Oh my! Is it a bad sign if the editor of a paper gives you a heads up?

[RubyDuby in GA]

Last week, I had had enough and sat down and composed a doozy of a letter for my local right wing rag. Usually I have no problems getting LTTEs in, but this one is a bit different. I let loose with both barrels. Anyhows, I figured there was no way it would make it in, but today I get this email:

Thanks for the letter and the comments. I try to keep the editorial page as balanced as possible. I may not always agree with your opinions, but I do find them enjoyable. If you wish to be a regular columnist let me know. The News can certainly use a liberal, female voice ... especially since there seems to be so few around here. By the way, the letter will run Wednesday. I just thought I'd give you a heads up. You may need it. :)

Thanks,

Robert Horne
Editor
The Covington News
770-787-6397 ext. 21
[e-mail]
covnews.com

Moral of the story: don't hold back! We can't wake up the sheeple if we don't try.


Here's my letter:
I find it disgusting that people think there's no reason to politicize the
disaster that has become the "relief effort" following Hurricane Katrina.
It's nothing but political and if you think otherwise you're an idiot who
undoubtedly voted for that moronic simpleton (Bush) in the first place.
I continually hear people saying that there's no one to blame - it was an
act of God.  Whatever.  On the Sunday before Katrina hit, the Director of
the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, Max Mayfield "even talked
about the force of Katrina during a video conference call to President Bush
at his ranch in Crawford, Texas."
(< <http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/30/State/For_forecasting_chief.shtml>>)  So
for anyone to tell me that Bush or anyone in his administration didn't have
any idea that Katrina would be as bad as she was is obscene.
I don't blame Bush.  I hold him accountable, not because of any action he
took that Sunday, but because of what he didn't do - remember he was still
on his month long vacation.  On Monday, he left the sanctuary of his "ranch"
in Crawford, Texas to go give a speech to veterans who valiantly fought in
foreign wars, unlike himself when he had the chance, and continued on with
his song and dance of selling the Iraq War by telling these honorable
veterans "that the Iraq conflict and World War II both "came to our shores
with a surprise attack that killed thousands in cold
blood."( <http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9136915/>)  How many times must it be proven
that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11?  Even the Republican controlled 9/11
Commission emphatically stated that Iraq was not involved in the events of
9/11.  Good grief!
Then, he had just enough time for a photo-op with John McCain.  There's a
nice picture of the two of them with a big birthday cake .  'Let them eat
cake' anyone?

While people were dying in the largest natural disaster this country has
ever experienced, Bush was selling his lie and eating cake, Cheney was
mansion shopping in Maryland
( <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/04/AR200509040>
1391.html), Condi was shoe shopping and seeing Broadway plays
( <http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/breaking-sec-of-state-condi-rice.ht>
ml) and Rummy was taking in a Padres game
(! <http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=100>
1055561)  Un-freaking-believable!!!!!

But what is more unbelievable is the sheer incompetence of Bush's toady,
Michael Brown, who was given the job of being the head of FEMA, a far cry
from his previous job of being a Judges and Stewards Commissioner of the
International Arabian Horse Association.  Someone explain to me how that job
will prepare you for emergency management on a federal level!?!

Incompetence doesn't even come close to describing this -

FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
<http://news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e>...
< <http://news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e2511c8.html>>

FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
< <http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/105538/7048>>

FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec>...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html?ex=
1283572800&> ;en=1d14ebfbd942a7d0&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec>...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html?ex=
1283572800&> ;en=1d14ebfbd942a7d0&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
< <http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm>>

FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
< <http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&>>
;BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=68561&rfi=6

FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
< <http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826>>

FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509>...
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509040369sep04,1,414482
5.story?ctrack=1&> ;cset=true

FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902dale>...
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902daley,1,2011979.story?co
ll=chi-news-hed>

FEMA turns away generators
< <http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html>>

FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
< <http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470>>
(This last one is real ---not satire but straight from FEMA's website.)

I still don't blame Bush.  I blame every single one of you who cast a vote
for this weak, pathetic excuse for a leader who screws up everything he
touches.  Oh no - wait!  I'm sure this is somehow Clinton's fault.

[soleft]

1. Great Job!

:thumbsup:

[RubyDuby in GA]

4. Thanks

In this town, all the new hoity toity Republicans used to be Democrats and my are they zealous. Kinda like people who smoked for 35 years then when they quit can't stand to be within 500 yards of cig smoke.

Sometimes it's so easy to swat them down that it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

[etherealtruth]

2. Wow, you did a wonderful job!

Unfortunately, "we all" can't write as well as you ... but, from what I've seen there are a good number that do; they would do well to take your advice.

[Roland99]

3. Awesome letter!

Will they print the URLs?

[RubyDuby in GA]

9. Yes

Every letter I ever write to them, I always include where it can be found. I have this crazy obsession with facts and being able to locate them.

[Roland99]

18. That's cool they do that. Do they print LTTEs online, too?

[RubyDuby in GA]

32. They used to, but it hasn't been kept up

Don't know what that's about. I'll mention it when I write him back.

[Roland99]

33. Let us know if they print it online, too!

[dweller]

5. Outstanding work!

Take him up on his offer.

then let it rip!

recommended.
dp

[SoCalDemGrrl]

6. Brilliant!! and you backed everything up with facts!!!

Don't you just love the truth???:bounce:

[ret5hd]

7. wow...bookmarked...thanks for doing my research for me...

i'll be emailing that list to several people.

