Conversation with a neighbor 'bout politics.

[flamin lib]

Interesting conversation with my neighbor. Was over in her back yard removing some unwanted small trees, smokin’ up the air with my chain saw. Neighbors in our little cul- de-sak do that for each other. Taking a break in the 100 degree heat we get to talking. I says I’m out of shape ‘cause all I do is sit in front of my computer all day. Asks what I do all that time and I say I’m politically active in the Democratic Party. I said I published political editorials to an email list about the goings on in Washington and here locally. Oh, she says, I always vote Republican. I smile and say that’s okay, there’s redemption if ya’ repent and sin no more. She got a laugh outta’ that and says that she admits she doesn’t like the Repub stand on Stem cell research. I ask about Choice and she says it’s none of the govmint’s bidness. We talk a little more and I ask about health care. She allows that she’s on Medicare and loves it. Thinks everybody should get such good care and no bills. We talk about some other stuff and she says she can’t get behind the homosexual agenda and I say that’s okay, I won’t try to change your mind ‘cause you’re a grown up and get to decide what you think for yourself. Next thing I know she’s tellin’ me stories about her favorite waiter who’s funny as can be and oh by the way he’s gay. Seems she isn’t bothered by gay people but by people who misbehave in public and sleep around be they gay or straight. I asked her ‘bout the war in Iraq. Oh, she says, that’s just terrible all those young folks bein’ killed for nothin’ and we’ll never win anyway an’ besides we’re in the wrong country anyway. I say yeah and it’s costin’ so much we don’t have enough money to keep up with things at home. She says just look at that bridge up north, fell down ‘cause we gave all those tax cuts to rich people and didn’t have any left over to fix things. An one other thing she says, those holier than thou Christians are really piss me off—oh my god, did I just say that? God save me from the Christians! I said if she kept sweet talkin’ me like that I’d have to mow her yard too. The half hour job of taking down a six inch sapling took about five and a half hours. As I’m packing up to leave I point out to her that she agreed with every plank of the Democratic Party. Oh, she says, but I can’t stand Hillary Clinton. That husband of hers brought total shame on the office of President. Her 78 year old husband, who had gotten home a few minutes earlier, said hell, that man’s my hero. Got a blow job and got it from a 20 year old! We should all be so lucky. So, as I’m leaving she says to me, here’s my email. Would you mind putting me on that list you send to? Told her I’d be back later to do her laundry . . .

[Dora]

1. Killing them with kindness..... good job! n/t

[flamin lib]

3. Wasn't so much changing her mind, just pointing out that she was

already on board because of her core beliefs. There are so many like her here in Texas.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. Many people who vote Republican don't realize that the

Democratic platform better reflects their values than the Republican platform. The fact that they do agree with Democrats is why the Republicans have to gay marriage and abortion as talking points to keep their "followers" under control.

[AnneD]

7. Amen...

it's just getting them to make the connection-they have been so brainwashed.

[spindoctor]

14. Exactly. So stop bitching about the South and admit that we have a FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE

This is a perfect demonstration of how the DP publicity machine has failed to get its message across. If we can manage to spread the word we can even take the South.

Either that or require people to answer a few simple political questions correctly before they are allowed to vote.

[never cry wolf]

18. Just proves what RFK, Jr. said

"80 percent of Republicans are just Democrats who don’t know what’s going on."

[Mythsaje]

2. Excellent example of how to win hearts and minds...

We're at the point we HAVE to do it one person at a time.

[IndyOp]

4. Told her I’d be back later to do her laundry . . .

You've gotta take her to Sicko now so she can see the French gov't does the laundry!

[flamin lib]

8. I did better than that. I gave her a copy of Sicko on DVD and said

if she liked it to pass it on to another friend. If not just give it back. I won't be seeing that copy of Sicko again, I'm sure!

[mopinko]

6. like howard says- you may not be a republican

funny what happens when you get past the spin.

[Terran]

9. Next time you mind explain to her...

that the only Gay Agenda there is, is to get equal rights the same as everybody else has. Nothing dangerous or creepy or sexy about it.

Otherwise, well done!!

[flamin lib]

11. Well, actually we did have that conversation. You can't condense

a 5 1/2 hour conversation into a single page but I hit the high points. I told her that the way I see it the big issue was gay marriage--that's what the Christians harp on anyway--and that marriage was legal contract. In all but three or four states you can bet blessed up one side and down 'tither but you're not married until you file with the State. On the other hand you can file with he state and never see the inside of a church and BE MARRIED. It ain't about God (or DOG if you're dyslexic). It's about the 1000 or so legal rights that a state marriage license provides. That's what lead to the "funny stories 'bout her favorite waiter at the watering hole". It registered and made her THINK about the topic instead of reverting to talking points.

[treestar]

10. Amazing, seems to her the election is solely a referendum of

who appears to have the best character, in the limited forum of sexual behavior.

Then why blame Hillary for Bill's sins? Doesn't seem fair.

[flamin lib]

12. The key is to make them think. To articulate. To engage brain.nt

[flamin lib]

13. On reading back over my OP I realized that the whole conversation

hinged on a single point of common ground and SHE was the one to give it. She said she didn't like the Stem Cell stance and that lead to the rest of the conversation.

Find common ground no matter how small. Reach out from there. Confrontation isn't really productive. Enjoyable? Oh hell yeah! Just not productive.

[MrMickeysMom]

30. Then I guess you fit the true definition of a liberal

... according to the definition I'm familiar with, that is...

You see a common thread and pick up that stich in the effort bridge one of the other guy's patches to yours in "dialogue". Seems like you knew how to look at both sides of the issue when focusing on what you and your neighbor were really talking about. That's got to be the true definition of a liberal in these times.

