Reasons why I MUST BE a 'freeper'.

[Yollam]

Or to be more specific, reasons why I've been called a freeper on this and other boards.



Don't get me wrong, I consider myself to be the leftiest of lefties.

I support:

*More equity in pay scales and a limit on CEO compensation.
*A much more progressive income tax system, elimination of many regressive taxes, and higher corporate taxes.
*The right of all people in whatever gender combination to marry.
*The right to contraception, and for a woman to abort her pregnancy.
*The right to free expression.
*The right to privacy free of unwarranted wiretaps.
*More protections for worker safety, and a guaranteed right to organize.
*A policy of peaceful engagement, with war used ONLY as a last resort.
*An immediate end to the Iraq war and occcupation.
*Full and comprehensive SINGLE PAYER national health care for all.
*Free, compulsory Pre-K to University education for all, with all schools funded EQUALLY per student.
*A strict separation between church and state, and a revocation of tax-exempt status for churches that engage in political activism.
*Immediate removal from office of ANY national officeholder with ANY "defense" stock or other interests. It's a huge conflict of interest and they have no business making decisions of war and peace.
*Legislation to strip corporations of their "personhood" and other legal privileges.
*The minimum wage should be raised to $8/hr and pegged to inflation, with special requirements for higher minimum wages in areas with extremely high costs of living like Manhattan, SF.
*Employers should have no right to randomly drug-test employees who have shown no sign of drug use. Even police don't have this power.
*The drug war is racist, classist and should be ended. The prisons should be for violent criminals and rich as-holes who embezzle and con working people out of their hard-earned money.


And so on and so on, but:
because I believe that:

*Andrea Yates or any other "mentally ill" child-killers should be locked up and the key thrown away, and I don't care that she's nuts.
*The Americans With Disabilities Act goes way too far an puts an undue burden on small businesses, schools, etc. to cater to wheelchair users who are so few or even nonexistent that is makes no sense. I believe the ADA regs should have applied mostly to new construction.
*Our borders should be enforced and all illegals deported. (Also, companies that hire illegals should be punished more severely)
*Abortion is not something to be taken lightly, should be discouraged, and should not be allowed in the third trimester except for danger to life of the mother.
*I hate the movement toward "native plants" in our city parks. It's great to use plants that use less water if you are in an area where it doesn't rain much, and reducing the amount of grass being watered an mowed is also wise, but but a lot of these plants are just plain drab and ugly. Save them for for open space and nature preserves. I want my city parks to have lots of beautiful, blooming, NON-NATIVE plants!
*I don't think Mumia is innocent or should be freed. (I kinda think Peltier was innocent, but am not so sure)
*I don't automatically assume that the cops are racist or wrong because they used a baton on a suspect. I actually like to hear more of the facts before screaming RACISM!
*I often attack DINO dems who voted for the war or otherwise kissed the ass of Dumbya. I've laid into Skull 'n' Bones Kerry a few times too. Sorry, it just seems like he threw the election to me...

I guess there must be a few other things I've been called a freeper for, but I can't remember why.

Because of these things, I MUST be a "freeper", or so they tell me.


ON EDIT: I have also been called a freeper once because I said that the "fat acceptance" movement was wrong to tell morbidly obese people that they should not diet. I like a lot of what they say, but I have a problem with them on that point.

[Earth_First]

1. PLEASE do not forget to mention the hunting & fishing crowd to your list

I cannot remember how many times I have seen individuals berated over their stance to support hunting and fishing, therefore MUST be voting Republican.

[Yollam]

2. Well the post is about (ahem) ME, so, no, but...

I appreciate the submission.

I personally find hunting for sport to be rather abhorrent, but not fishing.

However, I agree that participating in these activities does not by any stretch make a person a freeper.

[yurbud]

3. I agree with you on economic and cultural issues--plants are peripheral

I wouldn't call someone a freeper just because they don't want cactuses and scorpions in their city park in Palm Springs.

[Yollam]

5. Okay, now Palm Springs is special...

It would take a huge amount of water to keep ferns and roses alive in a desert where only 6 inches of rain falls in a year. I'm talking about more average places that get at least 20 or more inches of rain per year - places where there are trees growing naturally. Even here in SF, many parks are having beautiful plantings replaced with very ugly and drab "native plants". It's sad, because almost anything will grow here, and just need a little water in the dry summer months, since it's not really hot.

Palm Springs definitely should be xeriscaped, but non-native desert plants from Africa, etc. could also be used, so long as they are not invasive.

(Somehow I have the feeling this particular topic will NOT start a flame war) :)

[yurbud]

11. someone will fight you to death on the foliage front (just not me)

[MadHound]

4. Oh please, spare us the poor pitiful me routine

People disagree with you on issues, so what? Back up your positions with facts and not opinions and you'll get more respect around here. Until then, do as the rules suggest and grow a thicker skin.

And interestingly enough, if you do a bit of searching around, you'll find that more people here agree with what you have to say than you think.

But just because somebody is calling you out for your opinions or downright hypocrisy doesn't mean that you're being singled out. People disagree with others around here all the time, get used to it.