[OregonBlue]

8. Wonderful, you have to have spent some time putting it all

together. Think your letter says it all!!! Thank you. Hope you're going to become a regular columnist.

[wryter2000]

10. Great news

Good for you!

I've been starting to wonder if the success of AAR won't get all news and opinion organizations scrambling to get part of the liberal market. For so long, they've assumed that liberal won't sell. Now that they know that's not true, they're going to want their own liberal. You are going to take him up on his offer, aren't you? We'll help you with column ideas. :evilgrin:

[crispini]

11. ZING!

Wow! And an offer to be a regular columnist. How cool is that! I hope you plan to take him up on it. Congrats! That is quite an accomplishment.

I'm very proud of you for standing up. One thing that I have found, as a blue voter living in a red state, if one of us has the courage to stand up and be public about our views, it gives others the courage to express themselves too, even in a small way. It is not easy to do but it IS very important. :yourock:

[flpoljunkie]

12. Bravo, RubyDuby! You make us proud.

[Contrary1]

13. Will it be online?

I checked the online edition, and the last time the opinion
section appeared was Feb. 27th. Maybe a glitch?

By the way, congrats. Take the job! :hi:

[sendero]

14. Great letter..

... and congrats on getting it published :hi:

We should all be writing these letters - it might do some good!

Oh, and he "enjoyed" it? Well that's fine - many of his readers might find it less than enjoyable.

[Kire]

15. take the job

he's right, we need a voice like yours everywhere we can get it

[Lisa0825]

FANTABULOUS!!!!!!!!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[babsbunny]

16. Wow!

nice Job! I wish I could express myself as well as you! Did you cry as you typed?

[RubyDuby in GA]

22. Yes I did

I was furious and heartbroken about the aftermath of Katrina. This was the best I could do.

[mcscajun]

17. Three things you need to consider...

1) Just how big/small is your town? The smaller it is, the more likely you are to take some up close and personal crap from the folks who are going to violently disagree with you. At the very least, there will be letters rebutting yours; I hope you have a thick skin.

2) Will the letter be printed in its entirety? Most LTTEs aren't - space limitations generally constrain the length of published LTTEs. The URLs may be omitted, or the piece may be edited and lose certain context.

3) Is your phone number listed? You may need to let your answering machine and/or your callerID/call intercept handle things for a while.

These may be what the editor was thinking about when he gave you the heads-up.

Major congrats on the job offer!
:)

[sandnsea]

19. That is terrific!!!

Kapow!!

[Totally Committed]

20. Brava, Sister!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

TC

[datadiva]

21. Very well written and to the point

Are you considering the offer? You have the talent for it. Very enjoyable read. :toast: :toast: :toast:

[Stinky The Clown]

23. Great Letter! Congrats on being anew columnist, but a word of caution

First ... double CONGRATS! Most of us dream of having an LTTE published. But you've hit a grand slam here. Way Ta Go!

But ......

You say the newspaper's a right wing rag and I'll take you at your word on that ..... and with that in mind, make this suggestion.

As an LTTE, yours was terrific. Hard hitting and factually correct, and backed up by sources. But with all due respect, the rhetoric was perhaps a bit over the top for it to actually get thoughtfully read by a right wing audience. The red meat is great for us or for when preaching to any choir.

But as a columnist you have a different role and a different audience. As an LTTE writer, you're both making a statement and blowing off steam. And that's fine. But as a columnist you may also consider that you have an opportunity to change minds or affect opinion. For that to actually happen, you first have to get read. With an open mind.

I am probably even more guilty than you of starting with hot, steaming, bloody, red meat and increasing my tone from there. Those closest to me fear my having an aneurysm. But when I speak to a mixed group, I try to be much more moderate. Not in my point. But in my tone. When speaking to them, I want, first, to be heard. So I find I need to give them something to listen to, not something to start an argument about.

Just a thought ... could it be the right wing rag wants a hot rhetorical style to ...... make the case that **their** view is the better one and that our view is ..... just loony?

Think about it. I don't know your (geographic) area and you do.

But in sum: WAY TA GO! :hi:

[sunnystarr]

50. I don't know if I agree

He read the letter and it moved him to make the offer. Maybe this is exactly what he's looking for. Kinda like a left wing Ann Coulter who tells the truth instead of creating lies.

We have enough Dem politicians who meekly give us a watered down version of the facts and try not to make the truth sound so bad ... being politically correct and trying not to rock the boat. We cheer Conyers and Boxer and some other members of the Black Caucus since they're the only ones to stand up and tell it like it is.

I say go for it and don't change your style. Controversy makes people curious for the truth. So give them the truth cause you'll educate the readers as they try to find facts to back up the lies they've been led to believe.

[CottonBear]

24. Congratulations Ruby! Ist your picture in the NYT & now you're the new

First your picture in the NYT & now you're the new liberal columnist for The Covington News! Excellent letter. Well done.
:woohoo:

[DarleenMB]

25. Could I poach...

All the links in your letter? I haven't written to the editor at the Casper Star Tribune since after the election. I've been living in denial (beautiful place... peaceful, quiet, no geewhiz to annoy me) but this mess in NO has me thinking it's time to come back and hard.

If nothing else, could I post your letter on my blog?

Thanks! And great job!!!

[RubyDuby in GA]

31. shoot yeah!

Please feel free to borrow liberally (of course!)

And write, write, write your hands off!

[liberalla]

70. FEMA's Crime Spree

FEMA's Crime Spree

Randi Rhodes has a great collection of articles on this subject at:

http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/live/node/905

[Tigress DEM]

82. Saving your links and your letter too! Thanks.

Does help my deep down blues to see someone spitting fire!

