# I am not a troll, sock puppet, parodist or satirist **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 7, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823 "2002-08-07T19:10:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/21 "2002-08-07T20:05:14Z")
**taggert** , I applaud your honesty and your willingness to clearly state your opinions. I’d also like to thank you, for in so clearly stating your position, you are providing an excellent service to my own cause. I wish you a long and vocal future here on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/22 "2002-08-07T20:07:03Z")
Someone remind me. In _Dr. Strangelove_, does the Air Force officer who ramples on about ‘purity of essence’ also talk about ‘moral clarity’? And why doesn’t taggert work for Mel Brooks any longer? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/23 "2002-08-07T20:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Clarance Thomas, Thomas Sowell, Condi Rice and Colin Powell are all pals of George W. See, he isn’t racist or sexist. As far as I know, none of them are friends of W’s. They are, (with the exception of Thomas) respected professionals who work in the Bush Administration. Working with someone does not make you “pals.” FWIW, I see no evidence that justifies calling W a racist. > [@](#): > > A man relaxing alone on a weekend watching a ball game does not need to get high, just some **sodas and pretzels** are all that are needed for a good time. OK, for anyone who professes to be an admirer of W, that has to be satire. And if you think the 'Pubbies don’t enjoy a good beer, you’re just mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/24 "2002-08-07T20:08:29Z")
**taggert** , why don’t you stick to [www.freerepublic.com](http://www.freerepublic.com)? You may find it more to your liking. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/25 "2002-08-07T20:08:44Z")
This is an exceedingly unkind pile on of which you participants should be ashamed. You’re ridiculing the person based on his opinions. By all means feel free to attack the man’s positions, but the personal attack against him is reprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/26 "2002-08-07T20:16:10Z")
Hey, I’m a Republican and a fiscal conservative (ask around), and my bullshit meter goes off whenever I read your posts. I realize there is no remedy for you there – if you’re on the level, how could you post other than what you post? – and so there is a fair to middlin’ chance this is unfair, but . . . what can I say? My bullshit meter goes off whenever I read your posts. On the off chance you’re for real, I promise not to post to tell you I think you’re shining us on. However, since I can’t take you seriously, this probably means I won’t be responding to your posts at all. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/27 "2002-08-07T20:17:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by taggert \* > \*\*Sally Hemmings was a slave of Thomas Jefferson, the founder of what is now known as the Democratic Party. It is the exception that proves the rule. \*\* Just a dang blasted minute! I knew something was odd about this statement and it took me three reading to get it. Yes, Tommy J. was the first “Democratic” president and yes he slept with his slave, but a Jeffersonian Democrat is completely different from today’s Democrat. A Jeffersonian Democrat believed in states’ right and _laisez faire_ in regards to business. Sound familar? That’s because its’ essentially today’s Republican platform. Its’ one of those quirks of American politics that the Democratic party turned into the Republican party and a new Democratic party formed (oversimplified I know). You can add historian to the list of things you aren’t. By the way, the implying that all Democrats are licentious adulters isn’t the way to make friends. It makes you look like a jackass. Just some friendly advice, you tool. ---
**Author:** ![taggert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@taggert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taggert)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/28 "2002-08-07T20:21:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beagle \* > \*\* Seriously, you have a career in satire if you can just get past the fact that you may think you are serious. > > Didn’t you post something on child labor (pro)? I was positive that was satire. \*\* Umm, I don’t recall posting anything about child labor. It’s usually not an issue in this country. This satire thing, what can I say that I haven’t said, but here goes: the vast majority of Americans, not just the ones that vote, agree with virtually everything I have said in my posts. Just go ask people on the street about any proposition that I have put forward, they will agree with virtually any single proposition I have put forth. And I did not call President Bush a racist. The Dr. Strangelove quote was referring to Sterling Hayden and his speech about communists poisoning “precious bodily fluids”. Moral Clarity is being espoused chiefly by William Bennett, former Drug Czar of the Reagan Administration and conservative intellectual. Oh yes, and… ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/29 "2002-08-07T20:22:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > By all means feel free to attack the man’s positions, but the personal attack against him is reprehensible. I doubt taggert has a preference whether you attack “him” or his “opinions.” His goal is accomplished either way. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/30 "2002-08-07T20:26:22Z")
**taggert** You oversimplify things a little. There, that was a criticism of his “positions.” [sub]Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?, say no more[/sub] If you really are a conservative **taggert** , and I am not conceding that fact, you had me completely fooled. I apologize for not taking you seriously, sort of. But, as a part-time conservative, I found some (most) of your statements strained credulity. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/31 "2002-08-07T20:27:51Z")
Keep up the good work, **taggert**. When a liberal calls you a troll, that’s a _compliment_. When a mod calls you a troll, that’s an _accolade_! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/32 "2002-08-07T20:35:09Z")
