Okay, Health Care Reform Has Passed---

[Varmit]

I never did get you guys to understand and my concern has grown legs and walked into all kinds of other discussion. So I give up.You've all taken a bite out of me, fine. I hope the next Republican president has the same problem...Hope he's of a different race too ,that would be lots of fun to watch to see who squirms. Most people still can't seem to grasp the difference between race and ethnicity.

It wasn't about taking a bite out of you.  Bush was accused of racism as well, so theres no need to wait for the next Republican president. 

But hey, speaking of "squirming"...why have you repeatedly avoided my question?  To me, it seems that your avoidance of my question only serves to illustrate the hypocrisy of the "diversity" crowd.  I mean most of them are more than willing to stand up and point out whenever a white person says something derogatory or uses a racial slur but they remain silent when the coin is flipped.  I used the term "Sambo" one time in reference to the president during this thread, you hollered "racist".  Yet, in the same breath you call me "ill bred, uneducated, white trash", you used the term "back woods hillbilly" when refering to other white folks.  A term, I would like to point out whose meaning has been changed by the mainstream media and popular television.  If we are going to change the "double standard" then we have to look at both sides of the issue honestly and stop with all the politically correct manure.  The fact that no one wants to admit is that there ARE different classes of people.  This idea that just because we are all human beings we're all the same, is bullshit. 

Economic factors do not define the classes, nor does "privledge", or even race for that matter.  The classes are defined by a certain mindset and attitude.  For example, compare the slums of South Chicago where whites are a minority to rural areas of the mid-west where people, mostly whites, are barely scratching out a living.  On one hand you have a group of people that live in squalor, thrash filled neighborhoods, that wouldn't dare venture out after dark.  And if you ask them, the reason for their plight is always someone elses fault.  On the other hand, you have the dirt farmers and rednecks.  These folks, although poor, are still able to maintain their dignigity and a sense of personal responsibility.  They may live in nothing more than a shack or a rundown trailer but it is clean, their kids go to school whether they want to or not, and woe to any kid that brings home a failing grade or disrespects his/her parents or another adult.  Their clothes may be a little on the "used" side but mamma makes sure they are clean and daddy makes sure they are worn properly.  They don't look at an employment oppurtunity as being beneath them but are happy to get any job they can.  Their plight is not caused by another race or "the man trying to keep them down".  They strive to better themselves and provide for their children whom they teach to never just give up. 
Are there exceptions to this?  Of course.  But seldom will you find the attidudes of those intertwined although their social and economic situations are the same.  The reason for this difference, I believe, is because of the leaders in these communities.  One group constantly hears about how the white man is keeping them down, and that society as a whole owes them something.  Their cultural icons glorify things like drug dealing, prostitution, and gang violence and hold it up as a means to get out of the ghetto.  When was the last time you heard people like Biggie Small, JayZ, ili Wayne, Puff Daddy, P-Diddy, tell the kids in those communities to keep their butts in school, study and work hard, stay away from drugs, and take responsibility for themselves and their neighborhood? 
We hear people like Jesse Jackson and Al Shaprton go on and on about people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. but seldom to they instruct those in the inner cities to actually emulate the teachings and example of King and Parks.

[Diane Amberg]

Varmit, I'm not sure what question I didn't answer, it's entirely possible that I did miss something, but before I go hunting, perhaps I should say what was just told to me....Grow a pair and deal with it, suck it up. You and several others have called the POTUS every foul POS comment there is and I've never said a word...that's your business. I just happen to think your one comment was over the top and unnecessary, bad form, period.  Apparently I've now been compared to a skunk.That's a shame. Once in awhile I stand up for something and I immediately get called out over it. And yet again you forget who you are talking to. When I was teaching in Cecil County we had plenty of proud, poor, clean families who still had dirt floors and no indoor plumbing. We also had the back woods hillbillies, not families...young, mean males who would now be known as skinheads. They were still fighting the civil war and blamed blacks and Jews for anything that didn't suit them.They did run stills back in the woods and occasionally had serious fires and poisoned each other.They were terrible and dangerous.The notorious Johnston family was the local PA branch and while most are in prison now, a few are still out there. And yes, I do like diversity. I live in a college town so we have a rich culture here made up of much more than just WASPS. Actually I agree with a lot of what you just wrote...shows much more depth and understanding than I am used to from what you usually write.

