other day remembering when the cops would nab anyone with NJ plates because they used to drive across the bridge to score cocaine. So glad those areas much safer now then when I was a kid, which is exactly the opposite experience of my dad (i.e. those places were beautiful when he was a kid and went to hell by the time he was a mature adult).

[NoGOPZone]

77. Well, if you brother is one, than the state must be full of them

I was foolish enough to believe that its population included relatively high percentages of people of various ethnicities, but I've been set straight.

[AlbertCat]

116. NJ is full of redneck racists...

Yeah...damn those Southern states. If we had just killed the traitors back in 18.....

Oh wait....

[rhiannon55]

2. LOVED your story!

Your family sounds lovely. And I feel the same about the nasty teabaggers. They deserve to be offended.

[MarianJack]

4. Thank you!

My family IS lovely, and I LOVE to piss off teabaggers!

PEACE!

[Tippy]

13. Nothing I enjoy more than pissing off teabaggers

[MarianJack]

49. One of the joys of my life and...

...since they're alays pissed off, it's so easy to do!

PEACE!

[lapislzi]

44. If it was in my budget

I would have also quietly paid for their meal. Nothing pisses them off so much as people treating other people decently.

[MarianJack]

48. That's good, ...

...cold blodded but good...killing them with kindness!

PEACE!

[VADem1980]

83. Screw that-

I would have made sure to walk by their table and "crop dust" it multiple times during the evening. And then speak to them only in Spanish!

[Auntie Bush]

5. I was also enjoying a lobster dinner in ME last weekend too. Delicious!

I'm glad you made the best of a sad situation. Wish they'd gag on their lobster.

[MarianJack]

7. I think that they DID gag!

I don't eat seafood but this place makes a hell of a bacon cheseburger, too!

Where in Maine?

PEACE!

[Auntie Bush]

36. We stayed in York and visited in Freeport. I didn't drive so didn't pay much attention to just

where we were or the name of the restaurant. It was right next to a light house that was South of Portland. We did a lot of driving, eating and played miniature golf with that big waterfall. Where were you?

[avebury]

45. Was it the Lobster Shack at Two Lights State Park?

There are a lot of picnic tables where you can sit by the rocks and watch the water there.

[Auntie Bush]

68. Just found out where we were.

I was in York at Nubble Light House & Fox's Lobster House. Were you in that vicinity?

[lawwolf]

6. I got flipped off for having an Obama bumper sticker on my car

So I was heading to work eating a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit, shaving, sending a text message and weaving all over the road and this car passed me flipped me off and drove off. He had a Romney bumper sticker so it had to be the bumper sticker that pissed him off.

[MarianJack]

8. Umm, ok.

So, the implication is that my family was doing something wrong?

[lawwolf]

11. You said it in your OP

That they were being very loud. Enough so that you were about to quite them down until you noticed the guy's shirt. Then all of a sudden it couldn't possibly be because they were being loud (as you originally thought) but it must have been because of the language and skin color. Nothing personal towards you, but I have always had a problem with imputing motives on others. When there are two equally plausible explanations I tend to default towards the non-offensive one, but that's just me.

[HangOnKids]

16. Maybe you should learn how to spell QUIET before lecturing others

Just saying.

[lawwolf]

23. Thanks spelling police

Wasn't trying to lecture anyone. This is the reason people read but don't post. Heaven forbid they make a typo.

[HangOnKids]

28. Hey Really Cool Story Bro!

[hatrack]

64. Freaking cool, huh?!?!

I wish my posts were half as cool!!

[MADem]

78. To say nothing of "impugning!" nt

[MarianJack]

17. I didn't say we were being LOUD,...

...I said they weren't being QUIET. You may have noticed that if you'd actually read my post.

Are vacationing families supposed to act like cloistered nuns when on vacation? Laughter is NOT a reticent action. Also, if you've been paying attention since 2009, teabaggers have a problem with minorities.

[lawwolf]

30. Wow

Sorry, they "weren't being quiet" to the point that you were about to ask them to quiet down until you noticed his shirt.

[HangOnKids]

35. Wow

Mighty big shovel you brought with you today. Keep digging!

[olddots]

58. you working without a net ?

[MarianJack]

73. Thank you for the benefit of your almost 7 posts a year wisdom!

Thank you also for defnding teabaggers while you pass judgement on my family.

