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[TheMastersNemesis]

This message was self-deleted by its author (TheMastersNemesis) on Wed Jun 27, 2012, 11:29 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[hlthe2b]

1. We have DUers living there, you do realize.

And while the "Lamborns" of that area are disgusting in their politics, there is a vocal minority trying to change things--against a tide of military conservatism, fundamentalist RW Xian congregations with National support, and yes, regressive libertarian attitudes by many.

I am reminded of the Pat Robertsons of the world wishing "GAWD" to take action against the sinners--or at least suggesting why "GAWD" would/should not intervene where there are "evil homosexuals or liberals, or those evil, feminist women". Blaming these "sinners" for Hurricane Katrina or 911 or some other similar disaster.

Fires are not selective. As one who has been 15 miles away from the states largest in Northern Colorado for the past 18 days, I can tell you I sure as hell don't appreciate this attitude. I've already had to hear from those who assume the homes being burned all belong to millionaires--believing that the homes west of Fort Collins in Poudre Canyon and surrounding are multi-million dollar mansions like what they have seen near Aspen and Vail--not the 1950 and 60 era cabins and "normal" homes that frequent the area.

A little show of humanity would be nice.

[YoungDemCA]

111. Thank you for this post...

Like you said, there is a big institutional presence of right-wing politics in the Springs, but there are PLENTY of more independent, progressive-minded people there.

Regardless, wishing harm on your fellow human beings is NOT cool, no matter what your political persuasion is.

[Zalatix]

51. Ayup!!! +1,000!

[dionysus]

166. what about the non RWer's homes and lives? not everyone who lives there is a RW douche.

would you be so flippant about them as well? we have DUers in that town...

[Violet_Crumble]

3. I don't care about who victims of natural disasters vote for. I have sympathy for them all...

And if we start attacking victims because of their politics, then that makes us no better than the freepers who have no sympathy or empathy for anyone who doesn't hold the exact same view as them...

I'm on the other side of the world, but I've got lots of sympathy for what people in that part of Colorado are going through right now. Some of that's because I've experienced a massive firestorm and know how it feels, but mainly because I feel empathy and compassion for victims of natural disasters like this one....

[DiverDave]

5. On the other side of the world?

So I guess it wont be YOUR tax dollars that rebuild for these assholes.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Maybe you should write an outraged letter to the IRS?

I'm sure they get plenty from folk who think that THEIR tax dollars pay for everything, and they can file it alongside them. If I was an American and federal funds were needed to rebuild infrastructure, I'd be happy to see my tax dollars being put to better use than funding endless wars in other countries...

[hlthe2b]

12. Canada has sent fire crews & much needed cargo planes that drop retardant to the now 10 record fires

in Colorado...Thank heavens some outside this country show more compassion and PROGRESSIVE values for our people than apparently, do some of our own.

It isn't just homes, wildlife, businesses that are at risk. SO, too the invaluable natural resources of this forest land, the nearby reservoirs, and recreational areas that ALL Americans come to use.

Some of the attitudes displayed here are abysmal for a progressive website and no better than the RWers who wanted the largely African American population of New Orleans to be just left to drown after Katrina. I seem to recall THEM saying something to the effect that "THEY" did not pay taxes, after all, either.

[uppityperson]

174. I'd rather my tax dollars go to those impacted by disasters like this than into the military machine

Everyone getting burnt out is an asshole? Shame on you.

[Gormy Cuss]

116. +1

[struggle4progress]

119. +

[DiverDave]

4. And just how much will it cost the rest of us?

I say let them build it back up themselves.
Not one nickle in federal money.
They wanted smaller government, they should get it.
NO FEDERAL MONEY FOR THEM!

But, as usual, WE will pay.

[uppityperson]

175. Hahahahahaha. "Aston-A Community That Cares". You sure live up to your town's motto. Not.

http://astontownship.net/

[HiPointDem]

6. if they don't pay for fire protection, why are government workers digging the fire breaks?

[BlueToTheBone]

7. because we, as a society, don't like

people to suffer. But, I don't think we should help any rebuilding there either. And if any structures have to go, please let it be the Focus on the Family folks building.

[HiPointDem]

8. i wasn't suggesting they shouldn't, i was just wondering which gov't workers were

doing it if it wasn;t local.

[BlueToTheBone]

11. These are the good fairy workers

who need no pay or rest. Low taxes for millionaires! We have fairies and elves to do the work.

[JHB]

84. The fairies and elves have other ideas on that

[hlthe2b]

27. I don't live in CO Springs, but they have not privatized their fire departments which are involved,

as is their sheriff's department and other local agencies, joined by help from other locales, and state/Federal resources.

Just as it is in Fort Collins, where more than 2000 are fighting the state's largest fire. There are even specially trained crews from the state's prisons that are deployed across the state.

