I love my grandfather dearly, but over the past year or two, he’s made me a little annoyed/worried.
He hates the government and the EPA with an all-consuming passion. He honestly thinks that Al Gore and Bill Clinton are at the head of a huge conspriracy to turn the country socialist. First step in this plan is to outlaw guns. Secondly, the EPA will confinscate all privately owned land. Thirdly, the socialists will round up all protesters, throw them in prison, or shoot them. He thinks that they will be aided in this by the combined efforts of the Department of Education, and the ACLU.
Useless for me to try and explain the true function of the ACLU. He heard a preacher condemning them as Communists for trying to remove religion from schools, and that was the end of them. Useless for me to explain that there really isn’t a vast conspiracy of socialists, and that Communism has pretty much gone the way of the dodo.
He’s planning to sell his property if Al Gore is elected to prevent it from being confinscated by the EPA. He contributes hugely to the NRA and lately, to the Republican party, becuase he heard that Bush allowed Texas buisnesses to pretty much plice themselves when it comes to environmental legislation.
He believes that the Department of Education is indoctrinating our children to be godless homosexuals, because he heard that sex education classes are now including homosexuality in their cirriculum. “Those gays recruit, you know.”
Endless hours I have talked to him, trying to explain things, explaining how the Constitution protects us, and how the ACLU’s sole purpose is to try to uphold it. I’ve explained, argued, and even cried trying to make him see that we’re not going to be killed in our beds by the socialists, and how the BATF isn’t out to get him. But he refuses to listen to reason.
I love my grandpa very much, but lately, I dread his phone calls, and avoid his visits. I know that every conversation will eventually lead to the evils of the US government and the sneaky encroachment of socialism.
My grandma is little better. She listens to the television preachers, and buys every word, lock stock and barrel. One of them told his audience that Clinton has filled the empty army bases with Red Chineese, who are training, and waiting patiently for the word to take over the country and kill all who dare speak out against it.
It’s frustrating, and I really don’t know what to do about it.
