Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder The following is a letter to the editor published in today's Long Beach Press Telegram. It has a good, ironic way of making a few points. I'm going to omit the writer's name as he wrote it for publication in the paper, not here. `Gay' issues Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's desperate assertion ("I am not gay") is quite telling. Nothing rallies conservative Republicans more than the "gay bomb." What if we could put real issues into a gay context so these conservatives would rally and focus on such things as: "The Iraq war is gay. Raging deficits: gay. No-bid contracts: gay. Selling our soul to China: gay. Poverty: gay. 9/11: very gay. Just think would could be accomplished in Washington. Anonymous Long Beach
Originally Posted By friendofdd One could also substitute the word gay with "christian right", "athiest", "feminist" "disney lover", etc. It is not a particularly rational approach to the problems we face.
Originally Posted By friendofdd Change the premise to "disney lover issues" and replace the words gay with disney lover in the letter. It makes little sense in either case.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I think you're missing the point, fodd. The letter writer is saying that nothing seems to energize the conservative base like gay issues, so if other more pressing issues like Iraq and the deficit could somehow be branded as "gay," they might get more attention and be treated as the priorities they are. i.e. "having a huge deficit is gay? We need to something about that!"
Originally Posted By thenurmis could the point being made be; that the group in question is far too concerned with some ones sexual life style, and not concerned enough about the issues that are really a problem in the world today? mmmmm. I love little rant articals like these, in some ways they soften up the real world,and allow us to laugh at the "gayness" of it all.
Originally Posted By thenurmis dam Dabob types faster than I do ...but yeah what they said. My typing skills are gay
Originally Posted By friendofdd I simply feel it is an irrational way of looking at it. It is based on a very frail premise that all conservatives are anti-gay. Then it presumes they are all stupid. It is a very bigoted way to look at life.
Originally Posted By jonvn Don't be so gay. The whole thing is about the lack of responsiveness to certain issues, and how so many of them are hysterical regarding people being gay. Hysterical is a good word in this context, too....
Originally Posted By Dabob2 It cannot be denied that conservatives have used "gay issues" to fire up their base repeatedly. Perhaps that tendency is dying down as more conservatives stop being anti-gay. But the history cannot be denied.
Originally Posted By friendofdd >>>Hysterical is a good word in this context, too....<<< To quote a poster friend of mine - "bite me" =o] There are hot button issues the liberals use to fire up their base as well. So, in theory, by calling a thing something else, they will respond in the same theoretical way.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Post 5 covers what the letter I posted was trying to do. Fodd, no one is saying all conservatives are bigoted when it comes to gay people. However, what happened last election cycle? Instead of the war or any of the issues the letter writer mentioned, the GOP focused on gay marriage, abortion and flag burning. I don't know about you, but NONE of those things should be a priority for our country at the moment. Not to downplay them, but right now, I'd rather see the other things addressed. Using the word "gay" sure does seem to get them moving, even if it is in the wrong direction. See Larry Craig.
Originally Posted By friendofdd I realize what the letter writer is trying to do, SSP. I just think it is a specious effort and only poorly, if at all, accomplishes the intent.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "There are hot button issues the liberals use to fire up their base as well. So, in theory, by calling a thing something else, they will respond in the same theoretical way." No one says they don't.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <There are hot button issues the liberals use to fire up their base as well. So, in theory, by calling a thing something else, they will respond in the same theoretical way.> I can't think of a liberal hot button issue that seeks to keep an entire subsection of US citizens in an unequal position.
Originally Posted By friendofdd OK guys, you are my friends and you've convinced me the letter writer has it exactly right. In view of what he says are gay issues, I'm going to change my opinion on all of them. And to extrapolate his idea, I'm sure all the sterotypical liberals will change their positons on these gay issues and become supportive of them. Now that both sides have swapped stances the world will be a better place.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<I can't think of a liberal hot button issue that seeks to keep an entire subsection of US citizens in an unequal position.>> Oh, how about not securing our nations borders and granting amnesty to 12 million illegal Mexicans. How is granting US citizenship to a Mexican who crossed the US border illegally yesterday equal to someone whom it took years of waiting for a visa to entered this country legally and then here in the US still waiting for their chance at citizenship?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 That's not an example of a "liberal hot button issue;" it's the position George Bush and a lot of Republicans hold, and a lot of liberals (including me) do not.