[RubyDuby in GA]

26. Thanks for all the kind words

As I was telling babsbunny, I cried when I wrote it because I was furious and heartbroken about the aftermath of Katrina.

But it does show that if you try, you can accomplish good things.

I'm considering taking the editor up on his offer. I'd definitely tone down my rhetoric (don't want to be the nutcase lefty).

And yes, I do live in a small town, so I know I'm going to get hate mail and nasty calls. It's happened before. These people have serious issues with people who tell the truth. I just hope they wait until next week - I'm getting married this Saturday at my house and I don't want any freeper interruptions. Nice present from the Covington News eh?

Again, many thanks for all the kind words :blush:
This is my first thread to be on the greatest page.

[dalaigh lllama]

62. You might be surprised by the positive response

I live in a small town in Missouri and was moved to write my first LTTE last summer. I tried to write calmly, but I'm afraid it ended up a wee bit angry (heh). After it was published, I had ten people -- some complete strangers -- either call me at home or stop in where I work to personally thank me for my "bravery." The ones who were p.o.'ed never had the cajones to say anything to my face, just to my friends and family, who were merely amused and told them they'd better see me if they had a problem (none of them did). It was quite the experience.

[Helga Scow Stern]

27. Go Ruby! Keeping you in the light for when they start cursing you.

There is flak when you write such a letter, even here in Ojai, California, hippie capital. Trolls come out of the woodwork to accuse you of every bad thing. You can feel the hate.

It takes courage. Bravo! Keep it up! Become a columnist! This is a turning point when many more are open than before. They are listening.

[progressoid]

28. Oooooweee!! There gonna be some RW veins popping when they read that!!

Way to go!!

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

29. You should take the columnist job....

or at least ask if he was serious.

:yourock:

[CoffeeCat]

30. Congratulations Ruby!

You wrote a really terrific letter. You'll have to keep us posted on the response you receive after it is published.

I think it's great that you're considering the columnist opportunity. We need more liberal voices, that's for sure.

You could change minds. You could get people to really think.

So what if you get a few nasty phone calls. I used to write a political column in college. Most of my articles focused on debunking Rush's drivel. I got nasty messages on my answering machine. A mentor told me that good columnists get responses.

That's why I'm sure that your LTTE will garner some major responses.

Enjoy...and take those responses (even if they're negative) as compliments!

[Pithy Cherub]

34. That just TOTALLY ROCKS!

Excellent summation and dissertation of the facts! That ought to bring out the bushbots in large numbers to defend the Commander in Chief of Morons. With bluster, yes but alas not the facts. You have done really really well! :toast:

[faithnotgreed]

35. you rock ruby - and that was kind of the editor to give you the warning

i mean heads up

take good care and never give up

[Stockholm]

36. Wohoo great rant! n/t

[Usrename]

37. You go girl. Your'e doing us real proud. Nice rant. Loving it.

[Raster]

38. Right On, Girlfriend!!! Hold no punches and take no prisoners.

It's about time.

[Pacifist Patriot]

39. Oooooo, you're going to hear it from the Mateys...

;)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4720917

Good job! I wouldn't be suprised if you get hate mail since my tame-by-comparison diatribe earned me a nastygram. I think it means we're hitting nerves. I think there is a ton of voter guilt out there right now.

[Nikki Stone 1]

40. A question before you take the job

Are they really a right wing rag?

If so, they may use your tone to make fun of you and of liberal viewpoints in general (not to mention of women). While I like your letter as an outraged reader of the paper, the tone doesn't make for a respected columnist of that paper.

If it's not a right wing rag, maybe they like your energy--and of course, all your documentation.

[Tom Joad]

41. Not a good letter at all

Excuse my dissenting opinion here.

Expressing your hatred of the community is not the best way to communicate.

"if you think otherwise you're an idiot who undoubtedly voted for that moronic simpleton (Bush) in the first place."

"I blame every single one of you who cast a vote for this weak, pathetic excuse for a leader who screws up everything he touches."

Good grief.

Yes, the people who voted for Bush bear some responsibility. Yes, Bush is terrible.

I think it would be best to communicate an alternative vision (which dammit, ain't Kerry's et.al. "We gotta win in Iraq now that we are there, but we can better manage the war than Bush" vision) but a whole new set of ideas that people can rally around. Something that many in your community would have voted for if they had seen it, but did not vote at all, due to the lack of choice. I would keep your emotions more in check and stick to the facts (and let the facts get people riled up).

Think of starting a rainbow coalition, not a "I hate you stupid Republicans" group.

[Pacifist Patriot]

42. In retrospect you make an excellent point.

My local paper is a "right wing rag" as well and I live in a red county. I make a point of confining my LTTEs to statements of fact that cannot be disputed...at least not intelligently. I try to leave my opinion out of it if at all possible. Sometimes not entirely possible, but I try. I get printed more than I would have anticipated before I started writing. I think it is because I stick to facts.

[Stinky The Clown]

43. There's NOTHING wrong with expressing your opinion.

Its about tone and phrasing.

Before ya set the hook, ya gotta get them fishes ta bite.

[Pacifist Patriot]

44. Oh I know.

But my newspaper is so biased that they print right wing opinion but force liberals to "back it up" before they will deign to print. It's put me in the habit of going in with facts and letting the reader see the writing on my wall.

[Old Mouse]

57. I agree.

the editor is looking for controversy and argument as much as a dissenting opinion.

