So I get an emailed press release from Patrick Rule, the webmeister of Don't Drive on Sunday, and I responded that, while I always think curtailing unnecessary driving is a sound idea, I wouldn't be so naive as to presume the oilmen running this country give two shits whether even a majority of the citizenry decided not to drive their cars once a week. As I mentioned yesterday, they're far more concerned with oil-producing countries linking their products to the euro instead of the dollar. They have never paid and will never pay attention to ordinary citizen action, whether it's gas station boycotts or rallies in the hundreds of thousands. They just don't care, and it doesn't really affect them. It's one of those things designed to make us feel better about ourselves, pat ourselves on the back for being good citizens. Like blogging about politics. As Patrick said, "all of our freedoms are being
stripped away one by one, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. And what a better way to get Americans to do something about our ongoing crisis, than to ask them to do nothing?" Because when the politicians see that we're doing nothing, they're sure to, um, er...
But what I found more interesting was Patrick's subsequent email replying to mine, wherein he admitted that "I was a bit taken aback by your comments. It was more typical of the hate mail I've been getting from the Conservative Christians just
because I picked Sunday." And it got me to thinking once again about the amount of self-restraint I often employ in this blog due to many of my fellow travelers' insistence on believing that their ideas and methods must obviously be shared by everyone else who claims to be of the same political bent. For instance, I can't recall how many anti-public-nudity posts I've never made because I figured they'd be taken the wrong way by people insistent on arguing against what they thought I meant rather than what I actually said; it's just not worth it if I want to maintain friendships with other lefty bloggers, and I do. It just saddens me sometimes how many folks expect others to march in lockstep with every single one of their notions just because we're all liberals or progressives. It's the kind of mentality I'm used to seeing from the right side of the political divide.
stripped away one by one, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. And what a better way to get Americans to do something about our ongoing crisis, than to ask them to do nothing?" Because when the politicians see that we're doing nothing, they're sure to, um, er...
But what I found more interesting was Patrick's subsequent email replying to mine, wherein he admitted that "I was a bit taken aback by your comments. It was more typical of the hate mail I've been getting from the Conservative Christians just
because I picked Sunday." And it got me to thinking once again about the amount of self-restraint I often employ in this blog due to many of my fellow travelers' insistence on believing that their ideas and methods must obviously be shared by everyone else who claims to be of the same political bent. For instance, I can't recall how many anti-public-nudity posts I've never made because I figured they'd be taken the wrong way by people insistent on arguing against what they thought I meant rather than what I actually said; it's just not worth it if I want to maintain friendships with other lefty bloggers, and I do. It just saddens me sometimes how many folks expect others to march in lockstep with every single one of their notions just because we're all liberals or progressives. It's the kind of mentality I'm used to seeing from the right side of the political divide.
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