I may not like CO Spring's politics, but you are speaking of that which you are not educated.

[kemah]

32. Fire Department can not be privatized because it can not be a profitable business

How can a fire department be profitable? Charge for putting out fires, charge a monthly fee. There is no way to make a profit.
My small town has had only one house fire in the past 10 years I have lived here. Charging a monthly fee would be like paying a tax to a corporation. Then if one forgot to pay or refused to pay there house would be allowed to burn down, what are the insurance companies going to do?

[hlthe2b]

42. That is an experiement that was undertaken in a Texas community--Keith Olbermann reported on this

on his show some time back. And yes, to horrible effect when they refused to put out a fire for a homeowner who had not paid his fee.

This is not the case in CO Springs. While their politicos have devastated their public health department and savaged many local services, their fire services remain. Perhaps kentuck will address that more as a resident, but that is my understanding and I have followed the issues there to a considerable degree.

[metalbot]

154. That was NOT a private fire department

It was the case of a rural area that elected to not form or fund a volunteer fire department. Since they chose not to do this, they were told by the local town that they would be covered by the town's public fire department, but only if they agreed to pay for coverage.

Which quite frankly seems pretty reasonable on the part of the public fire department.

[MADem]

168. They were back in Colonial days.

People paid a stipend to the fire department, and attached a medallion to their house so the FD would know that the dues were paid. Some people "subscribed" to more than one, just to be on the safe side...

It wasn't a good system, though, because you could have house number five and nine subscribing, and number seven in the middle refusing to go along. How do you prevent two buildings from burning down when the one in the middle is ablaze?

[nanabugg]

59. Some threads here sound like Falwell and Robertson blaming 9/11 on the gays and minorities.

This is tragic no matter what side one is on. Maybe some hearts and minds will be changed after this????

[coalition_unwilling]

75. Someone reported that on Free Republic there is speculation that

God has 'withdrawn his protection' from the Air Force Academy because of the repeal of DADT.

I swear, you can't make this shit up

[nanabugg]

80. No words!!! nt

[HiPointDem]

87. i didn't 'speak' about anything, i asked a question. thanks for the unwarranted scolding

though. good for the character.

[hlthe2b]

89. Embedded in your "question" was a very wrong assertion.

[HiPointDem]

91. no assertions at all were embedded. perhaps this will give you a clue:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=862253


"if" clauses aren't assertions.

[hlthe2b]

96. Your quote in your original post #6 was the one I was responding to:

" if they don't pay for fire protection, why are government workers digging the fire breaks?"

As stated, embedded in your "question" was a very wrong assertion.

[HiPointDem]

97. i understand that. & the post i linked was my clarification to another poster who

made the same assumption you're making.

hint: an "if-clause" is a conditional. it makes no assertion.

[hlthe2b]

98. You predicated your "then" statement on that argument....

I'm glad you clarified yourself, nonetheless. I'd hate to think you were at all trying to support the position of the OP--which is offensive as hell to us experiencing this.

[HiPointDem]

99. the predicate is conditional on the if clause being true. there's no assertion that it is.

"if you're so smart, why aren't you rich?"

meaning: you're not so smart.

[hlthe2b]

100. It would be really nice if you could move from a fixation on syntax to actual compassion...

or do you have it in you to do so?

Perhaps I judged you too favorably. The OP is incredibly ugly, but I gave you benefit-of-the doubt, despite your seeming intent to defend the OP.

I'm done. And, please do go find Kentuck's self-edited post and echoed by a few others downstream. Because it surely applies.

[HiPointDem]

101. it would be nice if you would stop putting words in people's mouths & stop arguing that

your interpretation trumps their own, as well as the english language.

[hlthe2b]

102. You are not worth the effort.

ugly attitude, indeed. Perhaps you can find someone else to kick or abuse, but I am done with you.

[HiPointDem]

103. excuse me, but your response to me began by false attribution and attack. when

i correct the record, you argue with me. now you accuse me of "abusing" *you*?

it's laughable.

a simple "sorry, i misread you" would have sufficed. but no, you're a fucking mindreader, you.

and you said you were done in the last post too. go away, already.

[magical thyme]

9. I feel sick about the animals there, wild and domestic

I hope that this experience will turn the heads of those in Colorado who would "fire the firemen" and who hate "big gummint."

[B2G]

13. This is a sick thread. n/t

[Meg_Griffin_1]

82. My feeling exactcaly.....

Democrats/Republicans should not even be an issue, it's TRAGIC!!!
My prayers to all in harms way..

[Trajan]

145. Well .. in all fairness: The original poster did hit upon one of the tenets of right wing foolerery

The role of government is greatly different for Democrats and Republicans ....

Some GOP would have ZERO government, other than a strong police force and draconian laws to round up their enemies ....

Some people DO wish they could live in the world of their dreams .... and to suffer the consequences of their faulty logic ...

