Did anyone else leave their family Christmas outing?

[SunDrop23]

Happy new year to everyone!

I left my family's Christmas outing halfway into the cranberry sauce. The repugs has us outnumbered by a 90/10 percentage margin and they were whoopin' it up over the outcome of the election from the moment they spotted my car three blocks away.

And it started as soon as I stepped into the house. I did everything I could to refrain, but finally I calmly placed my fork aside and asked the table to explain how they could support a bald faced liar such as that knucklehead in the White House when we were all taught at an early age that a liar is worthless. And I asked how they could be proud of a guy who has sent over 1,000 of our men and women in uniform to their deaths in a war we shouldn't even be involved in in the first place...

I could continue, but I don't think I will be on the Christmas card list. Just curious if anyone else had a similar experience.

[Skittles]

1. I would not even attend if that was the kind of company to expect

no INDEED

[Ladyhawk]

2. I boycotted family Christmas this year.

Last year was barely tolerable.

This morning I was so punch drunk that I forgot to screen my calls and my mother got through. I talked to her for the first time since the second week in November and I didn't want to be talking to her at all. I was in no condition to hang up on her, although that's exactly what I should have done.

With my mother, if you give an inch, she takes a mile, so I decided to be blunt. I e-mailed her this:

Mom,

Don't call me again.

I shouldn't have to screen my calls. I need to stay in touch with certain people who may not want to talk to my machine. I do NOT want to talk to you. I thought I already told you that.

________

Blunt. Rude. But if that's the only thing she understands, what can I do? This is the same woman who tried to have me committed last month, the same woman who was convinced I was demon-possessed last October. I don't WANT to talk to her.

Sigh.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

6. wow! poor ladyhawk!

she tried to have you committed for supporting kerry? man, that really IS canine loyalty! I'm so sorry!

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. My condolences about yuor mom

And you are right, if she is causing that much grief, time to cut all ties....

By the way a friend of mine claims that this will go the way Nixon did... I suspect this is germany, but that is another story.

Regardless... when this is finally over mark my words, many bushites will not admit it... just like Nazis denied it in '46

[AngryOldDem]

23. Man.

I'm sorry that you have to go through that.

Sometimes, families just suck. Period. I came to that painful conclusion about my own years ago.

Again...I'm sorry.

[bling bling]

3. I wanted to leave but they were at MY house

We had my husbands family over for Christmas Eve and a couple of them voted for Bush. When the conversation turned to politics and I heard one of them say "There's something wrong with Theresa Kerry, she must be on drugs or something" I left the room and went into the kitchen but I could still hear them and then the conversation turned to how much they hate Hillary. I completely ignored them the rest of the day. Before 11/2 I would have argued with them but I have a different mindset now. I don't have any interest in arguing with insane people anymore. I am DONE allowing Bush-loving idiots to raise my blood pressure. Oh so very done.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

4. I have been extremely lucky

insofar as I married a man who shares my world view and we raised children who share it too, therefore we are all of like mind politically. However, I do have a couple of repug nephews, and I don't know where they came from, really. Their parents find the propaganda perfectly transparent and yet these boys persisted in supporting the Shrub throught the campaign season. They supported Shrub in the typically hostile sound byte canine way that all Bushits exhibit. However, before the holidays, their parents told them they were not allowed to discus politics at the family gathering, and although these repug nephews are in their mid 30's they dared not defy their fathers wishes in this instance. Not a word was spoken about politics, war, economy, freedom. It was all about scrabble and childhood memories. Thanks to the parents for this small mercy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Ah will you help them pack when they are drafted and

politely add, "dear you voted for this?"

:-)

I am lucky for I have no close relatives who are pugs... and my circle of friends has been cleaned up, as it were. I do not suffer fools anymore...

that said some aquiantaicnes of mine started talking politcs trying to get my blood pressure up there. They were annoyed for I would not take the bait, finally one said... why are you not discussing this no more?

Evil cryptic smile

They again asked...

Oh June 15th, you'll see... I will even help your kids pack.

I left it at that... (Yes the AP had the story on that day last year that this was the day for the draft to be announced)

By the way, did not happen at a christmas party. I am Jewish, and I stayed hom that night, just like I staid home on the 31st, I don't go out on the 31st after 6:00 PM, and avoid the streets on teh first until oh abuot 2:00 PM, blame ten years of EMS...