[trof]

45. Why did you beat around the bush like that?

Pull your punches?
Try and just speak your mind next time.
:sarcasm: : OFF
;-)

But seriously, folks...
I like your letter, but I'm one of the choir members.
If your purpose is to scold and chastise those who voted for Bush8 (and I don't understand it either), then it sure does that.

If your purpose is to convert souls, then I think you need a slightly different approach. The honey vs. vinegar thing.

I've had several letters published. I rarely mention Bush by name. I usually point out a bad situation, a wrong decision, and ask questions which I think the reader can answer only one way. I try to be a little subtle, but not so subtle that the yahoos don't get it. We got lots of yahoos down here.

I live in a small town, and my name is in the phone book.
To date I have gotten only one call, and that was in support of what I wrote.

The Saturday before Katrina hit, they published a letter where I quoted Goering's prison interview where he said that it was a simple matter for a country's leader to bring them into a war.
You can read it here: http://fuller.mit.edu/peace/war_goering.html

I merely gave the circumstances of, and quoted, the interview, with the ending comment "Could it happen here? Has it?"

I did not call Bush* Hitler, nor did I directly compare his regime with that of the nazis. But I certainly left it an open question for the reader to consider.

Just my $.02.
Take the job.

[WCGreen]

46. Go for it...

A contributor to the local newspaper means you are...

A Pundit

[Guava Jelly]

47. DAAAAAAAAAAAMN

you put it all out there didnt you.
KUdos high 5's and all that jazz.
Thanks for sharing

[mandyky]

48. Take the job offer!!! LOL

And get an unlisted phone number.

[liberalla]

69. Use an alias...

Can't you write under a different name?
I'd use a different last name...

[sepia_steel]

49. Great letter.

In this case I disagree with the ones who don't like it. Sometimes we need to stop playing nice and tell it like it is. Not all the time, but sometimes. This is GREAT! I copied the part with all the links to show to some poeple.

[Maine-ah]

51. now, for all of us that can't write as eloquently as you, can we

borrow it? Like a chain e-mail, or letters to congress & senate? Letters to our editors?

It would be cool to turn this in to an online petition, to be sent out to all of our reps, demanding answers.

Just a thought...

Great post. I know you have enough nom's at this point, but I have to add mine. Thankyou!:applause:

[RubyDuby in GA]

55. Hey there! I say go for it

This was just my feelings for all the dim bulbs in my town who don't get subtle hints, but you are more than welcome to any of it.

I got the FEMA list from here at DU. I think we have to share our information like this. Sometimes we have to be eloquent and sometimes we have to be blunt. Know your audience.

This little paper I sent it to is always putting the latest right wing talking points in there. They feature columns from Mike Reagan. I'm going to take them up on their offer to be a columnist. It will be toned down with well-argued, rational, thoroughly backed up points, but this letter was just my screaming at the incompetence of our supposed "leaders" and the idiots who, even this week in this paper, are defending them.

So, by all means, feel free to use any of it you want to. :)

[POAS]

52. Nice job but

you forgot Poland.

[tavalon]

54. Best comeback

Ever!

[tavalon]

53. So, I do hope you're going to take him up on it

The offer to do guest columns.

[aintitfunny]

56. Kick Ass Letter

I understand why they would want you to write a column. Great Job.

[cally]

58. That's an awesome letter

Your research is great. Congrats on the offer to write a column!

[Old Mouse]

59. The people who support Bush

do so out of the same sort of blind faith that fuels a "cult of personality" Nature has stepped up and removed all arguable doubt of Bush's incompetence. Katrina is the ultimate test of reality versus their deluded fantasy. As much as we might want revenge for their support of Bush, as much as we want to prove them wrong via debate, we must remember that these people are not our enemy; they are our fellow citizens who have been fooled and tricked into a false reality of conceited bigotry. Luck of birth and money... anyone here could have been a Bush supporter.

They are waking up now. Their reality is falling apart... It's an opportunity to convince them that there is better path, not to strengthen their resolve by acting superior. With no tenable points to refute the left, those who have invested too much of their sense of self in supporting Bush will have no rebuttal but violence.

[OregonBlue]

60. You can now add FEMA sends Army Corp trucks on week long

torturous drive with water and ice. Trucks arrive in LA today.

I'm very concerned that the media is getting some of this wrong. One of the news shows Anderson, Keith was arguing that Gov and Mayor also were responsible and stated that the mayor refused the AMTRAK help so the trains left empty.

I'm also really freaked by Vitters comment that the military and the private enterprises worked well and that we might need to look at getting rid of FEMA.

Was this the plan all along?

[HoosierClarkie]

61. whoo hoo!

:bounce:

[TNMOM]

63. Perfect! Good work!!

eom

[sonias]

64. You make us proud RubyDuby in GA

Great letter and great offer. Hope you do get the column and keep on trying to open the eyes of people in GA. We all do what we can. You got the power, woman!

Sonia

[librechik]

65. fantastic! take the job, but make him PAY you

a regular column is hard to keep going week after week though--see if he'll just let you freelance.

What fun!

[liberalla]

66. Ruby! Ruby! Ruby!

Good for you! and Thank You!!!

That was great to hear/read! Well done! Congratulations! Although I've heard about all those individual news reports, you did a great job of linking them together. I can't wait to hear what kind of responses you receive!

It was almost like listening to Randi. She crafts her general message or theme, and then builds on it with many different facts and links that support her original message. (I'm a real Randi fan, so I mean this as a compliment!)