[Yollam]

7. It's not about "poor me"

It's about people being halfway civil and not blurting out "FREEPER" the minute they disagree with someone. I know it's against the rules and I suppose I could hit alert, but I was never the type to go run and tell teacher, you know?

It's just food for thought. No need to make it out as a cry for help.

[Uncle Joe]

6. I must confess,

I may have subconsciously if not consciously been in a hurry to reach the 1000 post#, the lower numbers seemed less manly to me. What self respecting man with a significant portion of testosterone would not want a large number?

[Gormy Cuss]

8. If someone calls you a freeper

hit the alert button.

[Stephanie]

9. Who cares?

:shrug:

[Yollam]

10. Just venting, no biggie.

I pretty much never call anyone that, unless they say something like "BUSH RULES, suck it libtards!!!" It's sad that some people are so quick to resort to it.

[Stephanie]

12. hit the alert button

it's more appropriate and effective than a vanity thread

[Yollam]

13. Ouch, okay okay.

I didn't realize that that's what this was.

I won't reply to it anymore - I'll let it drop like a rock.

[mtnsnake]

14. Be careful, you might convince us!

Is this supposed to be reverse psychology or something?

Hey, just messin with ya.

[ComerPerro]

15. Somebody somewhere is always going to be more left than you

its all in your presentation. You might want to watch your phrasing if you are getting called "freeper".

But I haven't seen any of the posts you mention, so I'm not sure. Nine times outta ten, though, if you are called a Freeper its because you made a vague statement filled with things that are usually right wing ideas, and did so with a low post count.

Sucks, I know, but that's how it goes.

[Debi]

16. I wouldn't call you a freeper...but as the mom of a child who uses

a wheelchair - I think you're being an ass. If the ADA should only apply to new construction my son would not be able to be in his high school right now. That makes all the sense in the world. No reason to make the church he attends accessible, or the movies or stores. He's the one in the wheelchair, it really is his problem. There is enough discrimination against people who don't look or act 'normal' in the United States. Please rethink your position on keeping people who aren't capable of walking like you or me away from all the places we are allowed to go. (Next you'll tell me you don't believe in integrating people with mental disabilities into general education classrooms - keep the special ed kids out of our schools!! :sarcasm:)

[Yollam]

17. Try to Understand my reasoning.

My son's elementary school is about to spend several million dollars installing elevators, etc. to be ADA compliant on behalf of ONE child who uses a rolling walker (there are no kids in wheelchairs at the school). I'm all in favor of mainstreaming handicapped kids, but budgets are very tight, and MILLIONS are being used for this that could have been used for books, teachers or other facilities.

For the amount they are spending, they could have hired a big burly guy or two on hand to carry the kids up and down the stairs at 30k/year for DECADES. Do you get what I'm saying? This is not always the most efficient way of spending very limited funds. Here in San Francisco, we have just been told that several schools are going to be shut down due to budget shortfalls.

What I'm talking about is not discrimination, it's making the law more flexible to the needs of individual schools, businesses, etc.

To me, liberalism should be about providing the most good possible for the largest number of people. ADA sometimes forces schools and businesses to spend exorbitant amounts of money of very few, or even nonexistent people, and that's a shame.

But where there is a need, and it's practicable, I'm 100% in favor of increasing accessibility.

PS - ADA was passed by a republican, POS Bush sr., and on a bipartisan basis, so this is not entirely a partisan issue.

[Debi]

18. Only one child is disabled in the school TODAY

are there plans to keep all disabled kids from being registered from here on out? Are there extraordinary health care measures in San Fransisco preventing birth defects? People are born with disabilities every day, there will be more students with disabilities in the school in time.

Yes, hiring some big burly guy to karry kids around is a great idea :sarcasm: however, it is demeaning and undignified. The more people with disabilities are integrated into society NOW the less money paid to keep them housed in nursing homes LATER (and the higher potential that they will become contributing members of society - that means they'll make money and pay taxes as well). Locking up people who are not able bodied is no longer acceptable, your attitude toward the disabled needs to evolve.

I'm well aware of who passed the ADA, I'm also well aware of people who are pissy , since disability doesn't effect their lives, that they have to spend tax dollars on the few or non-existent people with disability. It's relative to the elderly being pissed that they have to pay taxes for schools when they don't have any children attending school (or to be a real jerk, it's relative to people who bitch about paying taxes for police and fire fighters when they have never been mugged and their house has never caught fire).

Liberalism is about the great good for ALL people, unfortunately for you disabled individuals are included.

Now try to understand my reasoning - no body asked me if it was okay to give me a child with a disability - no body asked if it was okay to limit my life choices because of who I gave birth to - no body asked if I wanted to spend the rest of my life fighting for my child's right to exist (and be treated with dignity) - yet, I just do it. I have little time or tolerance for those who are bitching about how my child's life raises their taxes when I have to sit through another emergency surgery wondering if there will be more brain damage, or when paid caregivers don't show up and I have to leave my job because my child isn't able to care for himself, or when he's in the hospital and I can't work which means I can't make any money to pay my taxes.....man, you have it rough. :eyes: