This holiday season, tell RePUKES to "Celebrate the CHILD and not just the fetus."

[RBInMaine]

We all want a nice holiday, but no matter what, many of us get confronted by RePUKE relatives or friends who want to run down Dems and Obama and liberals, etc. and exault the rotten RePUKES.

A way to respond is:

"So you're a Christian right, and we are celebrating the birth of Christ this season, right? So Jesus was poor, right? And if he was alive today you would celebrate him as a child, and as a poor child, and would want to help ensure that he had decent healthcare, decent education, and decent nutrition, right? And so you are opposed to abortion, right? You care deeply about the fetuses of poor women who seek abortions, right? Do you care as much about these poor fetuses after they are born? What groups do you belong to advocating and supporting the poor fetuses after they are born and become real live children and part of our national future? Do you support their pre-natal care, post-natal care, Headstart, nutrition and healthcare programs, public education programs, and the like? What are you doing to celebrate the CHILDREN when they are no longer fetuses? And especially when they are poor minority CHILDREN and no longer fetuses? Or do you only care about fetuses, and let them be damned after they are no longer fetuses? What do you think Jesus would want you to do for the CHILDREN? ALL children? As a LIBERAL, I certainly want abortion to be as minimal as possible, but I also am very proud to say that I LIBERALLY CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT NOT ONLY THE FETUSES BUT ALSO WHAT THEY BECOME AFTER THEY ARE ACTUALLY BORN AND ARE NO LONGER FETUSES. I CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT THE CHILDREN. ALL OF THEM."

[Lint Head]

1. I support not killing humans after they are born.

[RBInMaine]

3. Another good point to make. Yes, Jesus would have been just so pleased with Bush/Cheney on that one

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I have used that argument, but somehow it just doesn't work.

Generally it leads to a rant about lazy, fat, Cadillac-driving, slutty welfare mothers who buy lobster with food stamps, and why should our taxes go to support freeloaders who have a bunch of babies that they don't know who the fathers are, just so they can get more welfare, blah, blah, blah -- like that's the babies' fault. Of course, without them coming right out and saying so, you know they aren't complaining about *white* mothers.

Around here, at least out in the country, you see a lot of anti-abortion billboards. They always feature a picture of an adorable little baby. And the baby is always white. Always. I have never seen any anti-abortion ads that include a non-white baby.

So you kind of know where at least some of the wingnuts are coming from. Don't you Godless liberals kill none o' them white fetuses.

[RBInMaine]

4. You don't expect it to to 'WORK" as if you can enlighten an idiot. It is to hold a mirror to their

IGNORANCE and STUPIDITY.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. True -- but the problem with ignorant, stupid people

is that they don't know they are ignorant and stupid, and holding a mirror up to them is like holding a mirror in front of a vampire -- there's no reflection. Still, it's a good argument, and if you can make them sputter even a little bit, it's kind of satisfying.

[RBInMaine]

6. YES. Trust me, I do this with PUKES, and they do STAMMER and SPUTTER and get their pants in a bunch

when you hit them with this stuff. Another great tactic is to pivot after they agree that Jesus was poor and they would celebrate and support him as a child, then look right at them and say, "As much as you make like to deny it, YOU are a LIBERAL. I know you support public education, public safety, public roads and bridges, etc. etc. And I know you are not so heartless as to throw poor innocent children out on the street. THANKS FOR JOINING ME AND BEING LIBERAL." That really turns them red. :-)

[Lyric]

10. I agree that to right-wingers, "welfare" generally equals "black people".

And institutionally, it's far, far more likely for black mothers to suffer from that kind of injustice and mistreatment. But don't think that they're merciful to white poor mothers, either. On an individual level, they can be just as judgemental and just as cruel to a poor white mother who receives Food Stamps or a welfare check. God knows I've seen it. My own mom and dad were called "trailer trash" and "lazy leeches" by the evil right-wing "Christian" women at several local churches. We'd gone there to apply for holiday help, and they were talking to each other where they thought Mom couldn't hear them. Nevermind the fact that Dad was a disabled war veteran and Mom worked 10-hour shifts at a gas station for minimum wage to try and care for her kids. It's sick and strange that they required 10 kinds of invasive "proof" of our poverty in order to give us a canned food basket and a couple of toys, but never bothered to learn ANYTHING--or even ASK anything--about HOW and WHY we were poor.

And since I've been an adult, I've suffered similarly. I remember being lectured by a woman behind me in the grocery store checkout because I was paying with Food Stamps and I'd gotten a box of cake mix, a tub of frosting, and a half-gallon of ice cream. It was my son's birthday--but I guess buying the things to make him a simple birthday cake was considered "wasteful". Don't you know--poor kids aren't allowed to have frivolous things like birthday cakes and ice cream. I should have given him plain beans and rice instead, so he'd "learn his place" and "show proper gratitude". Can't have him thinking for a moment that he's as good as the rest of the kids in his class.

Evil motherfuckers, every single one of them. And THEY think that they're the MORAL ones.

:puke:

[JoePhilly]

7. Joseph and Mary were unemployed illegal immigrants and Jesus was an anchor baby.

[whosinpower]

8. I would rather say

It is Christmas. Is this sort of discussion really necessary NOW? I guess for me personally, I just would not engage them if they bring it up.

I understand where you are coming from, I trully do. But, politics is a blood sport, and somehow, during Christmas, it just does not feel "right" to engage in that.

Surely there ares some local feel good stories that a person could use as a way of detouring political wrangling over the holidays.....but...you know...some families are happiest when nose to nose debating loudly.

Happy Holidays all.

[elocs]

9. With many of them their concern for life begins at conception and ends at birth.

They adhere to the YOYO philosophy: "You're On Your Own". That really describes most of the right.