[Taggert’s take on the USPS](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2316991#post2316991): > [@](#): > > The USPS, if it was privatized and had to compete and wasn’t allowed to run deficits would be just the same. Its about moral clarity and good conservative American family values. People should not be allowed to unionize (and I understand the UPS and FedEx are unionized too), so that they will not strike, work for less wages and be thankful that they have a job and not be so uppity. There is nothing so gratifying to the heart as a middle manager who knows that his or her underlings are terrified of getting on his or her bad side and worried about getting fired. Are you serious? \>\> When a liberal calls you a troll, that’s a compliment. \>\> When a mod calls you a troll, that’s an accolade! And when december says “keep up the good work” you _know_ you are a total asshole. and BTW, when a mod calls you troll, that’s the beginning of the end for you. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/33 "2002-08-07T20:35:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by taggert \* > \*\*In the latest Ann Coulter Pit thread, I defended Ann Coulter: > But I am very tired of having my posts dismissed because people would rather pretend that I am joking than take the content seriously. > \*\* Fair enough. I may regret this, but I will take your post seriously and respond to at least parts of it. (And I’m not tacitly agreeing with things I don’t respond to…) A few notes before I begin: (1) I only read the SDMB sporadically, and thus have not seen any previous post from you ever, and thus have no preconceived opinion about you one way or the other (2) I have read very few columns by Ann Coulter, and none particularly recently, and thus will refrain from commenting about her, specifically. (3) To be blunt, I disagree with almost everything you said. However, the fact that I can do so and politely debate you in a public forum without either of us being afraid that the secret police is going to come take us away is one of the primary things that makes this country great, and is worth pointing out and reveling in from time to time. > [@](#): > > \*\* > This nation was founded on the basis of principled conservatism that knew the difference between right and wrong, and made no bones about choosing right over wrong, which was the founding father’s original intent. They did not have extra marital affairs and understood that God’s umbrella was protecting our nation. > \*\* First of all, some of the founding fathers, at least, had lots of extramarital affairs. Thomas Jefferson fathered children with a slave, and Ben Franklin had gazillions of illegitimate children. Secondly, and more importantly, I don’t know if it’s even remotely meaningful to say that the founding fathers were “conservative” in the same sense that the term is used today. (And for that matter, your definition of conservatism as “knowing the difference between right and wrong, and making no bones about choosing right over wrong” is disingenuous at best.) For instance, one of the biggest single catalysts of the American Revolution was _Common Sense_ by Thomas Paine, who was a radical by any standard and later went off to join the extremely radical French Revolution. And what were the political ideals that the Revolution stood for? No taxation without representation? How is that a “conservative” vs. a “liberal” ideal? And honestly, the basic idea of having a revolution, throwing off bonds, and forming a new nation is an idea of change and upheaval, which is certainly “liberal”, by the traditional definition. You might also be surprised by the religious beliefs of the founding fathers. I’m not sure if any of them were athiests, but many of them were not really mainstream Christians, but were instead Deists of various sorts. However, that’s not an issue I know too much about. (One final point: how on earth can you conflate “knowing the difference between right and wrong, and making no bones about choosing right over wrong” with slavery? Some of the founding fathers thought slavery was OK. So they didn’t know the difference. And others didn’t, but formed the US anyhow, so were willing to compromise with close-to-ultimate evil for political expedience.) > [@](#): > > \*\* > Today, we have a nation of pagens and atheists irritating God, who is removing his umbrella of protection, shaking it out and leaving it on the front porch for anyone to grab. > \*\* I just plain disagree with this sentiment, but it’s not one that can be particularly debated. However, I’m sorry that you feel that I am making you less safe because my beliefs differ from yours. > [@](#): > > \*\* > We have people undermining our war on terrorism by focusing on cyrptic bookeeping errors that our great President was tangentially involved in 12 years ago rather than on the immediate danger at hand: we must stop terror and wipe it out. > \*\* (a) even the most rabid conservative apologist would be hard-pressed to argue that W is a “great” president. He’s done a passable job in a really serious crisis, which is what people have mainly judged him on so far, and eventually history may judge him more kindly than I do right now, but you insult the founding fathers (and Great Presidents like Lincoln and FDR) by calling him “great” (b) I agree that in times of national crisis, unity can be important. However, there are degrees of crisis, and there are limits to what one can overlook in them. I would certainly not have been interested in hearing about possible minor scandals on 9/12/01. But that was a long time ago, and I see no reason to give Bush a free ride forever. I think we’re in agreement that there