Hate Mail

I have this "friend" at work who I really enjoy seeing to a point. He's older, been a salesperson for most of his life, likes old cars almost as much as I do and is quick with a joke. The only reason I put the quotation marks around the word friend is that he sends me hate mail.



The man is unabashably a "Christian Coalition Republican", meaning that he thinks he has license to force his "opinions" on others because he's right. He knows so. Just ask him.



To me, it means opening one of my e-mail boxes, seeing his name on the "sent from" column and having to carefully read the subject line before actually opening a particular piece of mail. If it's from Jerry, there's a 65% chance that it will be hate mail.



What will it be this time? Is it that Obama is a schmuck for doing (insert a recent action here)? Is it a "rag" on Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid or any other Democrat for that matter? Is it another phoney letter from someone who is tired of paying taxes for some reason or another? Or is it a Brit or a Canadian telling us how they had to come here for free enterprise medicine because the British/Canadian system of the evil socialized medicine would have killed them? How about a set of political cartoons reportedly from Australia slamming the Obama administration (with clear indications of the cartoons' origin in Miami, New Orleans and San Fransisco)? Maybe it's some "fact" which has been "proved" by Snopes... which follows an e-mail proving that the people at Snopes are patented liars.



In some ways the mail I get from Jerry (yes, his real name) is mildly amusing, but at the same time it is disturbing to know that here is someone who is close-minded to ideas other than those spoon-fed to him. The ironies are astounding. On one hand, abortion is wrong because it violates the sanctity of life, yet, it's OK for the state to execute a criminal. Islamic law is wrong on a number of levels, yet, we as a nation should write our own laws to "Christian" standards. We should fear the Democratic majorities in Congress combined with a Democratic President as it will drain our pocketbooks and create huge deficites, ignoring the fact that the last time the Republicans had a Congressional majority with a Republican in the White House, our pocketbooks were drained and the budget surplus became a budget deficit. Most recently, Jerry sent a "Letter from Jesus" in which Jesus admitted to the fact that his birthday isn't really in December, but is happy that people think of him during the solstice, followed by another missive telling the hapless recipient that "Jesus is the reason for the season" (Merry Christmas, or Else)!



Hatred, especially at this time of year, is a powerful drug which can drag the unwary into its clutches ever so subtly. It can consume and destroy the unwary soul. In this day and age, hatred seems to spread way too quickly by way of practiced practitioners through the internet. One has to be wary of what one recieves, lest one gets dragged into the hatred and the lies. It is easy to blame "liberals" for whatever problems there seem to be. But at the same time, if one thinks and substitutes the term "jew" for the term "liberal" when seen on the internet or in the Op-Ed section of the newspaper, one can see where the seeds of hatred are sown.

Unfortunately, Jerry persists in hiding his head in the sand and hewing the "Party Line". He doesn't want to think about what he sends, he'll do it anyway. I've asked him to cease the political crap. He insists on continuing to shovel it. I continue to tolerate it to a degree as the 35% is really funny and/or interesting stuff. Guess I'll just have to filter a little bit better.

For the record, I don't care who gets ripped, I like a good political cartoon. Obama is not God in my eyes. I don't think that Obama is a Muslim or was born outside of the United States. There are some really good Democrats and some really good Republicans out there. Good healthcare should be available to every citizen, regardless. Hard work should be rewarded... and taxed. We can't get something for nothing. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. We were founded by men of principal who may or may not have been Christian - but we were not founded as a "Christian Nation" (the seeds of the current "Christianity" having been sown in the 19th century). Who gives a damn as to who an adult "sleeps" with as long as it's another adult. And, the Bible can be summed up in 5 words: "Love God, Love your neighbor".

Yes, that means I still love Jerry. Despite his e-mails

Be Seeing You!