Here's my little P.S. to the letter:

P.S. For anyone still wondering why Iraq is going so poorly, now we know! Bush and gang is no better at planning and conducting a war than they are at emergency and disaster preparedness/planning and recovery!

...and we are all the worse off for it.

Once more, kudos to you on your letter, and job offer!

[Laurab]

67. Great job! And you helped me out, too

I was at a family get-together yesterday, watching the game. I'm from an all dem, all bush-hating family, but not one of them believed me about the aid being turned away, except for my one sort of politically active brother. They asked for "reliable sources", and I was able to use your links, just passed them on in an email.

One of my brothers had the misfortune of hooking up with a lunatic shrub backer, we have no idea how he can live with her, but he does. Luckily we don't see her, they live out of state, (and for some reason, she doesn't like to visit our family.:sarcasm:)

Anyway, my mom sent Michael Moore's email to this nut, and I'm posting her reply here, because it's probably similar to some of the replies you're going to get to your LTTE. I don't bother responding to her anymore because it's a waste of time, but I'm quite sure she fits into the small group that will NEVER stop liking this administration: Here goes - again it's in response to Michael Moore's email - the one about what we can do to HELP the victims of the hurricane (personally I love the spelling):

"OK I READ IT. AND I DO NOT TOTTALY AGREE.

HERE’S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW---

— WHY THE HELL DID THE STUPID ASS, LOW LIFE PEOPLE, NOT GET THE HELL OUT WHEN THEY WERE TOLD A GRADE 4 HURRICANE WAS UPON THEM. THEY JUST SAT ON THEIR ASSES WAITING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO MOVE THEM I GUESS. LAZY, GOOD FOR NOTHING, WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY----OH MUCH MORE BUT I WILL REFRAIN.

NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT PRES. BUSH. AND ANYWAY WHAT THE HELL DOES BUSH HAVE TO DO WITH WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT?
THE FACT IS---- THE LOW LIFE PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS BE WHO THEY ARE NO MATTER WHAT PRESDIENT WE HAVE IN OFFICE. AND AS LONG AS THE STUPID FEDERAL GOV IS HANDING OUT FREEBIES, THEY WILL EXIST. WHERE IS HITLER WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

BUT SINCE YOU PEOPLE LIKE TO DWELL ON THE PRERSIDENT SO MUCH, LET ME SAY THIS----THANK GOD AT LEAST BUSH IS NOT RAMMING HIS CIGAR5 UP SOME GALS PUSSY IN THE OVAL OFFICE. OR MAULING ALL OVER WOMEN WHENEVER HE GETS THE CHANCE. NOW THAT IS REAL CLASS. MAYBE HE OUGHT TO JOIN THE LOW LIFERS IN LOUISIANNA.

ENOUGH OF THIS--- WE WILL JUST AGREE TO DISAGREE.

I PROMOISE NEVER TO SEND EMAIL YOUR WAY AGAIN ON ANY SUBJECT, SINCE I KNOW IT WILL BRING ON REPULICAN AND/OR BUSH BASHING."


MY DEEPEST APPOLOGIES.

[Peace Patriot]

76. Whoa! Does this lady have some problems! "Where is Hitler when you...

...need him"????????!!!!!!!!!

So, she considers the poor blacks who were left behind, and suffered and died, to be worthy of...the ovens?

I guess it's good she's getting it out of her system, by writing to you. And it was eye-opening to read it. Thanks for posting it.

It's like Bush has infused our society with poison--and gives permission to people like to this, weak-minded, weak-souled people, to hold views that are...unconscionable. Obscene.

Her writing makes me feel ashamed---of human beings, of being a human, of being a member of the same race as her.

I also very much pity her. I think she is insane, or on the edge of it. I don't know what it would take to help her get well.

When people speak from their lowest being like this, projecting sin and crime on others, and wanting them dead, it usually means that they are describing themselves in some way. That's kind of my rule of thumb about the more public Bushites. Whatever they say they condemn is a description of what they are doing. Also, often, whatever they say, the opposite is generally true (pretty good rules).

I would say that she has a very low opinion of HERSELF. She's very unhappy with her sex life. She sees HERSELF as a disgusting object, worthy of abuse and death. And she also sees herself as lazy, a parasite, talentless, powerless.

Just a little basic psychoanalysis, here--not knowing anything about her, except this email. She seems very fragile to me, right on the edge.

I hope this poor woman doesn't get her wish--that she be exterminated by her symbol of cold, vicious, insane male power: Hitler.

There is another possibility--that she is overwhelmed by suffering, cannot handle it, would like to respond to it appropriately, but cannot. She may actually be a potentially compassionate person who reverses her emotion--a sort of denial--into really harsh coldness. The extremity of her statements is certainly thought-provoking. Fear, too. I sense fear in it. Fear for herself--deep insecurity--but also fear of being overwhelmed by her own feelings, emotions, sexuality, and needs, including the need of all humans to live in a just and sane and secure world.

She reminds me of the crazy Puritans who came over here from England and feared and loathed the Native Americans and the "wilderness"--the very same Native Americans who taught them how to survive in this environment (which wasn't a "wilderness" to THEM). The Puritan preachers went on and on like this with disgusting sexual projections and visions of sinners and infidels frying in Hell. They later walled themselves into fortresses against "the wilderness."

I hope this woman some days gets in touch with the Goddess within. Maybe that's how to help her (if you were of a mind to). Get off politics. And just talk about being a woman; talk about your mothers, your grandmothers; your relations with men; your common interests.