If only you had the sense to see that I chose to treat the teabaggers with all of the disrespect that they've worked very hard on earning over the last 4+ years, which is about the same as the level f disrespect with which they treat everyone else.

[A Simple Game]

75. Do you suppose that teabaggers get their stereotypes from just a few people,

just like you did? How many teabaggers have you actually met and talked to?

Tell us exactly what those people did to you? Were they also loud and maybe ruining your dinner? Were they ruining your dinner by just being there? How did these people show you disrespect?

Sounds like you were the ones disrespecting, all you did was reinforce their prejudice, if they even had one. You make an assumption when you say all teabaggers are racist.

There are certain, some written and some unwritten, rules of etiquette when in a restaurant. Not being too loud is one of them. Your first impression that your group was too loud may have been right.

[MarianJack]

79. If you'd been paying attention to teabaggers over the last several years, than...

...you'd have noticed that they are very disrespectful and racist people. This applies to the many with whom I've interacted. The point is that they as a whole, haven't earned respect. They certainly didn't effect our enjoyment.

I shared this story at a Democratic site, in spite of the view of some in this thread who seem to think that it's a "respect the baggers" forum.

For me, respecting baggers is a very low priority.

[A Simple Game]

81. I was taught long ago that you respect people until they show that they

don't deserve it. I don't think someone wearing a shirt you don't like is reason enough. That person with the shirt may have gotten it from a friend and didn't even know what it signified. You were working only from an assumption.

You just said yourself that they didn't affect your enjoyment, so why did you feel the need to continue affecting theirs? Because you didn't like the way they looked at you? I can assure you if this liberal had been in that restaurant and you were too loud, I would have given you a dirty look.

Individuals earn or lose respect, not organizations. Many "baggers" are in the organization because of their stand on economics. It is billed as a political party. You know what a "bagger" is first and foremost? A person. Some, even many are racist, but you said yourself you thought at first the dirty look was because you were too loud.

Were there other people in the restaurant? Did you observe how they reacted to your boisterous party?

What does this being a Democratic site have to do with respecting people other than it is a principle Democrats should strive for. You were disrespectful of the other diners and you are now bragging about it. You said "baggers" are disrespectful people, you may have ruined peoples meals and cost the restaurant future business. Shame on you. Look in a mirror and ask yourself who acted like a "bagger" in that restaurant, because you said we are going to have a good time and we don't care who doesn't like it. Who was the disrespectful one in this case?

[HangOnKids]

92. Oh For Fuck Sake

Really? Try again.

[A Simple Game]

95. Really? How about you telling me what the "baggers" did to deserve his disrespect?

How about you try again? The OP doesn't seem to want to answer any of my questions.

He bragged about ruining someone else's $100 meal. Then in a later post admits this: "They certainly didn't effect our enjoyment." and you defend that?

So why do you justify his thinking it ok to affect their enjoyment? Your defense of this type of action says a lot about you.

Maybe you don't eat out enough to run into those parties that ruin the dining experience of all around them.

[MarianJack]

124. Once again, if you been paying atention for the past 4+ years,...

...teabaggers have done nothing other than earndisrespect.

My family and I did nothing to ruin their meal, they ruined it themselves by (as usual) making themselves miserable.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

94. LOL

Seriously, that is as farcical an argument as the guy who opened a cafe featuring Nazi flags and symbols and didn't understand why he was getting zero business.

[A Simple Game]

96. Seriously, I have no idea why you are comparing a large party

ruining the dining experience of all the people around them to a Nazi themed cafe.

That makes as much sense as defending his actions.

He said in the heading of his OP that: "My family and I had a WONDERFUL day yesterday because of, believe it or not, teabaggers!" Does that mean he wouldn't have had a wonderful time if he couldn't have found someone he assumed was prejudiced against his group so he could ruin their meal? And remember he was working on his second impression and never exchanged one word with these people. His first impression was that his group was in the wrong. And unless they were the only two parties in the restaurant, they affected the dining experience of every other party also.

I have been in restaurants with groups like this, they ruin the experience for all around them.

Defend those types of actions if you want, it tells the rest of us a lot about you.

[AlbertCat]

117. ruining the dining experience of all the people around them

How do you know they were "ruining" everyone else's dinner? Personally I'd rather dine with a family having a good time next to me than a family with a bunch of babies and toddlers. But I digress.... Eating out is a dangerous business! Alas, I rarely get the whole restaurant to myself, dammit!