This thread is a hateful fantasy of one person wishing that some would suffer the consequences of their own beliefs .... We know it wont happen, but it is understandable from a 'made your bed now sleep in it' kinda mentality ....

Dont worry .... Democrats will save the day and bring government assistance to bear ASAP ....

Where are the Koch Brothers ? ... Cant they buy some fire trucks and hire some non union firefighters pronto ?

[MADem]

169. If there is any lesson in this fire, it's that Mitt RMoney shouldn't talk about firing firemen. nt

[NCTraveler]

14. -1 unrec. nt

[hlthe2b]

15. RWers would let the largely African American New Orleans population "drown" post Katrina...

because in their minds, "THEY did not pay taxes either"....

Can any of the supposed progressives posting this ugly nonsense not see the hypocrisy here?

[Zalatix]

52. Hypocrisy, or payback?

[hlthe2b]

54. with that attitude it is clear you think only of yourself.

I'm only sorry that kentuck thought better of his earlier, now edited comment. It clearly applies to many.

[MADem]

171. But they did pay taxes--every time they went to the store, they paid sales taxes.

http://www.revenue.louisiana.gov/sections/business/sales.aspx

The Ninth Ward homeowners and business owners whose buildings were underwater paid property taxes.

http://services.nola.gov/service.aspx?load=treasury&Type=2

[MadHound]

16. Well, you have become that which you hate,

Heartless, soulless, with no mercy to spare outside your own closed little bubble.

I don't care about the politics of who is being endangered by this fire, I sympathize with all of them, and wish them the best. Basing your mercy upon a person's politics isn't mercy at all.

You have become that which you hate, perhaps you should rethink that.

[pscot]

43. What goes around comes around

[cyberswede]

113. Well said.

We're supposed to be better than the RWers are.

Nobody deserves to lose everything in a natural disaster. I'm ashamed of this OP.

[seabeyond]

123. good post. nt

[dionysus]

158. i don't often agree with you. i sure do on this post.

[Cali_Democrat]

17. Do you have sympathy for the children affected by these fires?

You should.

[RadiationTherapy]

18. You have 'othered' republicans to the point of sociopathy in this post.

Might be time for a break.

[Paladin]

25. Gracious, Would You Look At The Outrage.

Yesterday there was a thread with posts blaming the entire state of Texas for the murder of a lesbian couple. It would have been nice to see some of this indignant huffiness, there........

[RadiationTherapy]

48. I did not see that thread. I saw this one.

I hope that is explanatory enough for you.

[seabeyond]

124. if i had seen it, i would have. that does not take away from the ugliness of this OP. nt

[pscot]

47. They have "othered" themselves

Now they have a problem. What a shame.

[RadiationTherapy]

49. Are you saying the citizens near this fire are so inhumane that it is

ethically moral to treat them inhumanely?

[pscot]

55. How is it unethical

to treat people the way they say they want to be treated? Their rules, applied to them. Seems fair.

[RadiationTherapy]

58. How is it unethical to let the largest, most destructive fire

in state history (I believe...?) be defended solely by the citizens of a small mountain city of which a majority of those who voted - less than 50%, if they follow national trends - are radically libertarian? How is that unethical? Hmmmm. Well, there is the impact on those not a part of the radical libertarians there. There is the environmental damage of thousands of tons of CO2 and toxins released by burning trees and structures. There are the refugees who place multiple burdens and challenges on the surrounding populations. There is the lack of training and equipment made available to citizenry compelled to defend their homes and perhaps threatening thousands of lives.

[Dreamer Tatum]

62. Let's face it - some DUers are OK with 100 liberals suffering

if 1 libertarian suffers.

That's what's really going on here.

Remember the California wildfires in 2007? A popular meme on DU then was that Californians were all wealthy due
to overvalued real estate, so that real estate burning down was a good comeuppance.

[RadiationTherapy]

66. Their lenses need polishing, in my opinion.

The dehumanizing of one's political rivals is a short jump from civil war.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

79. I want to believe that is a joke

But I know I would be wrong.

My dad called not too long ago. He started his career in a union, lifelong Democrat, all around good guy. You could say he's been like a father to me ( ). Him and my step mom are bugging out because the smoke has gotten too bad. They aren't under evacuation orders but he had by-pass surgery earlier this year and things are hard for him. TMN and those agreeing with him probably don't consider people like my father so long as they can hurt who they don't like. They're just collateral damage for whatever cause the haters pretend to serve.

[frylock]

86. because not everyone there is like that for fucks sake!

are you that fucking dense?!

[dionysus]

159. they have children,innocents, and liberals there too, for christ's sake.

even the most vile RWer doesnt deserve to lose their home or life either.

[aquart]

88. Seriously.

They are Americans. They are humans. And they are in trouble.