She may be modeling herself on Dr. Laura, or Ann Coulter. (That's who she sounds like--although with a personal edge of insanity--whereas those two are just manipulators.) She needs some other models.

[Laurab]

85. I'm not really of a mind to try to "help" her

I'd love to, really I would, but I think she's beyond help. She didn't actually write that one to me - that was to my MOM, who forwarded it to me (and to the rest of the family). I responded, but didn't send it, because I knew it wouldn't do a damn bit of good. It frightened me to know there are people out there living "normal", "successful" lives who can think like that. I cannot imagine how my brother can live with her, and he bashes bush as badly as I do...

She had forwarded some other RW email, and I DID respond to that one, with facts about *, condi and cheney, FEMA, etc. All she wrote to ME was, "well different people have different opinions - that's what makes life interesting" or something like that. I'm sure my mom's email was not filled with facts, just emotions, so she found her easier to argue with.

I'm wondering if you have a background in psychology or psychiatry - it sounds like you may. I'll tell you a little bit about her. She is quite successful, self-employed, around my age (50 or a year or two under), very money conscious, buys 50 thousand dollar cars (pays cash I hear), yet can't afford to stay at a hotel if she were to come here with my brother at Christmas (I have a large family, they all come home for x-mas, she is allergic to dogs, cats, smoke, and many other things, yet still wants to stay at homes filled with all of those things, rather than spring for a hotel). So, she hasn't come back with my brother, and we all kind of like it that way. One of my brothers is gay, one is married to a girl from Lebanon... actually there's a little bit of everything in our family - everything she hates, I guess, so her one visit was quite interesting - what with the gay-bashing, immigrant bashing, etc. She wanted to "fix" everyone. We didn't even talk about politics on her one and only visit here - I can only imagine how that would have gone.

Anyway, the next email she sent my mom was all about how she'd accepted Christ in her life, and while she has many friends who are "deep sinners", and still loves them (whatever "deep sinners" are), apparently this is all in the name of Christ. All I know is that whatever Christ she accepted isn't the one I know about, but I think the shrub might be familiar with him.

I think you might be onto something with the insecurity and fear, but then again, I can't fathom anyone thinking the way she does. When I first met her, I thought she was just a harmless loony tune, but now I'm thinking she's just plain insane, in the same way that the * administration is - all in the name of God or something. Knowing that these people actually do exist terrifies me!

[Nothing Without Hope]

68. PHENOMALLY AWESOME!!!!! You are a HEROINE and you are going to open

eyes.
:yourock: :applause: :woohoo:

Now you take care and don't let anyone catch you in a dark alley, so to speak. There are all too many who won't WANT you to open eyes.

[Rainscents]

71. Excellent writing!

I wish I could write like you and many DUer's here, I guess, lack of English language don't help.
Please keep us inform!

[al bupp]

72. Some corrected URLs

Great (if perhaps a little strident) letter & congradulations on the op-ed offer. I clicked through your links and a number of the appear to have been truncated during editing or posting and return server errors as a result. The updated list below all work as of today. The NY Time links require registration.

In order to keep the DU forum software from truncating the URLs, I have used placeholders, replacing "http" with "<link>" and the "www" prefix with "<3w>". Hopefully this will make it easier for people to put them into letters to the editor or send them via email. To restore the URL to its proper form, simply change "<link>" & "<3w>" back to "http" & "www" respectively.

• http://news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e2511c8.html">FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
  <link>news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e2511c8.html
  
  
• http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/105538/7048">FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
  <link>://<3w>.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/105538/7048
  
  
• http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html">FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
  <link>://<3w>.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html
  
  
• http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html">FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
  <link>://<3w>.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html
  
  
• http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm">FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
  <link>://<3w>.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm
  
  
• http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=68561&rfi=6">FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
  <link>://<3w>.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=68561&rfi=6
  
  
• http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826">FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
  <link>://<3w>.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826
  
  
• http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509040369sep04,1,4144825.story?ctrack=1&cset=true">FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
  <link>://<3w>.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509040369sep04,1,4144825.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
  
  
• http://www.suntimes.com/output/hurricane/cst-nws-daley03.html">FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
  <link>://<3w>.suntimes.com/output/hurricane/cst-nws-daley03.html
  
  
• http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html">FEMA turns away generators
  <link>://<3w>.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html
  
  
• http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470">FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
  <link>://<3w>.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470
  

I also want to alert people to the following petition over at Democracy For America:

http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/petition/katrina/">Demand Accountability for the Response to Katrina

[al bupp]

74. Correcting the corrections...

The forums "link" html tag inserted an extra "http://" into the URLs...

• FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
  <link>news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e2511c8.html
  
  
• FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
  <link>://<3w>.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/105538/7048
  
  
• FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
  <link>://<3w>.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html
  
  
• FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
  <link>://<3w>.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspecial/05blame.html
  
  
• FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
  <link>://<3w>.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm
  
  
• FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
  <link>://<3w>.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=68561&rfi=6
  
  
• FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
  <link>://<3w>.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826
  
  
• FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
  <link>://<3w>.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509040369sep04,1,4144825.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
  
  
• FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
  <link>://<3w>.suntimes.com/output/hurricane/cst-nws-daley03.html
  
  
• FEMA turns away generators
  <link>://<3w>.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html
  
  
• FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
  <link>://<3w>.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470
  

DFA Hurricane Katrina Petition

[spuddonna]

73. I say, take the job...

Make sure you use an alias. Make sure you discuss what your pay will be before you hand any articles over. If they give you a contract, I'm sure some nice person here on DU can help you find out if it's a good deal.