And as far as Teabaggers getting respect...

I suppose if they had been wearing KKK t-shirts they would get your respect and you would have just bowed your head and dined without a word just so they wouldn't be offended. Teabaggers didn't have their reputation thrust upon them...they earned it.

Let's quote your own lines but change a label....

"Do you suppose that the KKK get their stereotypes from just a few people, just like you did? How many Klansmen have you actually met and talked to?"

Their ideology has NOTHING to do with it....right?

You are ridiculous.

[HangOnKids]

125. Good Post

Looks like Simple Game won't be participating for a bit.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

129. I was talking about the guy not knowing the meaning behind the tshirt he was wearing

That's absurd.

[MarianJack]

128. My family wasn't boistrous,...

...we were enjoying ourselves.

Democrats do not respect and defend teabggers.

[lawwolf]

82. I passed judgment on no one.

I just pointed out that it is at least possible that your first instinct was the correct one. I'm sorry a simple observation from a stranger on a website seems to have upset you so. My family has been the recipient of dirty looks for being not quiet in restaurants before. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[HangOnKids]

93. Of course you did just point that out LOL

Sometimes the cigar is just an asshole teabagger...how about that lawwolf?

[lawwolf]

106. also true

Sometimes a cigar is an asshole teabagger.

[MarianJack]

123. You couldn't upset me on the best day you ever had.

[lawwolf]

132. not sure why you would think upsetting you would be a sign of a good day

Never set out to upset anyone regardless of it being my best day or worst day. You seem to think my comment was some personal attack on you and your family. It never was intended as such.

[MarianJack]

133. Also not true.

YOU pontifficated that my family was "boistrous" and criticized me for not respecting a teabagger.

I responded to your assumption that yoy had somehow upset me. You're a low post count person who has been asserting that I should respect teabaggers, whom have spent nearly 5 years earning nothing but contempt. My family (apparently wrongly in your version of "vision&quot was having an enjoyable meal on vacation. If we offended teabaggers, than they were doing that to themselves. This is something that teabaggers are very prone to do since their whole movement is fueled by rage.

I look forward to your next teabagger defense with as much anticipation as I do my next toothache. I respect it about as much, too.

[lawwolf]

135. i did no such thing

You seem to have me confused with someone else. I never once said a word about you respecting anyone. The only thing I ever did was question your assumption that the reason for the looks they gave you being race and not volume when YOUR OWN FIRST ASSUMPTION was volume.

You and some others keep mentioning my low post count like it is relevant. I'm sorry if my life doesn't revolve around making posts on here. I actually go extended periods without ever logging on. I come here to read stuff on topics by people much more well versed than I and rarely feel I have anything worth added. I had just got done dealing with a particularly annoying defense attorney trying to point out the flawed logic of his position. Saw your post and was still in that mindset. My post had nothing to do with your family's volume or respect for the baggers.

You can continue to attempt to insult me if you like, but I think this discussion has run its course.

[MarianJack]

136. AT LAST, I agree with you about something.

I've frankly grown tired of your judgements of my family and your assertations that teabaggers are worthy of respect. I am also of the belief that this discussion has run it's course, so bye bye!

[joeglow3]

31. I too hate jumping to conclusions

I am sad to admit that my parents are tea baggers. However, my sister married a black man and they love him and have zero problems with minorities. While I agree with your views on the population as a whole, I hestitate to accuse individuals of things without concrete proof.

[Gormy Cuss]

60. Defaulting towards the non-offensive motive is a privilege

accorded to people who don't deal with bigotry routinely.

[noiretextatique]

104. oh go piss on a bagger's cornflakes

:ettore:

[HangOnKids]

15. The poster has been here almost 8 years but had to chime in with that!

I wonder why he/she is so concerned about this? Your family sounds like a hoot and I am glad they upset the fucksticks.

[lawwolf]

18. Sorry

Feeling snarky today.

[MarianJack]

19. Our family IS a hoot. Thanks.

I LOVE pissing off teabaggers!

PEACE!

[bluedigger]

20. It's funny the things that make people pull a fresh pair of socks out of the drawer.

I guess sometimes they even notice the stench themselves.