are times and places when some things are inappropriate. The fact that we might disagree about how long those times last, or how serious certain things are, doesn’t make me a traitor. > [@](#): > > \*\* > Now is the time we must watch for this time to drive to Bagdad and oust the leader of all things evil, Saddam Hussein. This is the essence of moral clarity: focusing on the task at hand to the exclusion of all distractions and objections voiced by those people who would sap our strength though endless talk and hair splitting about useless facts and risks and benefits. > \*\* “useless facts”? What are they, pray tell? You claim that not only should the US now attack Baghdad, but that that choice is so clearly obvious that anyone who would debate it is, basically, a traitor, or at best a fool. Well, that argument is outside the scope of this post, but look back to my preamble… people in the US can disagree, and can express their opinions, and that’s the way it should be. And I disagree. > [@](#): > > \*\* > The contrast between the above and the ultra liberalism of the Clinton administration could not be more clear. While Clinton focused on getting blow jobs from interns and defending his unethical investment losses, he distracted the nation and compromised our safety by endless talking and negotiating with the representatives of the terrorists. > \*\* OK, now you’re being flat out hypocritical. First of all, the amount of Clinton’s energy that he wasted, over the 8 years that he was in office, getting blow jobs is positively MINISCULE compared to the amount of his energy that was wasted defending himself against trumped up and ludicrous impeachment charges related to said blow jobs. Secondly, how can you criticize people for investigating possible shady financial dealings in Bush’s past, and then criticize Clinton for having to put effort into defending himself against people investigating possible shady financial dealings in his past? Or is it simply that the “war on terror” gives Bush a free pass? Two other points: (a) Clinton was “ultra liberal”? I guess that’s why Ralph Nader was so disgusted with the Clinton/Gore administration that he refused to throw his support behind them even when it would have clearly swung the election. You may disagree with Clinton all you like, but to call his administration “ultra liberal” is laughable. True ultra liberals want to hunt Clinton down for sport and kill him due to his centrism. You might argue that Clinton was slippery, stupid, politically motivated, or lots of other nasty words, but simply applying more and more insulting adjectives to him doesn’t make him “ultra liberal” (b) Would you care to provide any evidence or cite at all that Clinton’s administration did a less effective job of dealing with terrorists than any other administration, before or since (pre 9/11 of course)? In fact, didn’t Clinton put _more_ effort and budget into the fight against terror than GWBush did (before 9/11)? (Perhaps someone else can back me up on this or point out if I’m wrong) > [@](#): > > \*\* > Liberalism, the allowance of a wide variety of divergent ideas and permissiveness, > \*\* So Liberalism is “the allowance of a wide variety of divergent ideas and permisiveness”? Wow, sounds a lot like another word that begins with “Liber”, but in which the “alism” is replaced by “ty”. > [@](#): > > \*\* > There is an Axis of Evil in the world founded by Evil Doers. In this battle, you are either with us, or against us. You are either prepared to accept the glory of our leader’s goals, or sap his strength through aimless inquiries into fully vetted past history. > \*\* So just to be clear here, anyone who questions anything Bush does at all, ever, is an anti-America traitor? (And probably a Gay Commie Nazi Pagan?) All joking and sarcasm aside, this attitude really disturbs me. And, to be honest, I find it personally insulting. I wonder if there are any American soldiers out there in the field right now, defending you and me, who are less than fervent supporters of Bush? Are they traitors too? > [@](#): > > \*\* > The safety of the country requires that put aside our doubts and build our missile shield to protect us from rogue states. > \*\* OK, you’re the president of a rogue state. You have finally managed to manufacture a nuclear weapon. You want to punish the “great satan”. Do you: (a) also develop a rogue state ICBM to go with your rogue state warhead, despite the fact that a missile development program is both prohibitively expensive and very likely to call attention down on you, or (b) put your nuke on a boat and sail into New York harbor. Or else, smuggle it in from Canada. Or something. The missile defense shield is a JOKE. It was a bad idea for strategic purposes, 20 years ago, when it at least had some faint rationale. Now it’s immediately and obviously useless. Take all that money and give it to public schools, and our next generation of scientists will invent far better ways to defend us. Or heck, give it all to the CIA to hire more field agents. > [@](#): > > \*\* > We must energize the economy and offer it stimulus through tax cuts that allow the investment class to have a lot more money to invest in the economy. > \*\* Just curious, here… has this ever worked? Ever? Anyhow, I’ve done my best to respond to your post in a fashion that will lead to respectful debate… so bring it on! ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/34 "2002-08-07T20:35:45Z")
Pag **a** n, **taggert** , pag **a** n. At least spell it right when you’re blaming me for the downfall of morality and the “removal of God’s umbrella”, you bigotted goat. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/35 "2002-08-07T20:36:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*He’s a loon. alrighty. But I doubt he’s “fucking”. > > I can’t imagine anybody of either gender who’d want to. \*\* Maybe Ann Coulter? ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/36 "2002-08-07T20:36:40Z")
