Tea Party Spam

I recently received this email as a 'mass forward' from one of my friends. He's sent me Tea Party spam before, and I've ignored it. However, this time my pugnacity overwhelmed me, and I replied to all on his list.

I, later researched the article and Mr. Hall, who just happens to be a libertarian (and supposed centrist Republican). Wouldn't it be interesting to notify the tea baggers that pass this on that Mr. Hall supports gay rights and gay marriage?

My retorts are in red and italic, below:

Subject: FW: "I'm 63 and I'm Tired"

I'm 63 and I'm Tired
By Robert A. Hall

I'm 63.  Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired. 

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it. 

I'm tired of idiots who believe they are spreading their wealth to others. Especially Mr. Hall, who claims he can't retire in his current state of financial affairs. Most likely, he's paid less in taxes than what he's consumed: in education for himself and his children; in public facilities he uses regularly; on public roads; in public police/fire departments; in food/drug safety; and in most hospitals. So, he really hasn't spread his wealth at all to anybody. Instead it's more likely, he's been the recipient. 

I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes."  Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money. 

I'm tired of fools, who think they are paying more taxes now then they have ever paid. Again, Mr Hall, if you can't retire anytime soon, that insinuates you make less than 250K a year. That means, you have not paid a cent more in tax today than what you did last year or since 2001. I'm tired of you thinking that the bail-out did anything but help you or the national economy. You would most likely be out on your keister if the economy had tanked and unemployment reached 25%. I'm also tired of fools that think bailouts were strict products of a Democratic congress. George Bush signed the first bail-out, and necissarily so. 

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela .

I'm tired of dim-witted idealogs who think left-wing millionaires hate America. These people love America and believe in what they think is moral and just. This is a lot different than right-wing media moguls, who do and say anything to make money. While lefties are called traitors for their efforts to act and improve America, right-wing moguls manipulate and distort facts for financial gain. Seems like the latter is more treachery than the former.

I'm tired of the poorly-educated making unrealistic and impossible comparisons of America to other countries, especially when they haven't visited, nor know anything but talking points regarding those countries. To say that America will lose its first amendment rights, abolish its criminal justice system, prohibit religious liberties, and abandon capitalism is simply fear-mongering and useless pandering.

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to. 

I'm tired of religious bigotry. Not every Muslim believes in honor killings, or in acting as terrorists to bring down the West. There are many secular Muslims. There are many flavors of Islam, from radical to liberal. Just remember, that when a dog bites a man, it doesn't make the daily news cycle. When a man bites a dog, it does.

Mr. Hall, based on your logic, am I to believe...

• You picket military funerals a la Christian Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church?
• You refuse to use modern medicine to treat yourself and your children a la Christian Science or Jehova's Witness?
• You support gay marriage a la Anglican/Episcopilian and Unitarian Churches? 
• You turned a blind eye for centuries as your priest molested altar boys a la Catholic Church?
• You support a woman's right to her own reproductive system a la Unitarian Church?
• You dance with snakes a la Pentacostal Church?
• You believe instruments in a church building are sacreligious a la Church of Christ?

Just how many Muslims do you know personally to make such assumptions that 'one-size-fits-all'?

I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois. 

I'm tired of race-baiting. Do I believe you are racist? No. But please have some qualifications and facts to back up your claims. The statements 'race doesn't matter' and 'post racial world of Obama' are just race-baiting, Rush Limbaugh talking points. Leave it alone.

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government. 

I'm tired of radical and unpatriotic assumptions about this president, and for that matter, our previous president. How excactly does Mr. Obama not believe in freedom.

If it's in referrence to the healthcare legislation, please note that the bill that passed this past year was almost a carbon-copy of the Republican plan presented as an option against the Clinton healthcare reforms 20 years ago. If nothing had been done to address our national system, in 15 years, at a mere 5 - 10% increase in annual premiums, none of us would be able to afford healthcare. 

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance. 

I'm tired of this mythical person who keeps telling you that you must be tolerant of other cultures. I'm tired of this mythical person who thinks we have the right to tell other countries how to spend their own money. I'm tired of this misinformed mythical person who thinks that all Islamic schools preach hatred in America. I'm tired of this person who thinks religious freedom only applies to Christians. I'm tired of this person who thinks our constitution applies to the entire world.  

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a  three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough. 

Again, I'm tired of this mythical person who tells you to consume less. I'm tired of the hypocrisy of Al Gore. I'm tired of the extreme right, which has demonized the environmentalist movement to the point that any legislation or judicial action regarding the environment is deemed unreasonable, unrealistic, loony, and political.

Take it back a notch and protect the air and water around your home.

I'm tired of Republican and Democratic congresses that are/and have been unwilling to increase mileage standards (to the point that our vehicles won't sell around the world or at home).    

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana. 

I'm tired of assumptions that you are paying for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. I'm tired of liars, who say they've been treated 'freakishly' because they haven't tried marijuana. I've never tried it either, but hang out with 'tokers' and have never been treated freakishly, poorly, or uncivilly.    

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next?  Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"?  And, no,  I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion.  I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need.  

NEWS FLASH: illegal aliens and undocumented workers are synonyms.

I'm tired of your veiled attacks against Catholics. What does that have to do with anything but demonstrate that 'I think my religion is better than yours'.

I'm tired of folks who talk the talk, but then don't walk the walk. I hope you supported the DREAM act, because the DREAM act accomplishes the points you outlined above.  

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war?  You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave?  Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are?  Not even close.  So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British, Canadian and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear. 

I'm tired labels, such as latte liberal, whose only purpose is to inflame and stifle debate.
I'm of 40-63 year olds that somehow magically believe that they can purchase health insurance after they retire at a reasonable rate. News flash: Your policy would be around 1,000 to 2,000 a month-----but hey, it's an ENTITLEMENT---let's get rid of it.

I'm tired of folks who want to take the moral high ground, but do no object to, nor feel inclined to punish military individuals who 'sometimes misbehave'. Ever hear the phrase 'Do as I do and not as I say' and feel infuriated by it? 

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in   Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.

By GOLLY, I'm also tired of the same things, except the last two sentences which totally negate what you said in the first two. Have some intellectual honesty.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. 

I'm also tired of the same things.

Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing. 

I'm tired of your rhetoric, which continually betrays 'what you are tired off'. Poverty exists, as will classes of people. It's unrealistic to think that we can all make 50K a year and still pay the prices for the things we consume. There is nothing wrong with helping those less fortunate.

I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems. 

I'm tired of your rhetoric that makes it sound like their are hoards and hoards of people out there blaming government or big-oil for their lives. If you can't see how discrimination kept people intentionally poor, uneducated, and stuck in a cycle of 'Jerry Springer World' activity, then I suggest you take off your rosey red glasses and walk in another man's shoes for a day.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter. 

First you say, 'I'm tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions,' then you blame the world your granddaughter will inherit on 'these people'. Take responsibility for your world. Maybe if you took your rhetoric down a notch, and worked for a better world, then your daughter might have one.

Robert  A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts   State  Senate.
There is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on!
This is your chance to make a difference.

I am tired of tea party rhetoric, based on incorrect information. I'm tired of the intellectually dishonest. I'm also tired of tea party SPAM!