From a "Good German" (a rant and a heartfelt thanks to all DUers)

[blondeatlast]

Yep--every last goddamn one of you. Even the ones I don't agree with (today).

This Good German has marched many times to protect one’s choices concerning one’s own body—back when Roe v. Wade was new and the wacko RRR latched violently onto it as a lead to trample on a multitude of other civil rights. This Good German has stood in front of clinics to protect those exercising that oh-so-fundamental freedom.

This Good German has run against a wacko fundamentalist RRR in a school board election—and sadly lost.

This Good CHRISTIAN German has fought against RRR school boards about just about every damn thing RRR school board members proposed. This Good Christian German has been outspoken about preserving not just a wall, but a whole damn fortress against any state establishment of religion. I don’t want my nation dictating how I CHOOSE to worship; much less telling me—or YOU—that we must worship.

This Good German has stood with your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free so that their children could get college educations, health care, and protection from criminals. Let me add that I live in Maricopa County--Sherriff Joe Arpaio terrtory (look him up if you don't know).

This Good German has fought against the Patriot Act at every opportunity. She’s also tirelessly fought its effects, especially since this Good German is married to a brown-skinned man with a “funny” name and has a lighter brown-skinned child with a lovely, but “funny” name. This good German has been subject to hassles and drop-dead looks at airports, shopping malls, restaurants, and public events because my husband and son don’t look like they “should.” This Good German has had to deal with her son's being bullied and hassled at school because he isn't the "right" color and, ya know, he might even be a terraist (yes, that's come up before--he's TEN).

This Good German expresses herself on a message board where people who are frustrated by the machinations of the traitors in power at the highest offices of government ought to be adult enough to agree to disagree—and not be called Good Germans—or wacko anarchists, or stupid, or uniformed, or trolls, or apologists, or enablers, because they have an opinion--regardless how uniformed and and stupid you or I think it may be--that differs from our own.

I damn near said to hell with this place last week and the annoyances are still high up in the GD queue, for the most part. But hell no, I won't go--this place is amy sanity when I see what's become of my beautiful country, and in the end, I know we all are striving to get past the disaster we're in now. That "misguided" anarchist, that "corporatist" DLC apologist, that "tilting at windmills" Green, that "rabid" atheist, that "stupid" Christian--we're all frustrated at an external force--and we seek sanity here. In the mess the country is in, unfortunately, sometimes sanity isn't to be found. So we hit each other over the head--simply because we're in reach of each other.

Every last one of you--anarchists, DLCers, "Good Germans"--and every possible category in between give me hope, entertainment, and a little more knowledge.

This Good German thanks you all.

[NoodleBoy]

1. good to hear from you again. hope you and your son are doing well.

I never knew you ran for school board, that's pretty rad.

[blondeatlast]

2. sadly, I got pretty sick in the midst of it. Long story--but who knows, I may do it again! nt

[BlueJazz]

3. I'm sorry to report that your threats of leaving DU has alerted our...

"Support Squad" and a band of "Huggers" and Support folks have been dispatched to your Home.

One of our..um.. Associates, "Tony Banana" and his ..ah.."Pals" will make sure any teasing or
harassment dealt out to your Son will be met with those individuals..."Getting Lost"

Seriously ...You deserve better than the Crap you've had to put up with.

:hug: :hug:

[blondeatlast]

4. K. nt

[AnnieBW]

5. From one good German to another

Thanks for saying this. I often struggle with this, because I work for the Government. It really hurts to see people maligning "The Government" when it's the morons in charge. The worker bees are doing their best to fight the malignancy on the top.

I hope that all is well with you and your son!

[arendt]

6. Whatever you think, you enable the forces of reaction with this post.

Really sorry to meet you this way. But, I have decided to, as you put it "agree to disagree with you" about this issue. Is that OK with you?

Assuming that the statements of a complete stranger to me (i.e., you) are true, I still say that by placing yourself into a category in which your stated actions show you do not belong you deliberately sow confusion and take a weapon from the hands of those who fight America's descent into slavish acceptance of the police state.

Please tell me, did anyone on this board post directly in response to you and call you that as an insult? Or are you just offended that someone, somewhere on this board could be accused of that? Please give me some context to interpret your post, as I have not seen your posts before.

you say:

...ought to be adult enough to agree to disagree—and not be called Good Germans—or wacko anarchists, or stupid, or uniformed, or trolls, or apologists, or enablers, because they have an opinion--regardless how uniformed and and stupid you or I think it may be--that differs from our own.

Spare me the naivete. There are more passive aggressive ways to "agree to disagree" without really doing it than there are dollars in the National Debt. And they are all in use on DU.

This board is awash in provocation, infiltration, and just plain bad blood from the unending candidate wars. The moderators are swamped refereeing fights. And you say that everything will just work out if people don't use the phrase "Good German". What is this, some new version of PC? Thou shalt not put a shorthand label on authoritarian behavior because that can't possibly show itself at DU. (Obligatory response to inevitable comment: saying that authoritarian behavior can exist is no excuse to call me an authoritarian.)

Once again, sorry to have to show up this way. But I strongly disagree with your condemnation of any use whatsoever of the well-defined phrase Good German. Who it gets applied to is a completely different argument, which applies to any word.

arendt