I cant figure out if you are serious or not, and it is starting to get very very annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Godfrey\_Daniels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Godfrey\_Daniels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Godfrey_Daniels)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/37 "2002-08-07T20:38:21Z")
Brilliant, simply brilliant!!! You actually have some people believing that you’re not a “parodist”. This has to be one of the best pieces of satire/parody I’ve ever seen. You, sir, are an artist of the first magnitude! And one damn sly snake in the grass. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/38 "2002-08-07T20:39:29Z")
Well, I think **Taggert** is a rather stylish writer, even when what he writes is utter bollocks, and most of the time it is. I think the absurdly extreme positions he espouses (much like those of his love bunny Ann Coulter) are selected for no other reason than to spark outrage and build on his desire for celebrity; just look at how fast the replies have built up in this thread. Everybody wants a piece of the pile-on (yeah, me too), and we’ve done just what the OP wanted: make him one of the most talked-about posters on this board. Congratulations, dude. You’ve got ‘em eatin’ out of your hand. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/39 "2002-08-07T20:42:23Z")
> [@](#): > > You are either prepared to accept the glory of our leader’s goals, or sap his strength through aimless inquiries into fully vetted past history. Hey, pal, this is the US of A, a republic where the president is elected to carry out the will of the electorate. WE are the sovereign rulers of this country; yeah, us, the people. If you want to talk rot about “the glory of our leader’s goals”, may I suggest you move to North Korea, a country where mandatory allegiance to the Great Leader is much more in vogue. ---
**Author:** ![taggert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@taggert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taggert)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823/40 "2002-08-07T20:43:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wolfian \* > \*\* > > Just a dang blasted minute! I knew something was odd about this statement and it took me three reading to get it. Yes, Tommy J. was the first “Democratic” president and yes he slept with his slave, but a Jeffersonian Democrat is completely different from today’s Democrat. A Jeffersonian Democrat believed in states’ right and _laisez faire_ in regards to business. Sound familar? That’s because its’ essentially today’s Republican platform. Its’ one of those quirks of American politics that the Democratic party turned into the Republican party and a new Democratic party formed (oversimplified I know). You can add historian to the list of things you aren’t. > > By the way, the implying that all Democrats are licentious adulters isn’t the way to make friends. It makes you look like a jackass. Just some friendly advice, you tool. \*\* Well, yes and no. I am no historian, but I do know that the oldest continuous political party in the world is the Democratic Party (unless you believe in the Illuminati). I think that with the idea of original intent, you also must accept with it the continuity of political responsibility. Jefferson was a champion of separation of church and state, which made him a modern day liberal, and also of pubic education. See his Virginia Statute on religion on which the First Amendment’s religion clauses (in two parts, no establishment, no infringement) is based. He founded the University of Virginia. He was a licentious liberal by his day’s standards. Was he a Marxist? Of course not, Marxism had not been invented yet. As for states rights, no, Jefferson’s actions speak much louder than his words: the Louisana Purchase was a dictatorial act. While he constantly preached Mission and utopian ideals, he was as Machiavellian as they came, as anybody who has read Machiavelli’s Discourses would tell you, the ideas contained therein were fully incorporated into the U.S. Constitution. As much as Jefferson preached Mission, he was a Manifest Destiny actor, an expansionist, a strong advocate of the perogatives of the Executive Branch, moreso than the predecessors he criticized and ran against. The problem with liberals is that they demand that everyone participate in their little fantasy of everyone blissfully having respectful disagreements over tea and fail to recognize what this country is really all about, the prosecution of conservative ideals. That this country is basically a conservative country leads me to my next point **Jodi** I heartily applaud any conservatism on this board, but really, you can’t claim to be a conservative just by claiming to be a “fiscal conservative” as everybody claims that. Hell, have you ever heard anyone claim to be a “fiscal liberal”? Nope. And claiming to be a fiscal conservative does not make one a Republican. Fiscal conservatism, a spoken policy of balanced budgets, low taxes and welfare reform is what everybody talks about. But emminences like President Reagan and both Bushes walk the walk. They lower taxes for higher investment, they fight for balanced budgets and eliminating welfare. And **Minty Green** , all I want is a voice in the debate and to lend a hand to the gallant conservatives on this Board who hail our President as the leader in the war against terror. My goal is accomplished because there is still freedom to post my conservative views. I don’t really mind the ad hominem attacks because as Ann Coulter detailed in her great book Slander, it least it shows liberals up for people who cannot argue about the policies. I have never on this board attacked another poster personally, even if they were a commie sympathizer. It shows the weakness of the argument if someone attacks me personally, and I count that as a win. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-not-a-troll-sock-puppet-parodist-or-satirist/122823.md?page=3)