What is a nation if not a compact that we help each other survive?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. I'd wager paychecks that plenty of the firefighters vote GOP

and they are fighting to save homes without regard to voter registration and that fact alone makes them better people than you.

[Marrah_G]

20. I think your post is mean and over the top

There are alot of people in harms way. There are DUers in harms way.

[Ganja Ninja]

21. If they vote to cut money for fire fighters then ...

it should be reflected in higher insurance premiums for their properties. There's no free lunch no matter how short sighted they are, in the end they'll pay.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

22. HOI already reflects the quality of local fire fighting assets

[WhollyHeretic]

23. This might be a point where you need to step back from the keyboard and spend some time in the real

world.

[fizzgig]

24. there a people down there fighting the good fight

some of them are our fellow duers, as has been pointed out in this thread. this is a very scary summer for us here in colorado, i've watched as 88,000 acres have burned through the mountains just west of me. i do not wish that fear and uncertainty on anyone.

it disgusts me that anyone here would take pleasure in the suffering of others.

[hlthe2b]

28. Yup.. just like the RWers who wanted New Orlean's black residents to drown. How very "progressive"

of you. How very ugly is that attitude.

Yet, you and others like you will come out West to vacation, enjoy the National Parks and reap the benefits of resources harvested from National Forests. Well, guess what--that is all at risk as well.

And guess what--that smoke that chokes the population up and down the front range--from the New Mexico border to Denver and north to Wyoming--do you honestly care about the health impacts that will have on elderly, asthmatic children and others?

We live in a society and no man is an island. If you believe in progressive values, you really need to reassess.

[Nydari]

37. +1

nt

[Odin2005]

38. I deleted it, I posted out of anger.

[hlthe2b]

39. Thank you...

[newfie11]

29. No one deserves this fire

I don't care what their party is.

[kentuck]

30. self-delete

lost my head.

[hlthe2b]

31. ^^^Before a jury gets this, kentuck lives in Colorado Springs^^^

He surely is justified in feeling this way.

hang in there kentuck...

[Nuclear Unicorn]

35. "Before a jury gets this"

I *try* not to be profane and confrontational but if it were me on the jury I'd acquit on Stand Your Post grounds.

[kentuck]

36. There are good liberals that lost their homes...

I have large pieces of ash falling in my yard. I am walking around with a mask when I go outside. Everybody in Colorado Springs is not like the OP'er suggests.

[Marrah_G]

41. Yikes

Please stay safe and don't wait until the last minute to go if you need to.

[rufus dog]

74. Major pain in the ass

Went through it twice in SoCal. Ours was much easier to control at the edge of the preserve. Days aren't too bad, but the glow at night blows. Good luck Kentuck, stay safe.

[Gormy Cuss]

118. Hang in there, kentuck...

and I don't give a rat's whisker how many of those who lost their homes are GOPers or Dems or any other political affiliation. Fire is an equal opportunity predator.

[seabeyond]

125. damn straight. it is a disgustingly inhuman OP. and it stands. i didnt read your

other post that was self deleted. i assume you are in this mess. much sympathy for you and everyone there.

[Autumn]

34. Best post in this piece of shit thread. We have to breathe this

smoke. Can't even open the windows or go outside. This fire is devastating. Thank you for saying what I was thinking

[Marrah_G]

44. I am so sorry you all are going through this

Please stay safe and don't wait to long to go if you need to.

Also, remember that the vast majority of DU is pulling for you all there.

Is there anyway that we can help?

[Autumn]

140. We are doing okay. Trying to stay indoors. At times the smoke is really bad

thank God we are not in an evac area. Obama will be here Friday, and we just keep praying.

[B2G]

45. Ditto

Thinking good thoughts for all of you in harm's way.

[seabeyond]

126. are you there too? i have been following, and i feel for all of you. it is horrible

and i am sorry. sorry that an ugly OP like this is left standing.

[cbdo2007]

33. Wow, so you're hoping all of their children lose their homes too?? That's pretty twisted.

We're currently housing 3 of my nephews who had to be evacuated from colorado springs. I don't think they've ever voted for a republican seeing as how they're under 10 years old.

[Marrah_G]

40. I really hope your family makes it through all this okay

It has to be terrifying.

[cbdo2007]

150. Family is safe but the fires are just now reaching their neighborhood :(

[Marrah_G]

151. Oh no

I'm really sorry to hear that

[seabeyond]

157. ah, i am so sorry. nt

[slackmaster]

46. This reminds me of a story about a weather reporter in Botswana in the 1980s

Because of government-imposed communication standards, he found himself saying "A cold front is moving in from racist South Africa." He felt very silly.

We really needn't politicize everything that happens.

[DearAbby]

50. This state is HOME

The fires affects all of us, in many different ways. We live in fear each storm rolling over the mountains.