[Is It Fascism Yet]

9. yes, actually, that will be my only consolation when they are sent to this

war, at least I will be able to think, they thought it was a good idea.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. We all have fools to suffer, I guess

but in the final analysis the moment the draft is enacted campuses will explode... then again that is why they are going for June 15... most campuses are either on finals week or summer break... bastards!

[Meme]

5. I was shocked

when I found out that my grandfather and my dad actually believe that Bush is in Iraq for all the right reasons. I always assumed they knew better, it didn´t even cross my mind for one single moment that they could actually believe the bastard and his reason for this war. Really, I was speechless. My dad said that Hussein killed more people than Bush ever will. I know he DID kill a lot of people and that Hussein was a jerk, but didn´t Bush first start a war for the weapons of mass destruction? So really.. it´s not like he went there to help the Iraqi people. Or did my dad have a point? I don´t know about the situation in Iraq before this war. Was it even worse than it is now?(see... I´ve actually started doubting now...dammit. Not about the reason why Bush started a war, I´m totally sure it was NOT to help the Iraqi people, but about the possibility he might have changed Iraq in a good way?you know.. by accident I´m sure, but could that be?)

But my eyes almost fell on the floor, when I started to discuss the war with my grandfather. He started talking about how war isn´t always a bad thing, because really... it´s good for the economy. I asked him: "So Bush really is a job creating hero then?" He said: "yeah.. kinda" And then I said: "So what we´ve learned today is that the Nazis´s were heroes and they´ve rescued our economy". (we´re dutch) He didn´t argue with me on that. Guess it was his turn to be speechless. I mean.. we´re talking about a generation that lived in WW2, and still talk about it every single change they get. But when there´s a war in Iraq, it´s not so bad, cause it will rescue their economy..?

Now every time Bush is on the news I go "dad dad, it´s our big job creating, people saving hero!!!" I can be quite annoying, and damn proud of it. Tomorrow I´m gonna make him watch Fahrenheit, print out some stories from American and Iraqi families who have lost loved ones, and argue with him until he tells me I´m right.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

8. i don't agree with your dad's point because...

Saddam was put in power by the USA in the first place. Bush&Company smiled on Saddam, even though they knew full well of his atrocities for years. Now we have taken him away and put another man in his place, with exactly the same mandate...in other words...its bullshit...if we went there to free them from Saddam, why are we still over there killing them when Saddam has already been in prison for a year? Well, let's put it this way, Saddam won't be torturing and killing the Iraqi people anymore, from now on we'll do it!

[Carolab]

13. Yep, Saddam pissed the neocons off when he invaded Kuwait...

even though they told him they wouldn't interfere. They've been planning Iraq for a long, long time. Communism was their boogey man in the 1980s under Reagan. Now it's Islamic fundamentalists, even though the same neocons fought alongside and trained the mujahideen fighting against Russia in order that Unocal could lay an oil pipeline through Afghanistan. Of course, when the Afghani warlords and Taliban decided to run their own show, along with OBL and Zawahiri, the neocons had an even harder time negotiating the deal. PNAC--under the guise of "Christian dominionism" to assuage the fundies and secure their votes as well as their financial support, scrap the Constitution so they and their corporate sponsors can enjoy unregulated, carte blanche control of the government, spending money on nothing else but their adventures into military empire (and don't worry, it won't boost the economy either)--won't be stopped by a few innocent Iraqi civilians or anyone else who stands in the way.

[Meme]

15. tnx for your replies

nice facts. Can´t wait to rub it in. Stupid thing is I´ve seen Fahrenheit and I really did do research. It´s just that I have the memory of a fish, and I can remember the reasons why Bush is evil for ... two days, and after that two days the only thing I do remember is: Bush is evil. :silly: Not gonna forget this time, I hope ;)

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Ok some things about the WW II

generation... the meme was started that it did help the US Economy, and if you look closely at the economic data, IT DID... since it boosted economic prodcution in this coutry to unprecedented levels.

