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To Ibe and Moth...

2004-11-05 - 10:48 p.m.

Disclaimer

First of all, I never said I hated anyone. I said I despise your political views. Yes, despise is a strong and inflammatory word and I'm truly sorry if it offends you. But I never said I hated you personally. In fact I said very clearly that I like and care about "my friend" (referring to Ibe) and that I have enjoyed her diary and her company when we met, and that I was sorry that I hurt her feelings. If that message did not come across clearly enough, I do apologize.

I appreciate both your attempts to clarify your positions, as well as your reassurances that your intention in re-electing Bush was NOT to bring about the end of the world. It's nice to know we at least have that much common ground.

I also understand that your political view makes perfect sense to you, and that you feel you have facts and information that contradict my views, as much as I believe that I have facts and information that contradict yours. I am coming to understand that we simply interpret events and actions differently and ascribe different motives to the people involved.

I respect your right to hold a different opinion from mine. But that does not mean I have to LIKE your opinion, especially not if it is being imposed on me just because a very slight majority of other people in this country feel the same as you. I tend to want to grumble about it.

Respecting your right to have a differing opinion does not mean I have to believe your opinion is just as valid as mine, either. If I thought all opinions were equally valid, why would I need to bother to pick one? I'd just be all like, "Ya'll just do whatever you want, I'm gonna go watch cartoons." Of course I think my opinion has the most merit, and I'm irritated at people who don't agree. I'm not the freakin Dali Lama over here, ya know?

I feel VERY strongly that Bush and the people who advise him have set this country on a very bad path and that the consequences could be severe or disastrous for all of us. I could state my reasons and back them up with sources, but what would be the point? I spend a lot of time observing and occasionally participating in political arguments on the internet, and I could count on one hand the number of times I've ever seen anyone, liberal or conservative, change his or her opinion in a significant way about anything, regardless of the evidence presented or the fervor of the presentation.

The election is over and I have no choice but to live with the result. I hope that you are right and that I am overreacting. I suspect I may be... not because I have one shred of faith in this administration's benevolence, but only that they may have self-limited their own ability to do damage in the world by squandering our budget, our armed forces and the good will of our former allies.

I'm sorry that I'm not a big enough person to be able to just laugh off my anger and disappointment at the results of the election, shake hands all around and say "Good game!" There is too much at stake for me to be able to easily shrug it off and move on.

I don't want to lose friends and family over politics, but when differing values are at odds with each other and the stakes are high, it creates negative feelings that are hard to overcome.

I need some time to recover emotionally from the election, and yes, I do need to get some perspective, but it's not going to happen in the blink of an eye just because those who got their way think that the losers should just get over it already and move on.

I thought Ibe and I were well on our way to working things out in email this morning, though I guess she must not have read my last entry before she answered my email. But I would be happy to get together with her (and you too, MOTH, if you'd like) at any time as long as we can find other things to discuss besides politics.

Thanks for stopping by, MOTH, and leaving your thoughts in my comments. You may call me Amy if you like, though perhaps now you're thinking that "that bitter effing bitch" better suits. I'm sure all this explaining probably came off sounding bad in some way that I never intended.

Just please, if you take anything at all away from this entry, please let it be the realization that I did not say or mean that I hated you or any other Bush supporter personally. Still angry at the lot of you? Damn straight. But I suspect you can handle it.








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Last Five
Crappy job crap, weird neighbor, and someone whose baby I apparently want to have - 2006-05-08
Live from the dump - 2006-04-09
Kind of like a muzzle for your brain - 2006-03-29
...and then she fell ass-first into my cereal bowl - 2006-03-28
Playing catch-up - 2006-03-27





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