Not only homes are lost. A life was lost. It's like fighting an uphill battle. Thank God for those who are placing themselves in danger to stop them. There are so many fires. Their lines are thin and they must be so tired. It's a burning hell of beetle kill trees, and 100+ degree weather.

There are also people who depend on the tourist trade. Their season is shot before it started. Their livelihoods affected.

The entire State is affected.

Our beautiful state is ablaze, I never seen anything like it in all my fifty years here.

[seabeyond]

128. that is heartbreaking abby.

i have been watching, following and sadden for all in that state. it is a place i go to every summer to get away from the panhandle. a lot a bit of beauty. i am so sorry you are all experiencing this now. you are having the summer we had last year. it was horrible. i hated it.

[Rambis]

53. Less 5 miles from my friends house

They will lose everything and have no way of recovering if they do.

[seabeyond]

129. that is devastating and the uncaring of the Op was heartless.

many of us know how it feels. i am sorry for your friend.

[Ednahilda]

56. This is really horrible

I can't imagine how helpless people there feel. I hope that there aren't any casualties - human or animal.

I do wonder, though, if Pat Robertson will declare this Act of God to be in response to the supposed "sins" or the "lifestyles" of the people of Colorado Springs. He clearly sees the hand of the Almighty behind earthquakes and hurricanes in places he considers less Godly, but he's strangely quiet when horrible things happen in places that so-called Christians live.

Maybe this will be a sobering reminder to the I-can-take-care-of-myself types that in the real world we all need each other.

[hlthe2b]

64. Of course there have been casualties. The largest fire near Ft. Collins on day 18 has had one human

death to date, burned 87,250 acres, destroyed 257 homes, and still after 18 days is only 55% contained. And that is only one of 10 major fires.

So of course there has been countless loss of wildlife and very likely domestic livestock and pets, despite tremendous efforts of volunteers to assist in evacuating them.

Those firefighters are at tremendous risk as well--not only from temps exceeding 101 degrees the past week. The South Canyon Fire in 1994 on Storm Kind Mountain on the western side of the state resulted in a loss of a crew of 14 firefighters--who were trapped and overrun when the fire changed direction abruptly.

I am aghast at the few on these threads who are so callous, spewing their own "political talking points" in total ignorance of what is really happening.

[Ednahilda]

68. Sorry!

Clearly, I haven't been paying close attention to the news or I would have known about the casualties. This is absolutely catastrophic. Thank goodness for the firefighters who are out risking their lives and safety to put this fire out.

Too bad we can't send those folks some of the (much too) abundant rain we've been having around here lately.

[hlthe2b]

69. No, I was just trying to educate...

My comments really weren't directed to you personally. I appreciate your kind expressions of concern and am sure all others in CO and elsewhere in the West-- affected by what looks to be the worst wildfire season in many decades--do so as well.

[Spazito]

57. Disgusting OP, imo n/t

[4th law of robotics]

60. Did they vote to not have a fire department?

Did they as a town decide to forgo paying state and federal taxes?

If not then they are entitled to everything that comes with that.

Saying people should die because they don't believe the same as you is . . . well . . . awful.

[hlthe2b]

61. No. Even if they had, this does not just impact RW residents- this is a state-wide disaster.

Last edited Wed Jun 27, 2012, 12:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Please read the thread.

[kestrel91316]

63. I remember when CoSpgs was a really nice place.

My parents retired there in 1978. I am glad they are both gone now and didn't have to see the fundie mess it has become. They were both about as religious as my cats and din't think much of the uber-religious forcing their nonsense down other people's throats.

[hlthe2b]

65. It is still a beautiful place and there are STILL a lot of very good people living there.

I dislike the RW elements as much as anyone, but lets don't do this--not now.

[dionysus]

167. i'm with you. many posts in this thread are disgusting. to quote Eddie Vedder;

"if you you hate something... don't you do it too...too.."

[Swede Atlanta]

67. I have to agree with other posters...

as much as I despise their mentality and their harboring hateful faux Christians, I empathize with them at this time. This is totally devastating.

There is a part of me that would hope this could be a learning lesson for them
(1) Climate change is real and while you cannot tie this fire directly to climate change, the fact that there will be greater periods of heat and cold, there is at least some tangential relationship
(2) The government does do things that are meaningful and important in their lives
(3) Compassion for others (e.g. Canada sending resources to assist) is a human good

But I doubt they will learn anything. They will probably be even more vocal in accusing the firefighters of trampling on their petunias or some such nonsense.

I do believe these people are beyond learning and understanding. But that does not diminish my concern for them and support for efforts to contain and extinguish the fire.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

70. I LOVE Colorado Springs

It's where I grew up during the 1960s. It seems just like yesterday when thousands of people lined Nevada Avenue where I lived to see John F. Kennedy's motorcade drive through town. It stopped right in front of my house and I was standing just a few feet away from him when he rose from his open car to thank the people. Just a few months later he was killed. I'm certainly no libertarian. My best friend in grade school, Mike, was very liberal. There are nuts living everywhere. There are probably more right wing nuts living in southern California where I now live. I'd like to go back and visit Colorado Springs some day as it's close to my heart.

