Well after my
entry yesterday, it is only right to give everyone an idea of how people have responded. In all, I have not been surprised by the responses. Overall, I have talked to seven people over the phone - five parents, one teacher, and a my friend (the still employed assistant principal). I have received 32 emails, all from those that read my diary. In all, I would say that 22 of them "hate my guts", 7 want to "have my children", and 3 middle-of-the-roads.
I guess I should start with the phone calls. All five of the parents wanted to tear me a new one. One wanted to "put a boot in my ass" - his name was not Toby Keith. One lady yelled at me for about five minutes before she would allow me to retort.
"...my son is proud of his country. He believes that President Bush is the greatest president this country has had. You tried to crush that belief.
How dare you!"
"So then why does he not perform his patriotic duty then. The military is not meeting its recruitment goals. President Bush wants to defeat the terrorists and spread freedom, why does your son not put his beliefs into action."
"Because my son is going to {college} to have a future!"
Now this is where I could have snapped. But I didn't. I thanked her and said good bye. What I wanted to say was "How about those kids that do enlist? They don't get to have a future?" This is a very flawed argument coming from someone that wraps themselves in the American flag to justify their political ideals, but are not willing to sacrifice themselves (or their loved ones) for those very ideals.
Now for the emails. I got a good current of emails that stated that I was an...oh what was the word, oh yeah - ASSHOLE! Many people at DailyKos felt that I was cruel and heartless to these "kids". Now that the vast majority of these "kids" were 18, I thought that was pushing the term "kid". If you are allowed to operate a vehicle that may kill a person, that the government grants to the right to vote, etc. Then I think that calling yourself a kid is a stretch. Can I start calling myself a young adult, even though I am 45 years-old?
Many people thought that "my in-your-face attitude" was not going to win anyone to "our side". (Oddly, one email stated that they were going to petition Kos to ban me from the site, boy, talk about winning people over) Well, I don't know whose side we are all suppose to be on, I thought liberalism was a bit more broad than that. However, one thing I think that Democrats, Liberals, and Progressives need to start to realize is that there is a time to have courtesy and then there is a time to call people to there face idiots, hypocrites, and bigots. Simple put "if it quacks like a duck, wlaks like a duck, craps all over your deck like a duck, it must me a duck." Now is the time for action. In today's world where we have those that want to set the clock back on everything mankind has tried to overcome, it is time to be vocal. Words are hollow without action.
When I came to DailyKos to start writing, I stated that I was going to probably ruffle a couple of feathers. My goal in writing is to open up valid discussions about this world and America's place in it. If you want to call me an Asshole or a Troll or a Freeper (Don't know what that one is), then that is your right. However, I don't see how that meets the "political analysis" part that DailyKos is suppose to be about. Active discussion is suppose to be part of liberalism, even if it pisses you off.
So I will continue to write about what I am seeing and my feelings about them. If I am an Asshole in your eyes, fine, you are probably one in someone else's.
Well, I have to go. I have an evening flight to London. I will be in Helsinki next week. I hope to write a diary or two from there.