BTW - People are bashing you for saying 'the people who voted for Bush are idiots'. I think they're right. They may just be greedy bastards, lifelong Republicans, or very simple right-wingers who truly believe that Bush will restore the 1950's in all its glory, complete with racism and lack of civil and reproductive rights.

So just stick to the facts: Bush is a moronic simpleton. :)

I loved your article. You sourced it well. Great job!

And please, keep us up to date on whether or not you get anything else published! :applause:

[noiretextatique]

75. fantastic letter

and you should consider accepting the editor's offer.

[Liberty Belle]

77. Congratulations! I hope you inspire a legion of followers

here to do the same.

[kid a]

78. Hey Rby! I grew up in Oxford! NCHS class of 1982!

Wasss up

[RubyDuby in GA]

87. Hey class of '82

Class of '92 right here!
What a small world huh? I'm holdin' down the fort in C-town (not an easy job!).

:hi:

[Peace Patriot]

79. Congratulations, RubyDuby! Great, heartfelt LTTE! And I hope you take

that editor right up on his offer. (And I agree, ask for payment.)

I am very interested in your dilemma, as laid out in this thread, of how hard-hitting to be. (I'm thinking of it as, whether or not you should call people "idiots" who voted for Bush?) I think the answer depends quite a lot--but not entirely--on WHO you will be writing FOR.

Will you be writing to inform, hearten and empower the good, sane, justice-minded, thinking people in your community--who probably very much need heartening, and less isolation, and need to see their own views in print--or, are you writing to grab the attention of some less informed, a-political, but not necessarily hopeless middle ground in the community, or are you trying to convince Freeper-types, Bush true believers (which some might consider a hopeless task)?

I think we on the left too often pitch our arguments at the latter two groups, and ignore our natural constituency, and end up speaking or writing weak drivel--stuff that won't hearten the troops, and that can't budge anybody else, because it's much too careful. Most Dem leaders are guilty of this.

I also want to caution you about making assumptions about the "redness" or "blueness" of your community or region. Are such assumptions based on facts, numbers, reality, or on a perception you've been given by a fraudulent election system, by the corporate news monopoly press (who owns this newspaper?), and/or by the loudmouth Bushites in the community who may be intimidating and silencing others?

Fraudulent election system. We don't really know which states are "red" or "blue." The 2004 election was completely non-transparent and inverifiable--with the nation's votes "tabulated" by two Bushite electronic voting companies using SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, and often, not even a paper trail (let alone a paper ballot) by which to recount or audit the results. And, in addition to a blatantly non-transparent election system controlled by Bushites, we have a mountain of external evidence that the result for president was wrong.

In these circumstances, we would be wise not to make assumptions about the true sentiments of individuals or communities, or about what the majority may be thinking.

I've done some study of the issue polls over the last year, and what those polls tell us is amazing. For instance...

58% of the American people opposed the Iraq war BEFORE the invasion. Across the board in all polls. Feb. '03. Before all the lies were exposed; before the full horror and costs of it were known. 58%! That stat really impressed me, so I started paying attention to other issue polls.

About half of that 58%, by the way, opposed the war outright. The other half would only support a U.N. peacekeeping mission (world consensus), not preemptive, unilateral war by Bush.

That stat dipped only once, during the few weeks of the invasion when U.S. troops were at max risk, then went right back up to nearly 60%, where it stayed throughout the election. It's over 70% today.

The American people never supported this war. Never!

And those anti-Iraq war numbers have to include many Republicans and independents.

Here's another: 63% of the American people oppose torture UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. May '04. I love this one because it means that most Americans have stuck to their sense of ethics, lawfulness and humane values, despite all the fearmongering. This is not a fearful people. This is not a people who are easily fooled.

And again, that stat has to include many Republicans.

You name it. The Iraq war. Torture. The deficit. Social Security. Women's rights. The great majority of Americans disapprove of every major Bush policy, foreign and domestic, way up in the 60% to 70% range.

And that's not to mention Bush's dismal approval ratings--so low before the election that Zogby said he couldn't win, and sinking like the Titanic today, currently down to the mid 30s.

The wonder--about all these polls--is that the corporate news monopolies pay no heed to them--often their very own pollsters.
And, given who is doing these polls, the anti-Bush numbers are EVEN HIGHER than stated above, since the news monopolies weight the polls toward rightwing views. You'd think they'd pitch their crap a little more to the left, in view of the obvious progressive tenor of the great majority of Americans. That they don't do so tells us something about them: their purpose is to propagandize, to brainwash, to enforce certain views, and (critically, I think) to create an ILLUSION of a rightwing surge in the country. They are deliberately ignoring majority opinion. They are monopolies. They can do what they want. And what they want is to isolate people, to make people feel that their progressive views are in the minority. They give the right a great big trumpet, to magnify the views of a small minority, and to make the rest of us feel out of it, alone, a party of one.

But, anyway, those polls are there, and they say what they say--even if political commentary and news orientation in this country acts as if the majority does not exist.

One other thing: given this universal showing of a great progressive American majority, across the board in all polls, for more than a year, and given a few other stats--for instance, Kerry won the election day exit polls, and prior to the election, the Dem grass roots had blown the Bushites away in new voter registration in 2004, nearly 60/40--the ONLY evidence of a Bush win is the vote tabulation result derived from Diebold's and ES&S's secret formulae. There is no other evidence of a Bush win. All other evidence points the other way. (It's a no-brainer, really.)