[Blue_In_AK]

93. I grew up there in the '50s, left in 1961.

It was a great place to be a kid.

[MineralMan]

71. A very ugly drop and flee sort of post,

it seems to me. Wishing ill on others is never something to be proud of. It's so easy to forget that many people live in that part of Colorado, not just the ones you dislike. I'm not impressed with this turd in a punchbowl. Not at all.

[kestrel91316]

72. When this fire is over and the people have to pick up the pieces, somebody

needs to ask the RWers among them if they still think we have enough firefighters.

[FedUpWithIt All]

73. DU has really gone downhill.

What an awful thread.

[seabeyond]

130. agreed. i cannot believe we have this OP stand as fellow duers are going thru this experience.

it is truly ugly and uncaring.

[Ian David]

76. I agree except for the part about having no sympathy.

I hope this is a learning experience for those who need it, and I hope everyone survives.

[hifiguy]

77. Spend what it takes to put the fire out.

Then let the bagger assholes rebuild without ONE DIME of public money. Not one penny for these traitorous fucks.

[Raggaemon]

78. Contortionist, right-wing style

I read that congress cut 500 million in funding intended to help pay for fighting wildfires, I suppose they really believe that states can handle disasters like this one on their own, which happens to be the main ideal of right-wingers, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN, I GOT MINE.

Count on the religious zealots in Colorado Springs to spin this one as a story about a fight between the good guys ( them ) and Satan, strange that when it was New Orleans getting buried under water, a lot of the zealots blamed hurricane Katrina on gays as some may recall ?

[Arugula Latte]

81. Welcome to DU, Raggaemon

[Raggaemon]

94. Thanks

For the welcome !

[OrwellwasRight]

173. Of course Rep. Lamborn and all those asshats

vote to cut FEMA and then send a very hypocritical letter to the President seeking assistance as soon as the fire starts. And they'll say it is not hypocritical to do that. It just goes to prove that where you stand depends on where you sit.

Welcome to DU.

[frylock]

85. my very progressive friend and his family moved to the springs last year for work..

so fuck you.

[_ed_]

90. Your post is disgusting

and you should be ashamed of yourself. I doubt you'd say such things if you knew anyone in the area.

[Blue_In_AK]

92. This is a very, very mean post.

I grew up in Colorado Springs, and, granted, it was many years ago, but I love the area and I'm sure there are many good people there. This is really not appropriate.

[lynne]

95. Very mean-spirited thread. Sadly, some of us have become "them" -

- as I would only expect a thread like this from a no-heart conservative.

Personally, I hope the fires are soon under control with as little loss to property as possible and no loss to life. Politics don't matter in a horrific situation like this.

[animos]

104. very helpful

fuck you

[Dr. Strange]

146. Welcome to DU!

I don't think I've ever said that to someone whose first post said, "fuck you".

[cherokeeprogressive]

105. In the strongest possible terms: You deserve ONLY the compassion you are willing to give.

The citizens of El Paso County, CO cast over ONE HUNDRED EIGHT THOUSAND votes for Barack Obama in 2008. "They" who? "They would never vote for a socialist, or commie Democrat..." Well I guess you're full of shit on that one aren't you?

I bet you have no problem defending the deaths of innocents in drone attacks. Seeing as how you'd toss over 108,000 good Democrats into the flames while they're "whining as the fire hell comes over the hills" simply because they live in the midst of people you loathe, I don't see how you COULD care. You say you feel really sad for the wildlife, but no mention of the human toll even though it includes people with the same political philosophy as you. Fuck that. Your attitude brands you as one of "Them".

I see you as no better than the DU'er who posted a couple weeks ago that he'd never lift a finger to assist a republican under any circumstances, no matter what.

[ColoradoSpringsHuman]

106. It hurts that people would say so many horrible things without living it first.

I have just reached the age to vote, and I am a registered democrat. I can assure you that the amount of manpower that the generation before me voted down in firefighting is infinitesimal compared to the size of the fire and the amount of resources needed to come in.

I would say I'm pretty liberal. I also just graduated the high school for which the mountain shadows community feeds into. It has been utterly heartbreaking to see, just over the ridge, houses burning as far as you can see. It feels as though our world is ending. My friends.. I was just at their houses last week, joking around, enjoying our summer. And everything they and their parents have worked for their whole lives is GONE. Everything they have, save a few things they could pack in their car.

I have had to pack up my room, anticipating an evacuation. I am 18, in fantastic running shape (going to college for it) and a couple minutes outside leaves me short of breath. I slept 3 hours last night, dreading being woken by the reverse 911 call to evacuate.

