# Okay, even I'm getting somewhat tired of all the repetitious anti-Bush threads... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 16, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500 "2004-07-16T22:43:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/61 "2004-07-20T14:44:20Z")
You have to forgive **Shodan,** he’s what the medical profession calls a “stupid fuckin’ idiot.” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/62 "2004-07-20T15:14:30Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > And we _still_ have no cites from **Shodan** to any post by a paranoid loony leftie claiming that the Bush Administration is going to “cancel” the election, and engineer a fascist coup d’etat. Oh, what the hell. Fully realizing this will do no good at all, > [@DMC](#): > > While I disagree with BrainGlutton, he/she did not post in the first 57 posts, which is where your mind-reading occured. No, **BrainGlutton** didn’t post before me. However: > [@gobear](#): > > [I predicted this last year when I said that the Bushites would cancel election, a suggestion that was dismissed as a paranoid fantasy. ]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5058615&highlight=cancel+election#post5058615](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5058615&highlight=cancel+election#post5058615))And **gobear** isn’t even that looney. Same thread, post #39 - > [@LouisB](#): > > For the first time in my life, I am prepared to accept conspiracy theories re the establishment of a Bush led totalitarian government. [Or this thread, as a hypothetical.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=177448) Now then, you were saying? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/63 "2004-07-20T15:34:07Z")
Ah, you’ve got me there, **Shodan**. I concede defeat on this point. If I had a sword, I’d fall on it. The post by **gobear** really does cross the line from reasonable concern to paranoia (and is rather out of character for him, isn’t it?). The post by **LoiusB** doesn’t quite come up to the same level, but is also a bit over the top. The **scotandrsn** thread isn’t really in the same category at all, since it’s pretty clear he wasn’t putting it out there as a genuine possibility, but more as an “intriguing to think about” bit of fantasy. There, now. That wasn’t so hard, was it? [channeling Cmdr. Data] Everyone else, please continue with the petty bickering. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/64 "2004-07-20T16:21:44Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > Ah, you’ve got me there, **Shodan**. I concede defeat on this point. If I had a sword, I’d fall on it. _peals of evil, gloating laughter_ > [@Early Out](#): > > The post by **gobear** really does cross the line from reasonable concern to paranoia (and is rather out of character for him, isn’t it?). Yes, and it **is** out of character. Which is something I find sort of unsettling. Lots of otherwise intelligent (mostly) people who seem to have this blind spot towards Bush. And in some case, it really is irrational. It doesn’t bother me so much coming from the Usual Gang of Idiots (hi, **rjung**!), but it does concern me when it starts to form a sort of paranoid ethos on the SDMB. It’s all well and good to post about how so-and-so is the worst politician since Sargon the Over-Endowed and they hear jackboots and all that. But when they sound like they’re serious - that’s when I start to worry. Because I keep hearing the inner dialogue of Travis from _Taxi Driver_ in the background of some Dopers’ posts. And I wonder how they feel about Jodi Foster. Regards, Shodan PS - OK, so I was wrong. It **did** do some good. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/65 "2004-07-20T19:23:47Z")
That just means Bush’s policies are _so_ extreme that even the non-wackos are freaking out over them. The fact that you don’t find anything disturbing over George’s various shitstorms speaks for itself. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/66 "2004-07-20T19:47:52Z")
And the fact that you are too stupid to realize, or too dishonest to admit, when you have been demonstrated to be wrong, speaks for itself. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/67 "2004-07-20T20:00:11Z")
Neither gobear nor LouisB said anything about Bush staging an attack to cancel or postpone the elections. Here is your line, quoted exactly: > [@Shodan](#): > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about. As of your post, not a single post in that thread made the claim that the administration was planning on bringing the event about. Not one. You have been challenged repeatedly on this, and you repeatedly skirt it. Still a strawman. Regards. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/68 "2004-07-20T20:03:45Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > And the fact that you are too stupid to realize, or too dishonest to admit, when you have been demonstrated to be wrong, speaks for itself. > > Regards, > Shodan [Regards](http://www.house2homeideas.com/imagessmc31/31586.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/69 "2004-07-20T20:07:35Z")