[HangOnKids]

25. Maybe they need some coffee?

[LanternWaste]

9. Then let us count our blessings

Then let us count our blessings as the family in the OP was simply sitting down and eating rather than "shaving, sending a text message and weaving all over the road..." which in itself, sounds rather dangerous (and in many states, illegal).

[La Lioness Priyanka]

46. dumb story bro. nt

[OldRedneck]

65. In addition to . . .

On my Ford F250 4WD truck I have the following stickers:

Obama-Biden 2008

Obama-Biden 2012

Ready for Hillary

Insured by Smith and Wesson

I'm a Democrat and I'm carrying a firearm

Remington Firearms

Friends don't let friends vote Republican


---------------------

Nobody flips me off. Could it be the rifle rack with a pump 12-gauge shotgun prominently displayed??

[GoldenMezzoDiva]

10. Teabagger types project their own self-hatred onto others

I live in Putnam County, New York, which is rife with teabag-types. I have observed that like others of their ilk they tend to project their own self-hatred onto others. This creates endless levels of anger and hate in which they seem to thrive. Bravo for your family's joie de vivre! Keep on keeping on and allow these degenerates to choke on their own bile. Instead of happily enjoying their own company and delicious Maine seafood.

[MarianJack]

12. Well said and Hear, Hear!

Welcome to DU!

PEACE!

[Auntie Bush]

53. Welcome to DU! Your first post is perfect.

[The Wielding Truth]

66. Welcome, GoldenMezzoDiva! Good post!

[dorkzilla]

100. Ugh...you poor thing...

Having lived in Mahopac for a few years I can attest to the number of Baggers up there. Now that Roger Ailes (sp?) has moved to Garrison Putnam is a liberal no-man's land. So odd to have such ignorance so close to NYC.

Welcome to DU!

[eallen]

14. Impossible. I've been assured by the right that racism has been eliminated.

[MarianJack]

21. True. Also...

...the right assures me that George W Turdhead is a genius and that there actuall WERE WMDs in Iraq!

Shame on us for not believing them!

PEACE!

[DrewFlorida]

22. Nice story, loved reading it, thank you!

[MarianJack]

26. Thanx!

PEACE!

[tumtum]

24. Glad you enjoyed your meal and made theirs miserable.

[MarianJack]

29. Thanks, we...

...enjoyed both!

PEACE!

[HangOnKids]

32. You are good MarianJ!

You must have been reading my PM as I was writing it!

[MarianJack]

38. Thanx for the heads up!

PEACE!

[StopTheNeoCons]

34. Love the post, love the sentiment, I share them with you!...nt

[MarianJack]

39. Thank you!

PEACE!

[Just Saying]

37. I'm happy you enjoyed your time with your family!

My family is mostly white but we can be as loud as anyone! And my husband's is Italian so you can imagine.

Mmmm I bet your wife makes some yummy Puerto Rican food. I grew up in an area with a large Puerto Rican population and your story made me hungry for that over the lobster!

I almost feel sorry for people like Teabaggers who go around angry all the time. But then I remember that they are doing it to themselves. Sucks to be them!

[MarianJack]

41. I do most of th cooking, but...

...I suspect that my wife will be going to jail eventually because some of her food is so good that it can't possibly be legal!

While I totally agree that it sucks to be a teabagger and in their near perpetual state of rage, it also sucks to be around them!

PEACE!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

67. this post is useless

without

RECIPES!!!!!!!!!!!!




Loved your story! Pissypants teabaggies crack me up!!!

[MarianJack]

74. I'll get back to ya!

PEACE!

[bobopa]

42. K & R

I love it when ANYBODY pisses of ANY racist MO'FOs, we are a diverse nation, GET OVER IT!
Good Job M8

Cheers

[MarianJack]

43. Thanx!

Welcome to DU.

PEACE!

[TRoN33]

47. Awesome, MarianJack!

Just ignore these idiots. You and your family deserve to have a great time without worrying about what teabagger nuts are thinking about you guys. Trust me, its better to stay focus on your family than to try and argue with teabaggers. I've tried it once and realized that they can't even articulate the single reason why they are rallying against Obama except screaming for impeach over Benghazi scandal and IRS targeting tea party scandal. That is pretty much of their slogans and nothing more.

I keep wondering, when Obama's term ends and more likely next President will be a white Democrat, we all can wonder, how will Tea Party last after Obama's era ends?