Would you really wish any of this on anyone?

http://yfrog.com/odkj9rqgj
https://twitter.com/KRDONC13/status/218072962006392833/photo/1/large

I have never had to think about which possessions I'd give up if there weren't enough space to move everything.
I have never had to wonder how to comfort my friends that have no home.
I'd never had to wonder if in a couple days I will have no home.

I am also gay. I respect the views of liberals, because generally there is so much love and acceptance, but it hurts - a deep, punch-to-the-gut-kind of hurt when my whole city is categorized by a few radical right-wing organizations.

Do not forget that not only is part of CoS evac'd. Manitou, Cascade, Green Mountain Falls, Woodland Park, Chipeta Park, Monument. Smoke has been in pueblo, denver, ft. collins. Hell, boulder's on fire!! If they aren't liberal, I dunno who is.

This devastation and destruction goes far beyond differing views. For example, the fire does not care if a house has a Democrat sign or a Republican sign in their front yard. Plastic all burns the same.

Please don't put your political views above your humanity.

[gkhouston]

107. Well said.

Welcome to DU!

[cyberswede]

112. Good post.

I'm so sorry for what you and your community are going through.

Rest assured not everyone here shares the views of those who say that Co. Springs residents deserve what is happening there (most here are compassionate, caring people).

Take care, and I hope you're safe.

[Texasgal]

114. Welcome to DU.

I'd like to apologize to you for such nasty post. There are more of us who do not feel this way. We are thinking of you and are willing to help at a moments notice at anytime.

Please stay safe and keep us posted.

[annabanana]

132. I am so sorry that you are going through this.

Please be safe.

[seabeyond]

133. i would prefer not to just distinguish out the liberal bases to feel empathy toward. that is an ugly

and mean spirited OP. too many of us are keeping posted what is going on in your state and the devastation so many are feeling at the loss. i am so sorry that you had to read this OP on du. it should not be indicative of who we are as a people, or a party. it is wrong.

take care of you

i am in the panhandle of texas not too far away. we spend a lot of time in colorado. it is a beautiful state. and i feel for everyone, regardless of party affiliation.

[DURHAM D]

135. Welcome to DU and sorry about the OP.

We have a jury system in place to remove that type of post but this time the jury screwed up.

At the bottom of the page is contact information for the site owners. Perhaps you could send them a private message and provide a link to your post.

Sorry and hope you are safe.

[redwitch]

141. Great post!

And I am terribly sorry that your world is burning.

[kentuck]

142. Please do not judge DU by the words of a few people...

Welcome to DU.

I also live in Colorado Springs.

[ornotna]

147. Well said

It's a horrible situation for everyone there. I wish you the best of luck and hope you and your family stay safe.

[Marrah_G]

153. I'm really sorry you are going through this

welcome to DU and when you have time, check out our LGBT forum.

[ColoradoSpringsHuman]

155. Thank you

for your kind thoughts and words! Totally not thinking badly of DU - I'm aware that one or a few people can't speak for everyone.

They seem to have slowed it down a lot here.. hopefully woodland park is okay too. I guess all I can do is help my friends pick up the pieces when it's over.

Just stumbled across this site when the OP came up on #WaldoCanyonFire twitter feed. I'm looking forward to exploring more.

[scarletwoman]

162. Welcome to DU - I'm so sorry that your first experience of DU was of such a vile post.

I hope you've noted how many of us have objected to the sentiments expressed by the person who started this thread.

I also hope you'll stick around and get to know the rest of us - and let us get to know you, too!

[seabeyond]

164. explore, enjoy and take nothing personal. welcome. nt

[uppityperson]

177. Welcome to DU and ignore the assholes. There will always be some who are jerks. I wish the best for

you and everyone involved. I am sorry that you have to read such posts by a few outspoken people. Most of us don't feel ill will towards anyone in disasters.

[elehhhhna]

108. my reopublitard exboss is s'posed to go there

next week to shop for a house. Not that I think it's a karma thing...oh, hell, it's totally a karma thing in her case.

[slackmaster]

115. Would that be the one who shorted you on a paycheck?

You have good reason to hold her in low regard.

[YoungDemCA]

109. Umm, my uncle and aunt live in Colorado Springs

They are Democrats, along with some 35-40 percent of the population there.

But way to stereotype a city of nearly half a million people. It sure makes you look smart.

[Texasgal]

110. OMG.

You are serious?

Holy hell... I am gobsmacked!

What a shitty OP. You are a miserable person.

[seabeyond]

122. really surprised by some of the names recommending it, too. not by others. nt

[Zanzoobar]

117. Have you received emails asking for sympathy?

Or, maybe a tweet?

[seabeyond]

120. wow. not only stupid, but ugly. that is sumthin. even if every single person in the large city

was exactly as you describe, which the majority of the people living in co springs is not that, this is still an ugly post.