[Revelant Onion article.](http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4027&n=3) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/70 "2004-07-20T20:45:53Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Neither gobear nor LouisB said anything about Bush staging an attack to cancel or postpone the elections. Nor did I claim they did, you clown. That came later, and whoever-it-was chimed in helpfully to say that he did, in fact, believe that Bush would stage or allow a terrorist attack to retain power. > [@DMC](#): > > Here is your line, quoted exactly: > > > [@](#): > > > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about. > > As of your post, not a single post in that thread made the claim that the administration was planning on bringing the event about. Not one. You have been challenged repeatedly on this, and you repeatedly skirt it. Still a strawman. My line, so helpfully quoted by you, refers to cancelling the elections. **gobear** ’s line, helpfully quoted by me, refers to cancelling the elections. The “event” being talked about was cancelling the fucking elections. See the words “cancel the elections”? I thought you were paranoid, not stupid. Here is your line: > [@DMC](#): > > Prior to your post, no one said that they would postpone the elections no matter what, nor did they say that the administration would actually carry out the attack,but plenty of folks found many ways they thought the law could be abused. Let’s examine the allegations put forth here. The first is that “no one said that they would postpone the elections no matter what”. **gobear** , as we have seen, **did** in fact state that he thought Bush would cancel the elections. So you are wrong there. I made no reference to Bush staging an attack, but **BrainGlutton** posted later to demonstrate that some Dopers believed it. So your allegation that I was engaged in unsubstantiated mind-reading was wrong, too. There is nothing that I can discover wrong with your allegation that people thought the law might be abused, so you didn’t quite make the trifecta of Dumb. Better luck next time, Einstein. I was right. With those Dopers both paranoid **and** half-witted, it wasn’t going to do any good. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/71 "2004-07-20T21:24:37Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Nor did I claim they did, you clown. That came later, and whoever-it-was chimed in helpfully to say that he did, in fact, believe that Bush would stage or allow a terrorist attack to retain power. > My line, so helpfully quoted by you, refers to cancelling the elections. > [@Shodan in post 58!](#): > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. **Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about.** I’ll repeat that again, so you don’t miss it. > [@Shodan](#): > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. **Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about.** One more time. > [@Shodan](#): > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. **Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about.** Not a single person in the thread said anything about the Bush administration planning to bring about the event prior to your post. Not one. > [@](#): > > **gobear** ’s line, helpfully quoted by me, refers to cancelling the elections. > > The “event” being talked about was cancelling the fucking elections. See the words “cancel the elections”? > > I thought you were paranoid, not stupid. > > Here is your line: > Let’s examine the allegations put forth here. > > The first is that “no one said that they would postpone the elections no matter what”. **gobear** , as we have seen, **did** in fact state that he thought Bush would cancel the elections. So you are wrong there. gobear referenced a prediction he made in an earlier thread. He still did not say the Bush administration was planning on staging an attack to do so. He also equated cancelling with postponing, in case you missed that in your obviously less than thorough reading of the thread. > [@Shodan](#): > > I made no reference to Bush staging an attack, but **BrainGlutton** posted later to demonstrate that some Dopers believed it. So your allegation that I was engaged in unsubstantiated mind-reading was wrong, too. Okay, let’s try this again. > [@Shodan](#): > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. **Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about.** The mind reading allegation was based on the fact that you made these statements **prior** to BrainGlutton’s post. But you knew I’d say that, didn’t you? > [@](#): > > There is nothing that I can discover wrong with your allegation that people thought the law might be abused, so you didn’t quite make the trifecta of Dumb. Of course there wasn’t anything wrong with it, nor was there anything wrong with the other 57 posts, a lot of which were from conservatives like yourself. It was a perfectly healthy debate, one in which party lines **DID NOT** coincide with where people stood on the issue. That’s a rare fucking thing these days. Is that what bothered you about the thread so much that you had to spew that crap? Oh, let me remind you again, since you keep missing it. Here’s the crap: > [@Shodan](#): > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. **Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about.** One more time. This had not been brought up at the time of your post, but that’s what you attacked. > [@Shodan](#): > > Better luck next time, Einstein. In finding a conservative who actually engages in debate? That will be easy, as there are plenty around, and you used to belong to that group. > [@Shodan](#): > > I was right. With those Dopers both paranoid **and** half-witted, it wasn’t going to do any good. Luckily, there are plenty on both sides who are neither. Too bad we lost one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/72 "2004-07-21T14:49:27Z")