[MarianJack]

50. Since they haven't changed their basic playbook since God knows when,...

...They'll continue to freak about just about anything!

PEACE!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

52. good story

First ever whole lobster meal I ate was in Camden, Maine back in 1991. YUM!

[SCantiGOP]

54. you're a bad person

and I love your story. I would have had the same reaction. It reminds me of how, in the early 70s when I had hair down to my shoulders in in college in ultra-red South Carolina, I would revel in the disgusted looks of those who thought we were Satan's spawn. I was out once and a table of old farts were making that hilarious observation "well, I can't tell if they're boys or girls" (even though two of my comrades sported rather wild beards). When we got up to leave one of my friends said as he passed their table, "Next time just ask me and I'll be glad to show you whether I'm male or female."
And, we would get a multiplied reaction if our group was racially mixed. Only problem I have now at 60 is I look like a damn respectable businessman, so I have to find a way to engage in conversation to piss off a teabagger.

[eridani]

99. The standard 60s response to that was--

--"Why don't you eat me and find out?"

[LeftofObama]

56. Gee, thanks! Now you've made me hungry for lobster all over again!

Maine is one of 4 states I have never been to. Going there and having fresh lobster is on my bucket list.

I'm glad your family had a good time. Pissing off teabaggers is just a bonus. If I had been there I would have been laughing along with you.

[riverbendviewgal]

57. From my NJ racist relatives. just received today...I never respond.

this is from the 6 figure annual salary niece who works for the Industrial Military complex who refuses to "have to pay " for some poor kids health care who are poor because they are lazy. and she says she has a perfectly good health care plan and does not want to pay for someone else who is less fortunate. Her words.

here you go. came in just a few minutes ago.


"Brilliance in 3 parts




BRILLIANCE IN THREE PARTS


Part I .......

A. Back off and let those men who want to marry men, marry men.

B. Allow those women who want to marry women, marry women.

C. Allow those folks who want to abort their babies, abort their babies.

D. In three generations, there will be no Democrats.



I love it when a plan comes together!




Part II:


10 Poorest Cities in America and how did it happen?

City, State, % of People Below the Poverty Level


1. Detroit , MI 32.5%
2. Buffalo , NY 29.9%
3. Cincinnati , OH 27.8%
4. Cleveland , OH 27.0%
5. Miami , FL 26.9%
5. St. Louis , MO 26.8%
7. El Paso , TX 26.4%
8. Milwaukee , WI 26.2%
9. Philadelphia , PA 25.1%
10. Newark , NJ 24.2%

What do the top ten cities (over 250,000) with the highest poverty rate
all have in common?

Detroit , MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn't elected a Republican mayor
since 1961

Buffalo , NY (2nd) hasn't elected one since 1954

Cincinnati , OH - (3rd) since 1984

Cleveland , OH - (4th) since 1989

Miami , FL - (5th) has never had a Republican mayor

St. Louis , MO - (6th) since 1949

El Paso , TX - (7th) has never had a Republican mayor

Milwaukee , WI - (8th) since 1908

Philadelphia , PA - (9th) since 1952

Newark , NJ - (10th) since 1907

Einstein once said, 'The definition of insanity is doing the same
thing over and over again
and expecting different results.'

It is the poor who habitually elect Democrats .. yet they are still POOR.


Part III:

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's
initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could
and should do for themselves."

Abraham Lincoln



“Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the
government take care of him had better take a closer look at the
American Indian.” - Henry Ford"

[JHB]

69. The Lincoln "quote" wasn't from Lincoln

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/lincoln/prosperity.asp

The Rev. William John Henry Boetcker was a Presbyterian minister and notable public speaker who served as director of the pro-employer Citizens' Industrial Alliance, a position he held when, in 1916, he produced a booklet of "nuggets" from his lectures, which included maxims such as "We cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong" and "We cannot help the poor by kicking the rich." Boetcker's collection of maxims eventually crystallized as the list of ten now-familiar entries (variously known as the "Industrial Decalogue," the "Ten Don'ts," the "Ten Cannots," "Ten Things You Cannot Do, "or the "American Charter&quot

It certainly didn't sound like "labor is prior to capital" Lincoln.

[MirrorAshes]

98. Vile... the first part especially.

Shame for her that its actually the Repukes who will be dying off in droves over the next decade or so.