Which means that a lot of Republicans voted for Kerry. The silent Republicans. The Republicans who shut up around loudmouth Bushites--out of fear, or dislike of argument.

(Note, FYI: The TV news monopolies doctored their own exit polls on everybody's TV screens on election night to hide the evidence of a Kerry win. They altered the exit poll data (Kerry won) to fit the "official result" derived from Diebold's and ES&S's secret formulae (Bush won), thus depriving the American people of major evidence of election fraud, and squelching protests and calls for investigation. The other shattering truth re the election is that the Dem Party leaders--out of local corruption in the boondoggle of the new electronic voting systems, and because of their support for Bush's war--FAILED to apprise voters of the great peril and wrongness of Bushite companies counting the votes behind a curtain of "trade secret" vote tabulation software. Hard to say which is the worse scandal--TV networks FALSIFYING election data, or Dems letting Bushites gain control of the election system without a peep of objection.)

All of this is to say that I favor your more hard-hitting tone, because, for one thing, the "idiots" who voted for Bush are a minority (maybe not in your community, but overall--and how can we know for sure about your community?). And, for another, if you ask me who I would rather reach out to--a broken-hearted, demoralized progressive, who feels he/she is all alone, or an idiot who voted for Bush, the broken-hearted one wins hands down. I would rather hearten and activate a broken-hearted Kerry voter, then hold back so as not to get a Bushite mad. (Who cares if they get mad?).

The only thing that I would be careful about is giving your attackers too easy a handle to make you out as crazy or unreasonable. But, you know, who will they be speaking to? Other idiots. So don't worry about it too much. Just try not to saying anything you might have to back down from, or apologize for. "Idiots" is defensible. It's your honest and true opinion. They were stupid to vote for Bush. They didn't see through him the way you did--and he has betrayed them and their party by his two-facedness (Christianity for the rich and powerful--to hell with the huddled masses), and by his falsely portraying himself as "conservative" (trillion dollar deficit, crazy, ill considered, profligate, wasteful, murderous foreign adventures).

One final thought: When you call Bush voters "idiots," you are blaming them for the state of things. You're saying it was their vote that counted. But no one's vote counted! Not really. In a non-transparent, unverifiable election system, everyone's votes are meaningless. The "Wizards of OZ" who are pulling the secret levers, and cooking up the secret formulae, are the only ones who count. It is an insult to all voters. It means that those who "won"--the Bushites--don't have faith that their views and policies can win. They have to cheat. And that cheapens their views and policies--even for those who agreed with them. It means they can renige on anything; they can lie; they don't care. They've got Diebold and ES&S in their pockets.

I'm sure that the great majority of Americans, including a lot of Republicans, would agree that elections should be honest and aboveboard. On this matter, all Americans (with the exception of a handful of whistleblowers who tried to get our attention) have been idiots! We are ALL idiots, for letting this happen.

This debacle of the Bush regime--and its disastrous consequences for our country--is NOT the fault of ordinary Republican voters. In fact, they, too, are its victims--even if they didn't see through it in time, and even if they don't see the light now (though, clearly, many, many of them are--look at the polls!). Keep your focus on the bad guys--the vastly rich, powerful Darth Vaders, who are destroying our country and spoiling things for everyone. And don't forget those Democrats who gave our election system away to Diebold and ES&S, without a word of objection or warning, and who supported Bush's war. The country needs a BIG BROOM. And the Republicans are not the only ones who need their house cleaned.

Speak the truth! It's badly, badly needed. Consider other peoples' feelings, if you are able to. But don't let that get in the way of the clear-eyed truth. And let the chips fall where they may.

-----

Again, Congratulations! And good luck! You know you can count on us at DU to help you with research, questions of fact, and long wordy treatises of advice! Go get 'em!

[Miss Chybil]

80. Out-fuckin'-standing! nt

[Tigress DEM]

81. If you wish to be a regular columnist let me know....

Do it. They love / hate Molly Ivins in Texas. You have a bit of her style - hit 'em with the truth - both barrels, then reload and hit 'em again.

Excellent collection of source material by the way.

However, I do blame Bush and his entire administration and all the neo-cons behind him who have specifically engineered these type of responses to cull out the lower class DEMS (especially blacks) and anyone who won't drink the koolaid and get on board with his $1000 a plate luncheons.

What chills my blood is the pending natural gas crises (predicting 70% increase in fuel costs) and all the poor people/working class poor in places where Winter can crush more than just your spirit.

People are going to freeze to death in record numbers this year if we can't get this administration rounded up and stop their criminal activities. Not the way I wanna show my TRUE BLUE Democratic side.

He's let people freeze to death before. (Molly Ivins - Bushwhacked)

AND Ed Schultz on Air America Radio was saying today that all these states that are being told that the Hurricane Victims don't want to relocate that far (ie to MN, ND, CA, NM etc...) are being lied to because people who have come on their own are telling a much different story.

Thank God the press was there and we have some documentation. I pray they can remain strong. I've heard they are being pressured to stay out and "scolded" for getting the administration in trouble.

[tom_paine]

83. Go for it, Ruby! Congratulations!

:toast:

[Laelth]

84. Just beautiful, RubyDuby!

Proud to be a fellow Georgia liberal!

:patriot:

-Laelth

[tenshi816]

86. Go Ruby!!!

Go get 'em, honey.

I'll be thinking of you on Saturday. Best wishes to you and your lucky groom for a wonderful life together.

I'm still in your debt for the heartburn you suffered when you made that trip to the Varsity for me.

[npincus]

88. congrats Ruby- you go, girl!