I notice you skipped over this one - > [@DMC](#): > > Prior to your post, no one said that they would postpone the elections no matter what… Which **gobear** posted prior to my post, as well as mentioning it a year or so prior to my post. > [@DMC](#): > > The mind reading allegation was based on the fact that you made these statements prior to BrainGlutton’s post. But you knew I’d say that, didn’t you? Actually, I was hoping against hope that you would notice what I posted. Apparently not, as the part where I said: > [@Shodan](#): > > I made no reference to Bush staging an attack, but BrainGlutton posted later to demonstrate that some Dopers believed it. So your allegation that I was engaged in unsubstantiated mind-reading was wrong, too. So when I said that some Dopers believed that Bush would stage or allow attacks, I was entirely correct. You, on the other hand, are wrong. Persistently so. > [@](#): > > DMC]Not a single person in the thread said anything about the Bush administration planning to bring about the event prior to your post. Not one. And you skipped over the part where I tried to drive what I said thru your thick head as well: > [@Shodan](#): > > The **“event”** being talked about was cancelling the fucking elections. See the words **“cancel the elections”?** So when I said **“cancel the elections”** in reference to a “dreaded event”, I meant that the “dreaded event” was to **“cancel the elections”.** I said earlier that paranoia cannot be debated. Neither can stupidity. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/73 "2004-07-21T17:05:26Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Tell you what…if he’s defeated in November, I’ll stop. So if Kerry wins, you won’t make any more posts or threads that disparage Bush or his administration? It’s a deal. And if you’d care to make a friendly wager that you break your promise within, say, 3 months after election day, my email address is in my profile… ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/74 "2004-07-22T01:56:45Z")
Since you repeatedly ignored the main problem I have with your post, even after repeating it several times in a single post to ensure you didn’t miss it, I’ll stick with that single point, and nothing else. > [@Shodan in post 58](#): > > I want the tin foil concession at the next DopeFest. > > The Bush administration is conspiring to cancel the next elections in the same sense that someone who buys fire insurance is conspiring to commit arson. \*\*Planning to deal with the consequences of a dreaded event is rather different from planning to bring the event about. \*\* > > Some of you are taking the next step beyond distrust into paranoid delusions. > > If the elections are cancelled, I hereby promise to renounce my membership in the Republican party, donate a thousand dollars to the Democrats, and dance the Watusi naked with “Impeach Bush” painted on my ass. > > And I can bump this thread after the elections and post a big, fat “neener neener” when your paranoid fantasies turn out to be ridiculous. > > Regards, > Shodan In posts 1 through 57 of that thread, who made a claim along the lines of the bolded statement above? ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/75 "2004-08-08T17:36:06Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > The **scotandrsn** thread isn’t really in the same category at all, since it’s pretty clear he wasn’t putting it out there as a genuine possibility, but more as an “intriguing to think about” bit of fantasy. Wow. It finally happened. My name got brought up in the Pit. (I check through Advanced Search from time to time, because I never come here.) And with a thread that I would have to qualify as My Most Embarassing Moment in a year and a half of regular posting (after 3 posts, I didn’t come to the SD site for about two and half years, doncha know). I had, and still have, grave concerns about Bush, given his known actions and statements, the current political climate in the nation, and knowledge I’ve gained about the conditions, historically, in any country that have generally given rise to dictatorships. However, I had a deep and pathetic misunderstanding about the Constitution at the time of that OP, the correction of which has given me an even deeper respect for the intentions and forethought of the Founding Fathers. Even as a hypothetical, the idea of Bush cancelling the election is pretty outlandish, because essentially, it’s not his to cancel. I hereby confess and atone for my tinfoil hat paranoia during that time. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/76 "2004-08-08T17:56:04Z")
> [@MrTuffPaws](#): > > But Clinton got a blow job!!! WHO TOLD? Damn. It’s so one can’t service the President and his Secret Service retinue with a director and a small guest cast without word leaking out somehow. Shit. So much for my reputation. Well, at least I’m not a sloppy eater and I don’t have stains on _my_ clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/77 "2004-08-09T04:44:17Z")
> [@Denis](#): > > Nah, the country survived Nixon. It can survive GWB. Even four more years of him. No. It. Can’t. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Denis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5e9695/32.png) [@Denis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Denis)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/78 "2004-08-09T05:00:26Z")
Well, I hope it doesn’t _have_ to. Much like I hope I don’t need to survive with leprosy. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/79 "2004-08-09T07:42:23Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Nah, the country survived Nixon. It can survive GWB. Even four more years of him. > > No. It. Can’t. ☹ Now, as I hope my old OP made clear, the sheer volume of anti-Bush threads is only part of the reason I got frustrated enough to post in the first place. This is a perfect, _perfect_ example of the rest of the reason. It almost makes the rather sudden bump worth it. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500/80 "2004-08-09T14:00:25Z")
Well, I for one think that Dreyfuss is innocent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-even-im-getting-somewhat-tired-of-all-the-repetitious-anti-bush-threads/255500.md?page=5)