[Varmit]

Varmit, I'm not sure what question I didn't answer, it's entirely possible that I did miss something, but before I go hunting, perhaps I should say what was just told to me....Grow a pair and deal with it, suck it up.

Actually, there are several that haven't been answered, however the main one that I was refering to and have posted twice is...

BTW, since we are kinda on the subject of name calling and ridicule where, exactly, does calling people "ill bred, uneducated white trash" come into this?  How does that help the discussion?  How does that attempt to change the double standard?

Once in awhile I stand up for something and I immediately get called out over it. And yet again you forget who you are talking to.

Diane, you can't stand up for something and Not expect to get called out on it, espcially when someone has a different view on it.  And NO, I haven't forgotten who I'm talking to. 
As far as the rest of your post, if you'll look at my last post I said that there are exceptions to almost every rule.  And while I live in a mainly WASP area, I to enjoy diversity, so long as it applies to everyone and not just a select few.  Which is exactly what the groups that push diversity want.  They want the minorities to have the freedom to express their culture while the majority is told to keep quiet, thats not diversity, thats racism. 

[Diane Amberg]

Ok, I went back and found it. It was in response to your Sambo comment. So you are the author and owner of the "discussion" that followed. Your name was not mentioned, but you know what they say....if the shoe fits. My response can be whatever I want it to be. YOU started it. (Sound enough like kids on the playground?) You started it, so I can be as smarmy as I want. YOU suck it up for a change and take your licks. I've had enough. As long as I'm here and you are there, I'll not stand a chance for an even playing field for a debate or discussion or anything else. So be it. By the way, when are you marching on Washington so I can open the gun safe and be sure my weapons are clean?

[jarhead]

Diane,
I'm just a dumb redneck so sometimes I need people to explain to me when they speak in parables. What do you mean when you asked Billy when he was going to march on DC , so you could clean your weapons ? Do you mean you will march in solidarity with him or-------------------heaven forbid you mean that as a threat

[Catwoman]

Stupidity isn't a virus...But it sure spreads like one.  I can't believe all the diatribe that has been posted on this thread...And you wonder why it's hard to attract people to Elk County...

[Varmit]

Ok, I went back and found it. It was in response to your Sambo comment. So you are the author and owner of the "discussion" that followed. Your name was not mentioned, but you know what they say....if the shoe fits. My response can be whatever I want it to be. YOU started it. (Sound enough like kids on the playground?) You started it, so I can be as smarmy as I want. YOU suck it up for a change and take your licks. I've had enough. As long as I'm here and you are there, I'll not stand a chance for an even playing field for a debate or discussion or anything else. So be it. By the way, when are you marching on Washington so I can open the gun safe and be sure my weapons are clean?

Well, Kudos to you Diane!!  Way to avoid the questions totally and use misdirection and absolutely no logic!!  Spoken like a true liberal. 
Anyone with a first grade reading comprehension level can see that your "ill bred..." comment was directed at me. 
BTW, you couldn't ask for a more even playing field than an open, public forum where everyone regardless of race can post their opinion.  I have been taking my licks since I came to this forum, and until I get kicked off of it I will continue to post my opinion, regardless of how others may view it.  If you choose to leave thats on you. 
So, if you want to make sure your weapons are clean, more power to you.  Me?  I KNOW my are clean, loaded, and ready to go.

[srkruzich]

Hey i'm still miffed about her sexist comment about men not ironing sheets!

[Diane Amberg]

Steve, was I wrong? 

[srkruzich]

Steve, was I wrong? 

Oh actually, i'll bet that ole jarhead knows his way around with a iron.  And i'm pretty handy with one.  Even know how to use them old fashioned ones you set on top of a woodstove.

Youve got to remember, i was a Unix admin for fortune 100 companies and i was also a single parent.  SO i had to do my own ironing, that is until i started taking my clothes to the cleaners.

I can also sew, crochet, cross stitch, quilt, and cook.