# AskNott gets hate mail **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asknott-gets-hate-mail/269475 "2004-10-15T22:31:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asknott-gets-hate-mail/269475/21 "2004-10-18T04:39:23Z")
> [@griffen2](#): > > I ran it through the [Gender Genie](http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.html) and it said the writer was definately a guy, FWIW I wouldn’t put too much stock on that. I tested it out with some emails and it only got 3 out of 5 correct. Doesn’t seem all that reliable. ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asknott-gets-hate-mail/269475/22 "2004-10-18T06:06:46Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > When I was a young man, I lived in a free land where a man could tell the president he was wrong and not worry about being thrown in jail for it. > > In my mother country, I could go to see my vice president speak without having to sign a pledge that I’d vote for him. I lived in a country where I could stand by the road as the president drove by, and if I disagreed with him, I could hold up a sign saying so, and nobody would arrest me. When I was young, I lived where I could worship in any church or temple, and no general of my country’s army would say I was praying to a false god or a devil. Are you saying that you can’t tell the prez he’s wrong without being thrown in jail? That you have to sign a pledge to vote for the VP to see him speak? That you can be arrested for protesting? And that you do not have complete freedom of worship? I think you must be living in the great state of paranoia, but just in case, (I’m open-minded), can you elucidate? You get arrested in Indiana for this kinda stuff??? Sssssss ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asknott-gets-hate-mail/269475/23 "2004-10-18T06:17:11Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > Well, considering both letters are full of hyperboles, I guess it sorta cancels out > > 😉 Yeah, I gotta say, that is what it sounds like to me too. ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asknott-gets-hate-mail/269475/24 "2004-10-18T06:31:26Z")
> [@SnakeSpirit](#): > > Are you saying that you can’t tell the prez he’s wrong without being thrown in jail? > That you have to sign a pledge to vote for the VP to see him speak? That you can be arrested for protesting? And that you do not have complete freedom of worship? Not sure about the first statement, but making the audience sign loyalty pledges is a common occurence at most Pres / VP rallies. [Here’s a cite.](http://www.abqjournal.com/elex/204620elex07-30-04.htm) It comes up around here all the time. Notice how Kerry keeps making pledges that he doesn’t / won’t have anything of the sort? Similarly, there have been pittings around here about people being arrested for protesting at these rallies (carrying signs, wearing Kerry paraphenalia at a Bush rally). [Here’s one example.](http://www.wvgazettemail.com/static/stories/2004071346.html) On the last point, I note that the OP refers to being free to worship _without being accused of praying to a false god / devil._ I presume this is a reference to high-level Pentagon official and raving psychopath [General William Boykin](http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3225695&p1=0). ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asknott-gets-hate-mail/269475/25 "2004-10-18T07:25:56Z")
> [@Atticus Finch](#): > > Not sure about the first statement, but making the audience sign loyalty pledges is a common occurence at most Pres / VP rallies. [Here’s a cite.](http://www.abqjournal.com/elex/204620elex07-30-04.htm) It comes up around here all the time. Notice how Kerry keeps making pledges that he doesn’t / won’t have anything of the sort? > > Similarly, there have been pittings around here about people being arrested for protesting at these rallies (carrying signs, wearing Kerry paraphenalia at a Bush rally). [Here’s one example.](http://www.wvgazettemail.com/static/stories/2004071346.html) > > On the last point, I note that the OP refers to being free to worship _without being accused of praying to a false god / devil._ I presume this is a reference to high-level Pentagon official and raving psychopath [General William Boykin](http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3225695&p1=0). Holy Shit! Thank you, Atticus, for that enlightenment! [MoveOn.org](http://MoveOn.org), here I come! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asknott-gets-hate-mail/269475.md?page=1)