Congrats, flamin! :hi: :thumbsup:

[many a good man]

15. Thanks for sharing.

Good job. You sound like a damn good neighbor. If all us 50 million Democrats were just like you there'd be no Republican party.

[flamin lib]

16. Yeah, you live the life and walk the walk. My chain saw your chain

saw, my lawn mower your lawn mower, my edger your edger and your fence my fence. Privacy fences can devide us or give us a common ground. They are, after all, shared property.

[MLFerrell]

17. For future reference...

They're called paragraphs. Use them.

[flamin lib]

21. See down thread. nt

[tomreedtoon]

19. Stylistic critique - use paragraphs, please!

This block of type is just too massive and intimidating to read. Might I suggest you break it up into three or four paragraphs - and as they used to teach us, make each paragraph centered around one thought?

[flamin lib]

20. I've re-read it and don't see a logical place

for a paragraph break. I could have broken it up if I had chosen to quote the exchange but that would have lead to the opposite critique of too many one-sentence paragraphs.

There was only one subject, therefore only one paragraph. Subject was declared in the first sentence; a conversation with a neighbor. The topics covered in that conversation were related in the following text. True, it wasn't written to the sixth grade reading level that most newspapers call out in their style manual but I wasn't writing for that market.

One of my master's degrees is in English with an empahsis in creative writing. I don't mind the critique and hope you don't mind my chosing to disagree with it.

[MLFerrell]

23. Oh, for the love of all that is holy...

It's not an all-or-nothing proposition. You can certainly take this "stream-of-conversation" style and break it up into manageable pieces without having to format the work in the traditional style of back-and-forth direct quotations.

Do you want me to break it into sensible blocks for you? Well, regardless, I'm going to:

"Interesting conversation with my neighbor. Was over in her back yard removing some unwanted small trees, smokin’ up the air with my chain saw. Neighbors in our little cul- de-sak do that for each other. Taking a break in the 100 degree heat we get to talking. I says I’m out of shape ‘cause all I do is sit in front of my computer all day. Asks what I do all that time and I say I’m politically active in the Democratic Party. I said I published political editorials to an email list about the goings on in Washington and here locally. Oh, she says, I always vote Republican. I smile and say that’s okay, there’s redemption if ya’ repent and sin no more. She got a laugh outta’ that and says that she admits she doesn’t like the Repub stand on Stem cell research. I ask about Choice and she says it’s none of the govmint’s bidness.

We talk a little more and I ask about health care. She allows that she’s on Medicare and loves it. Thinks everybody should get such good care and no bills. We talk about some other stuff and she says she can’t get behind the homosexual agenda and I say that’s okay, I won’t try to change your mind ‘cause you’re a grown up and get to decide what you think for yourself. Next thing I know she’s tellin’ me stories about her favorite waiter who’s funny as can be and oh by the way he’s gay. Seems she isn’t bothered by gay people but by people who misbehave in public and sleep around be they gay or straight. I asked her ‘bout the war in Iraq. Oh, she says, that’s just terrible all those young folks bein’ killed for nothin’ and we’ll never win anyway an’ besides we’re in the wrong country anyway. I say yeah and it’s costin’ so much we don’t have enough money to keep up with things at home. She says just look at that bridge up north, fell down ‘cause we gave all those tax cuts to rich people and didn’t have any left over to fix things. An one other thing she says, those holier than thou Christians are really piss me off—oh my god, did I just say that? God save me from the Christians!

I said if she kept sweet talkin’ me like that I’d have to mow her yard too. The half hour job of taking down a six inch sapling took about five and a half hours. As I’m packing up to leave I point out to her that she agreed with every plank of the Democratic Party. Oh, she says, but I can’t stand Hillary Clinton. That husband of hers brought total shame on the office of President. Her 78 year old husband, who had gotten home a few minutes earlier, said hell, that man’s my hero. Got a blow job and got it from a 20 year old! We should all be so lucky. So, as I’m leaving she says to me, here’s my email. Would you mind putting me on that list you send to? Told her I’d be back later to do her laundry . . ."




See? How hard is that?

:)

[flamin lib]

28. As I said, I appreciate the critique. I hope you don't mind that I

disagree with it. I didn't write this to the sixth grade reading level of most newspapers' style manual because I wasn't writing to that reading level.

Live long and prosper.

[tomreedtoon]

29. Point taken...but you will admit it's intimidating.

Most people see a block of type like that and run. Even if the paragraph divisions are a bit artificial, seeing a few modest paragraphs instead of a single monolithic block is friendlier on the eye.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but I've seen a lot of rants where people tear away and hardly give the reader's eye a break. Worse, their thoughts are hardly coherent. Bushwhacking through that pile of verbiage to find the hidden meaning is usually too much agony.

[flamin lib]

32. Criticism accepted and appreciated. nt

[RebelOne]

31. That was an excellent post and I didn't even notice

the lack of paragraphs because the narrative was so interesting. And I'm a copy editor.

[helderheid]

22. You are everything that is right about this country. Well done.

[FrenchieCat]

24. I enjoyed this exchange......

Surprise she didn't start talking about taxes....cause that's usually the last place they go before giving up.

[Raine]

25. Two Thumbs Up

you did good! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[dysfunctional press]

26. you should ask her which brings more shame to the office of POTUS-

getting a consensual blow-job, or lying the young men and women of the military into the wrong war in the wrong country?

[Arugula Latte]

27. Her husband's comment on Bill's BJ --

:rofl:

[DU GrovelBot]

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