[Veruca Salt]

59. I always lamented the fact

that when I left MA for ME I lost all my Spanish radio stations and that it was hardly spoken up north. I always used to listen in when I heard someone speaking it just to hear it. It's like music.

You've also got me drooling for lobster. Right before I moved to the UK I went for a last trip to the lobster shack and devoured a buttery, lemon kissed lobster roll boat. I'm eagerly awaiting visiting soon for more, though sad the shack will be closed for the season when I get back. Nothing beats Maine lobster!

[Sissyk]

61. Your family sounds lovely, MarianJack

and hope you all enjoyed your time together.

But; Maine, New Jersey, and New York with teabaggers and racist? THAT'S NOT THE SOUTH!!!! so it can't be true! lol!

[Javaman]

62. Read my sig. :) Cheers! nt

[geckosfeet]

63. Damn. I got to make it up there for lobster this summer.

[Scurrilous]

70. K & R

[valerief]

71. Schadenfreude from teabagger distress. Love it! nt

[dusty trails]

72. Dumb tea partiers

They probably thought (incorrectly) that the Puerto Ricans were immigrants.
They ain't. There US citizens, regardless of the lingo or color.

[jimlup]

76. Don't gloat too much...

Eventually in a mature movement we may need to convince at least some of these folks that we are right - we have a common enemy of which we would agree if not for their being mislead. Some of them will eventually recognize this. Perhaps not many but some.

[VADem1980]

84. Um, no?

Tea partiers, and by extension their 1% masters, ARE the enemy. There is NOTHING we have in common with those racists, red neck, war mongering, homophobic, sub-human pieces of detritus. I'd sooner drink my own vomit than find common cause with a filthy tea, hate filled tea bagger.

[jimlup]

103. Think harder...

most of the tea baggers are working class. Our work is to win the working class. Look beyond your hate. I'm not saying it will be easy. These people are ignorant but some of them have to become capable of eventually seeing beyond that ignorance if we are to survive as a species and as a society.

I'm not saying don't hate them right now but leave the door open to the human side ...

[Vinnie From Indy]

80. LOL!

Cheers to the whole lot of you!

[cactusfractal]

85. Wow, what a trashing...

...you're getting from DUers, with them giving the folks from NJ the benefit of the doubt and lambasting you for presuming their issue was your party's color and language.

Funny thing: I know that on sites like Breitbart and Daily Caller you wouldn't be taken to task for judging someone for, say, their Obama shirt.

You'd get a unanimous chorus of agreement that libtards R dum.

I like what that says about DU.

[RitchieRich]

105. a racist calling a racist a racist

It is a two way street, maybe more of a traffic circle with no exits.

[niyad]

86. good for you. any day I can piss off a teabagger is a good day.

[Grown2Hate]

87. GodDAMN, I wish I could Rec more than once.

Well played! LOVE it.

[emsimon33]

89. Great story!

[countmyvote4real]

90. Great story. I treasure my visits to "Vacationland."

I've been going to Maine at least twice a year since 2010 when the love of my life was diagnosed with semantic dementia at the tender age of 57. She and her third husband live in Lubec. He works for the Roosevelt Campobello International Park. I can't recommend a more fitting Democratic "Mecca" than FDR's family vacation home on Campobello Island. True, it's in Canada, but that seems even more appropriate to FDR's vision for the USA.

Anyway, Washington County is really off the beaten path, but has so much stunning coastal scenery and a surprising "underground" of artists, musicians, foodies, etc. spread throughout the towns of Lubec, Eastport and Machias. And great hospitality, too.

The family restaurant you described reminded me of Helen's in Machias. I'm crazy for their "Lazy Lobster" and coconut pie. On my last visit, I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Coming from NYC, $11 didn't shock me. However, I was taken aback when the waitress returned to tell me with great consolation, that they don't serve that vintage by glass. It would be $11 for the bottle.

I'm not a troll for Maine tourism, but it's "Vacationland!"

http://www.helensrestaurantmachias.com/index.php

[IrishAyes]

91. Thanks for the story, MarianJack.

The best revenge is to live well.

Only bad thing about this thread is that it made me hungry when the nearest available lobster is over 60 miles away.

Well, it's even worse when people make me miss Maine itself. I'd have retired up there in Calais except most of Maine's too expensive for me to live very well. At least here I can afford a nice big place and try to stay away from people I don't like, which happens to be quite a few. In Maine I'd be stuck in public housing maybe, and that would be hell to a semi-recluse like me. I require lots of space of my own and suffer an incurable need to garden, etc.