[LadyHawkAZ]

121. Holy shit...

That made my head ache to read. Even teabaggers and libertarian assholes are still human beings.

[liberal N proud]

127. That might explain why my brother likes it there.

[cordelia]

131. Vile post.

Heartless and cruel.

[seabeyond]

134. this OP disgusts me so much and reading thru about the people living in this right now... to

have to read your ugly words. just shame on du that your OP stands. that are community standard is so skewed that we leave this up for those living in colorado can read this disgusting post. i am really bothered. at least the majority of people in this tread feel about the same.

shame on you.

[distantearlywarning]

136. I have family in Colorado Springs

They are good, kind people who welcomed me into their home with open arms and no questions asked once when I had some serious life problems in my mid-twenties, open-minded, with a bisexual daughter, and although we haven't discussed it, I'm pretty sure they were Obama voters in 2008. They are on pre-evacuation status right now, and there is the possibility that they could lose their home.

Also, I used to live in Colorado Springs. The general tenor of the city is exactly as you describe, and there are many religious, right-wing, hateful douchebags who live there also. I fully admit that I was never so happy in my life as the day I drove out of that sprawling bastion of smug mega-church Christianity. There are a lot of self-righteous, boring assholes there, many more than where I currently live (Pittsburgh). The city attracts that type, it's true.

And yet...and yet...

There are many good people there too, including my family, who I am very worried about tonight. And as much as I hate Colorado Springs with a fiery passion - trust me, you couldn't possibly hate it more than I do - I would never wish what is happening there on anyone. Even self-righteous, boring, smug religious assholes don't deserve to have a wall of fire bearing down on their house at 65 miles an hour, to lose absolutely everything to a whim of nature, to be frightened and homeless and helplessly watch their hometown burn down. They don't. Nobody does. And all the people who aren't like that are suffering too tonight, along with wildlife and farm animals and pets. And a lot of these hotshot fire fighters are young college students putting their lives on the line for their fellow man, many of whom are likely very progressive. I had a good friend who did that very dangerous job in college to pay her tuition (at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, no less!), and she was as liberal as they come. If I can have some sympathy and commiseration with my fellow human and non-human beings tonight, you sure as hell can too. Let's not be like the other side, who demonized, dehumanized, and blamed their fellow beings suffering in the aftermath of Katrina. Let's be better than that, and show them how it's done, ok?

[seabeyond]

138. excellent post.

and i hope your loved ones make it thru safely, without loss.

[OneGrassRoot]

143. Thank you. n/t

[Starry Messenger]

137. Dude, seriously, you should delete this ugliness.

Lock the thread. This is a hate thread.

[scarletwoman]

139. Sadly, I can't say that this is the MOST disgusting post I've ever read on DU, but it's up there

in the top 10.

Have you no humanity? Have you no empathy?

Collective Guilt is a favorite theme among those on the far right. Were you cool with those who wished for a terrorist attack on San Fransisco? Did you just love it when Anne Coulter declared that all liberals should be shot? Did you cheer, "Hell YEAH!" when the likes of Falwell and Robertson declared that 9/11 was a just punishment for allowing gay rights and abortion? Are you with the Phelps family in spirit when they demonstrate at soldiers' funerals waving signs lauding their deaths because "God hates fags?"

You're no better than any of those people when you post shit like this. I'm ashamed that you are on DU.

[madrchsod]

160. i agree...i`m not sure why it`s still here

[scarletwoman]

165. It's still here because a jury voted not to hide it. The only other recourse is the Admins.

I'm a GD host, but I can't do anything about the OP because it doesn't violate the Statement of Purpose for General Discussion. We can't lock anything for content, we can only lock OPs for being off-topic. Only juries can hide posts for content that violates Community Standards, and apparently the jury for this OP didn't think it was a violation.

The bright side is the overwhelming evidence in this thread of how many DUers are disgusted by the OP. I'm very glad for all the people who are speaking out against it.

[Odin2005]

176. Extreme polarization is twisting people's minds.

I myself find it hard to resist politicizing everything.

[scarletwoman]

144. SHAME on you DUers who rec'd this vile OP! I will remember who you are.

You are no allies of mine. You are no better and no different than the right-wingers who love the idea of collective punishment and wished for a terrorist attack on San Fransisco because "they deserved it" for being liberal.

What kind of person lauds peoples' suffering and loss?

[zappaman]

148. What a disgusting OP.

Shame on the 16 who hit "REC".

[Ptah]

149. What the hell are you people thinking?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=thread&address=1002862150&info=1#recs

[NRaleighLiberal]

152. Democrats should be better than this. Life is life - politics can be set aside.

[dionysus]

156. what an ugy post. you should be ashamed. good people, innocent people live there too.

[dionysus]

163. you should be a decent human being and self delete your OP.