Another conservative sees the light!

[randr]

I had a conversation with a friends' father yesterday that was mind bogging. I had met him a year ago and we had a fairly friendly discussion at that time and it was more that clear he was a B* supporter.
He is in his 70's and comfortably retired living in Colorado Springs, the center of repug activity in Colorado. Having grown up in Missouri in the depression he still calls blacks by the old racist term "colored". He has also just recovered from a bout with prostrate cancer and sees his life in a brand new way.
He was telling me about all the "fellas" he sees at the local golf course that have returned from duty in Iraq. He asks them all what they think and he said they all refer to the situation as worse than Nam with no apparent way out. He goes further and says that he has several retired military officer friends who are telling him that they are convinced that Cheney is the most corrupt and evil VP in history.
His allegiance to B* has disappeared to say the least.
His concerns are now on living in the present and caring about the world his grand children will inherit.
He stated that the future of all of us is dependent on removing B* and his whole cabal from power.
I was speechless and could only thank him and wish him well.

[tom_paine]

1. If our Voting Systems were trustworthy and uncorrupted, I would say

that Kerry is going to win in a landslide and both house of Congress would flip to Democratic control (the Senate, at least).

But I have found that it is unwise to make assumptions about Imperial Amerika that one would make of a Free Nation.

[fob]

2. Book and pay for a few more rounds of golf for him so he may

continue to chat up his repuke friends!!

[opihimoimoi]

3. There are hundreds of thousands who also feel this way, perhaps

millions. They all know they got HAD by the "Hard Pub Sell" but have recovered from their stupor when confronted with "Reality". Bush is a Bad Deal gone over the Top.

[Delano]

4. Just a minor point...

The term "colored" was not racist. At the time it was in vogue, it was considered PC and a bit more gentle than "negro". In the 60's, blacks decided to retake the term "black" for themselves and make it into something associated with positive things, like beauty & strength, and suddenly "colored" was a no-no.

A person in his 70's is a bit young to still use it, but my late grandmother still used it in spite of our admonishments and she wasn't racist at all. She also couldn't always remember who was president, and couldn't turn on or play the VCR we gave her.

I wish a lot of the PC police would be a bit forgiving where it concerns elderly people and their use of terms that have become non-PC...

[DaveSZ]

5. The same happened to my uncle

He was a hardcore Bushbot up until only recently.

He even was on the staff of the Bush reelection campaign in South Texas.

After Abu Grahb, he changed his mind about Bush.

[randr]

6. It has been my experience that people who still use

the term "colored" do so only in "polite" company. When not compelled to be PC they referred to blacks as they had been raised to do.
I do agree with you about the awkwardness that non-racist people experienced in trying to find the right language of the time and that "colored" was used for a short period by many people uncomfortable with "Negro".

[smada]

7. With all due respect

Anyone who compares the situation in Iraq today to Vietnam quite obviously did not serve in Vietnam and has no real understanding of what it was like there.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

8. It's been 30 years since VN. I doubt if there is anyone but the most

senior of NCO's and officers who would have served in both conflicts.

While the 21 year old soldier of today wouldn't have first hand experience of VN, if you are a VN vet, you probably wouldn't have first hand experience of this occupation and couldn't compare direct experiences either.

[Warpy]

9. Tell him that extends to Congress, as well

Kerry won't be able to do anything to reverse Bush's horror show unless he gets a majority in Congress for at least the first 2 years.