[Cha]

97. I love Maine.. your vaca with Fam sounds so

wonderful, MJ! It's inspiring you don't let haters get you down.

I'm watching "Haven&quot ScyFi) episodes from netflix now.. based on the Stephen King book, "The Colorado Kid". We get treated to a fictitious Maine fishing village in Haven, Maine with all the characters, accents, and architecture of that locale.

It's sweet being reminded of it again since I'm living on Kaua'i now and will all most certainly not make it back to the East Coast of the Mainland again.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

102. You had fun. That's what's important.

If they couldn't because of the way ya'll looked or spoke, well, fuck 'em.

[farmbo]

108. Great story... but you missed out on a great opportunity...

.. to slide your chair over to the Bagger table and do this:

[HangOnKids]

113. Classic! Thanks for that farmbo.

[riverbendviewgal]

119. I love this movie so much!!!

Thanks for the laughs...

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

109. Now, to be fair...

From the description of your family, it sounds like you were going to have a great time even if the place had been empty.

Consider your ability to annoy a bunch of bigots as....I don't know....dessert!

[MichaelKelley]

111. Good

Your family is so wonderful and you should be proud of that. I am glad that you all are very friendly and enjoying your life with ease. Have a wonderful life ahead with your family.

[AlbertCat]

115. As Janeane Garofalo observed at the FIRST Teabagger rally after Obama was elected:

"Racism, straight up."

[eilen]

118. There was around 4 family members

visiting a very sick patient, I would say dying patient, an elderly lady. The husband and their kids and their kid's spouses etc. We did everything we could to make the family and patient comfortable and to be sensitive to their needs.
It did make the room very difficult to navigate as our hospital rooms are very small.

The roommate had one visitor to see and talk with her. She did not have tv because she did not have a credit card to buy the service and did not speak English. She had had a heart attack and was going to have a procedure to clear out the blocked artery. An interpretor phone was used to explain the procedure to her. However, I was not sure if she had misgivings or any more questions and it was hard to engage her with idle conversation that could unearth that. It was difficult to establish a rapport. The family member there was giving her the reassurance and security that I could not.

The family of the dying woman was waiting for another family member to come up, this was the son, the Doctor Son. They were not going to make decisions without him. While waiting for him, the son in law and father came to the desk to ask for a private room because "she doesn't need to hear all that chattering and babbleing gobbledy-gook from those people."

I found that very offensive. It changed my view of them. After all, this was an Italian family-- Spanish is not that different from Italian--they are both Romance languages.

We put an official request for a private but those are very hard to get however we made the plan to do that. Meanwhile we were waiting on a room to open up on the palliative care ward. Luckily one opened up. I felt bad for the patient because she was uncomfortable but the experience made me feel less compassionate for her family. Partly I was insulted by it because the way they said it to me and the secretary was like we were in agreement with them that the roommate and her daughter were "The Other" and somehow less worthy.

I have to say that I view most all of my patients as equal in need but I do prioritize their care depending on what is wrong with them. I don't prioritize based on race, language or religion-- those things mean nothing to me clinically. When I say most, I am referring to my acute patients. Most meaning acute. Subacute by it's definition have a lower priority.

[riverbendviewgal]

120. You are the kind of nurse I want around me when I am sick

thank you for being so fair and good.

My son and husband had a lot of good nurses like you when they were being treated. They made the inevitable more bearable.

[Purplehazed]

121. Crap

The father wore a tebagger t-shirt. Therefore, the family is racist.

It is the exact same argument as with accompanying anecdotal evidence as:

The black teen male wore a hoodie. He must be up to no good.

[MarianJack]

126. Crap back at'cha.

If you'd been paying attention for the last several years, you'd know that racism is theexact motive for the entire teabagger movement.

Also, if you can't see the difference between afamily eating dinner and stalking and then murdering, I don't see much in the way of perception on your part.

[Faux pas]

127. Great!

Nothing better than instant karma, love it. My second biggest smile of the day.

[hrmjustin]

131. I have derved on 2 jurys from this post and I am posting this so that I don't have to do a third.

[Unrepentant Fenian]

137. "Mission Accomplished"! Great story, Thak you!