Now if yuo also look at longer range economic data you will quickly learn that WW II was the exception, not the rule, to this. Most wars in the US have not been good for the economy, on either the short term or the long term... and it is quite simple... I cannot eat bullets and neither can you... and funds that woudl otherwise go to infrastructure go to bombs. Oh and 1947-9 also saw a recession as previous bidnezz in war making was transfered to civilian needs and the shift was so sudden that it lead to a small and fairly short term and shallow recession.

Now to the rest... if you watch Fox long enough and hear Hannity and the rest of the gang you will get talking points... you need to reframe teh debate... and incidentally we have done far more daamage in a year than Sadam did over the last ten... though in the final analysis the judgement of history is still out. In my opinion we have seeded the country for a civil war waiting to happen since oh 1919 when the country was created at the Paris Peace Conference, but Sadam's rule saw a million Iraqis die in a war with Iran...

I do recomend that you do study the history of the area though, your dad is reading propaganda, but there is no reason for you to do such... adn in the long run Bush will do far more damage than even the Brits could manage over their early 20th century Mandate period.

[seabeyond]

19. the reasons for going into war were lies

and they were well aware of the lies. cheney cooked the cia records to get people to support the war. this we know, if we chose to research

regardless of the reasons going in, you can address the two fellows that, going inot country is done and over, the results now though, has created chaos. prior to the war there are many examples of bush making poor decisions in fighting battle,. like not enough troops. once they got into the cities they didnt have enough people to establish order, allowing the insugence to build and grow strong

they ran the country in greed. allowing american companies to own everything and hold the jobs, leaving the citizens out of the building of their nation

the iraqi's gave america a year honeymoon to create what needed to be done in that country, many many trusted the u.s. and at every turn bush decision making fell short. this allowed the discontent and extremism there is now.

borders were not sealed up

abuse of the ordinary citizens

our soldiers seeing all iraqi's as animals

the way bush did this war, in about every way has created mess, not solving problems. they are poor administrators. anytime greed is the intent, nothing good happens.

[ShaneGR]

14. This is why politics and family gathering do not mix...

At all.

[flygal]

16. You know

I just do not remember throwing it in their faces when Clinton won! The funny thing about my repug in-laws is they are and all their repug buddies are the least-moral on the planet. Extra-marital affairs, DUI's all around, never spend time with family. We're supposed to visit them this year. I told my hubby if the topic turns nasty - I'm taking the kids to a hotel.

[Tsiyu]

17. Aw Sundrop Sounds like it sucked

MY fundy sister was on her best behavior, but I stipulated no religious or political discussion and she obliged.

[WolverineDG]

18. I didn't leave the table, but I left the room

three hard-core repub cousins ganged up on my other cousin's 15 year old daughter. they "overheard" a conversation she & i were having, but instead of engaging me (since they knew they couldn't win) they started baiting her. it was obvious from the condescending tones they adopted that they truly believe iraq was somehow involved in 9/11 & terrorism. i finally had enough & went ballistic on one of them, who is still of draft age, asking him if he was so behind the war, why didn't he feel it was his patriotic duty to get off his fat ass, exercise to a healthy weight & enlist???? i added that iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11 or terror & that INNOCENT PEOPLE had died & there was blood on the hands of those who supported the war. then i left to the kitchen area where i remained the rest of the evening.
:grr:

my 15 year old cousin followed me out as well...smart kid, she knows the war is wrong.

dg

[seabeyond]

20. christmas was at our house, 3 repug males

had already made clear to all, my repug hubby rejected all repug and news in this house since election and family respects hubby so. whenever talk went to politics, he or i said politic free home and all shut up

toward end of meal talking about oldest son, he says you called me a girlie man. no i didnt, i say, but what of it. and my family laughing, while the three repug males tried to defend my males manliness as hard as they could. what i say, my boys all embrace being girlie men, you dont have to feel threatened and we all had a good laugh. except my three repug males.

then we told everyone no talking politics.

i am boss in this house, my male families dont get to come in here and argue with me

[Squatch]

21. Does everything have to be politics?

[seabeyond]

22. right now, for me, yup

be it religion, poor, war, school........yup. these are what is in our life. this si what bush and repugs have created and the moral majority that tells me how to be a christian, the basis of who i am

right now, yup,...........all is politics for me

stealing an election, my childrens future, loss of civil rights, health care